Leon Trotsky: Telegram to Lenin

[Copy. Telegram. True Copy. (From files of outgoing papers No. 1 for 1919, part II) The Trotsky Papers 1917-1922, edited and annotated by Jan M. Meijer, The Hague. 1964, Vol. 2., p. 257]

From: Kozlov

22/1,1919. No. 338

To: Moscow – Chairman of the Council of Defence, Lenin.

Copied to: Chairman of the Central Executive Committee, Sverdlov.

The Commander of the Southern Front, Comrade Slaven is, at his own request, released on grounds of illness from his present post and placed at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief. In this matter I consider it my duty to the country as a whole to record the exceptional services rendered by Comrade Slaven to the cause of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Republic. Comrade Slaven took command of the Fifth Army in the days of the utmost gravity when it was advancing on Kazan. Despite unsteadiness in the units and hesitancy among the commanders, Comrade Slaven, without losing heart for a single moment, led his army into battle with a sure hand and organised and trained it under the enemy’s fire. The taking of Kazan created a turning point for the entire course of operations and has gone down as an outstanding fact in the history of the Soviet Republic. The chief role in this matter belongs to Comrade Slaven. When summoned to the responsible post of Commander of the Southern Army, Comrade Slaven here too displayed his fundamental qualities - conscientiousness, steadfastness, a resolute, clear grasp and realistic appreciation of the position, and the ability to instil in others belief in the success of the cause as a whole. In recognition of the personal courage and military resourcefulness displayed by Comrade Slaven in the grave days of the seizure of Kazan by the White Guardists, the decoration of the Red Banner is awarded to Comrade Slaven.

Chairman of the Military Revolutionary Council, Trotsky