The Army was formed on 17 October 1918 from Orenburg Cossacks and others troops which rebelled against the Bolsheviks, under the command of Alexander Dutov.
The army was subordinated to the Supreme Commander-in-chief appointed by the Provisional All-Russian Government, first Lieutenant General Vasily Boldyrev, and then Admiral Kolchak.
The defeats can be explained primarily by fatigue, the unwillingness of a large part of the Cossacks to continue the war, the rise of pro-Soviet sentiment, desertion and even the changing to the Red side of entire units.
In April, the Orenburg Independent Army launched an offensive between the rivers Sakmara and Ural in the direction of Aktobe.
In August it covered Bashkiria and the Orenburg region and held the Verkhneuralsky District, trying to keep in connection with the Ural Army.