Students of secondary schools of Ust-Medveditsky district during the anti-Bolshevik revolt on the Don river in the spring-summer of 1918

The article is devoted to a little-known episode in the history of the Civil War on the Don river - the participation of students of secondary schools of Ust-Medveditsky District of the Don Cossacks in the anti-Bolshevik revolt in the spring and summer of 1918. On the basis of the analysis of memor ies and periodical press, the author shows the role of students in the resistance to the Soviet regime in th e early period of the Civil War. The author draws our attention to the social composition of students and their relation to the Soviet regime, established in Ust-Medveditsky district in January 1918. Pupils of Ust-Medveditskaya gymnasium, dissatisfied with the resignation of the Director, organized the attack on the representative of local authorities. After the illegal assassination of one of the organizers, the teens joined the rebels of the Cossack villages of Ust-Medveditsky District. In spring of 1918 they joined the partisans and fought against the Red Army. Disorganization among the local Cossacks led to the collapse of the detachment and death of some participants. The population of the district praised the courage of fighting teenagers. The memory of the fallen defenders of the native land was immortalized in the works of Don writers. Based on the analysis of military-political situation in the district, the author dwells upon the functioning of educational institutions in spring and summer of 1918. They collected donations to help the front. In conclusion, the author points out that young people at the expense of their own lives pushed the adult population to take action.