Mary Walters, age 13, of Willingboro, N.J., for her question:

WHO WERE THE COSSACKS?

Cossacks were a group of Russians living in the southern and eastern parts of Russia. They were Slavic peoples who became border defenders against the Tartars in the 1400s.

The Cossacks gained a reputation as daring horsemen and mercenary soldiers who recognized no authority but their own. The word Cossack comes from a Tartar word meaning "free laborer." Eleven groups of Cossacks developed. The Don and Kuban Cossacks were the largest of these groups.

Cossacks were an elite corps in the armies of the czars and they received special privileges, including exemption from taxes.

After the Revolution, the Cossacks fought on the side of the White armies, trying to overthrow the new government. Their historical organization was broken up after the Red, or Bolshevik, armies won the civil war. Many of the Cossacks were killed or deported.