A detailed description and assessment of the armed struggle of the Orenburg Cossacks with the Soviet government is the work of the future historian, who will have at his disposal all the necessary materials. The work presented to the attention of readers is a brief outline of the struggle of the Orenburg Cossacks from the moment of the Bolshevik coup until the remnants of the Orenburg army left for a foreign land, i.e. from the end of 1917 to the beginning of 1920. Along the way, the essay provides feasible explanations of the most important events, indicating the reasons that caused certain phenomena.