The Irkutsk Reserve Battalion and the problem of reserve infantry troops in Siberian Military District in 1899 (based on material of visit of Aleksey N. Kuropatkin)

   This article based on a large body of unpublished documents from the Russian State Military Historical Archive (RSMHA). The author analyzes the current situation in Irkutsk Reserve Battalion and describe the level of combat readiness of the other reserve infantry troops, dislocated in Siberian Military District in 1899. In that year there was a visit of the War Minister of Russian Empire Aleksey N. Kuropatkin to Siberian Military District. That visit was of historic importance as it took place less than 7 months before the Siberian Military District mobilization in July 7^th 1900 in response to the Boxer Rebellion in China and about 4 years prior the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. Its purpose was personal acquaintance of the War Minister with the recently created Siberian Military District; specifically, evaluation of the actual state and combat readiness of the dislocated troops, the current situation with military infrastructure, data gathering to further develop defense plans and regional military reforms in Siberia. Traveling by Trans-Siberian Railway, Kuropatkin inspected military objects in cities and the troops of the largest Siberian garrisons, including 4 of the 6 reserve infantry battalions, dislocated in Siberian Military District and Irkutsk Reserve Battalion among them. In this article is first published the most detailed descriptions of Irkutsk Reserve Battalion in the end of XIX century. It has presented the data about the service particularity of the reserve infantry troops in Siberia, their tasks and the difficulties of organization their military education. It has concluded that the necessity of use them for intended purpose in a wartime demand a serious changes in its service and military education.

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