By the end of 1773 Mikhelson held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of the Saint-Petersburg Regiment of Carabineers, and, after the new force arrived in rebel-occupied territory, was given command over a force of soldiers to fight against the rebels led by
Yemelyan Pugachev, who by this time had gained a fearsome reputation and defeated several expeditions sent against him by the government. Soon enough events turned around due to Mikhelson's exceptional resolve, especially his indefatigability when confronting followers of the rebellion, whom he crushed wherever he encountered them. His most decisive action was at the
Battle of Kazan, where he led the relief force to the besieged city. By the time Michelson had arrived on July 13, Pugachev's army had already surrounded the
Kazan Kremlin where the remaining defenders and loyal citizens had taken refuge. Mikhelson launched a determined strike on the rebels, and thereafter pursued them across the right bank of the
Volga river. He refused to relent, and as the rebels attempted to regroup near
Tsaritsyn, drove his small army of under 5,000 men to engage Pugachev near
Chyorny Yar on August 25, in the , where he annihilated a force of 10,000 rebels, killing 2,000 and capturing 6,000 more, suffering only 90 casualties to his forces in the process. Mikhelson had managed to end any major threat of the rebellion reemerging and assaulting the Russian interior. == Promotions ==