Battle of Eski Zagra
| Battle of Eski Zagra | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) | |||||||||
Defending of the Samara flag (1909) by Pyotr Morozov | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Ottoman Empire | Russian Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Süleyman Hüsnü Pasha |
Iosif Gurko Nikolai Stoletov | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Süleyman Land Army |
Advance squad
| ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
35,000 to 48,000
|
4,500 to 5,000 4 cannons | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| c. 200 to 1,500 casualties | 567 casualties | ||||||||
| 14,000 to 20,000 Bulgarian civilians were killed | |||||||||
The Battle of Eski Zagra was a military engagement that took place in the city of Stara Zagora on 19 July 1877 during the Russo-Turkish War. As a result of a well-planned counteroffensive, the Ottoman troops were able to unexpectedly strike at the Russians and force them to retreat to the Balkan Mountains.
Background
Initially, the Advance Squad offensive was successful. General Gurko's units, encountering no resistance, captured trophies and prisoners, and on June 25 they took the city of Veliko Tarnovo, the ancient capital of Bulgaria. [1] Then he successfully passed through the mountain passes of the Balkan mountains and began to develop an offensive further - on Nova Zagora and Stara Zagora, which covered the flanks of the Danube army.[2] At that time, Suleiman Pasha's army arrived from Montenegro and almost immediately launched an offensive in a place unknown to the Russians.[3]
Sizes of the armies
Since the Russians did not know about the Ottomans' plans, only a small part of the entire advanced detachment remained in Stara Zagora, its number varies from 4,500[4] to 5,000,[5] which was several times less than that of the Turks. Suleiman Pasha's army was a formidable force: its size, according to Russian military historians, ranged from 35,000[6] to 40,000,[7] and according to Bulgarian data - 48,000, with a double advantage in artillery.[3] But only half were engaged.[8]
Battle
At about 8 a.m., the Turks appeared right in front of the city, which caused a commotion in the defenders' camp. The Turks began shelling the city, which caused serious damage, and a fire even broke out somewhere. However, the defenders, waiting for reinforcements, did not think to retreat from the city.[9] The main forces of the Gurko detachment actually began a forced march to help the city, but they were attacked by forces under the command of Mehmed Rauf Pasha bin Abdi Pasha. A fierce battle began there. The Russians forced the Turks to retreat, but they themselves did not have time to help the city, where everything had already been decided at that time.[10]
Kalitin's death
During the battle, when a strong Turkish column gathered against the 3rd company, Pavel Kalitin, having asked Stoletov for permission to attack the Turks, ordered to ask for reinforcements. The officers and soldiers went, as if to a feast, cheerful and to the sounds of folk songs, they rushed at the Turks. The attack was so unexpected and swift that the Turks retreated, but their strong reserve and deadly artillery fire forced the militia to retreat. During the second attack, in which this company was also supported by the 1st, Pavel Kalitin seeing that the standard-bearer of the 3rd company Marchenko fell dead and lost their Samara flag, immediately jumped to the ground, grabbed the banner, jumped back on his horse, rode out in front of the formation of his company with the banner raised high and shouted loudly: “Children, our banner is with us. Forward after it! After me!” The millitants, filling the air with cries of "hurrah", rushed to run. During this Kalytin was killed. A non-commissioned officer tore the flag from his hands, and the tree broke in the middle, but, having jumped with it for two steps, he fell lifeless. Another non-commissioned officer rushed down, grabbed him by the throat, and he too was on the spot. At this time, a crowd of Turks rushed to the flag spread on the ground, seized it and rushed to run. Those of the militiamen who were nearby, with loaded rifles, drawn sabers and shouting “Hurray!” and “For Bulgaria,” rushed like a whirlwind after the standard-bearer: they killed, cut, stabbed with bayonets, beat with rifle butts, until they approached him and, after a fierce fight in which several people fell on both sides, the militiamen seized the banner.[11]
Retreat
Unable to withstand the onslaught of the Turkish forces, the Bulgarians and Russians began to retreat, trying to withdraw part of the population. The Turks slowly pursued them, as most of the troops devoted themselves to looting the city. [8] The retreating troops were periodically ambushed, which caused them to suffer losses, as a result, some of them fled, mixing with the population.[12] At that time, Gurko approached the city, but he was too late, and he also became involved in the retreat, only he conducted it in perfect order.[6]
Aftermath
After the capture of the city, the infamous massacre took place there, the whole city was destroyed [13] Population losses are estimated from 14,000[14] to 20,000.[15] From a military point of view, the Russians were forced to retreat back into the mountain passes, which significantly delayed the course of hostilities. Nevertheless, despite the victory, the Ottomans did not develop further than this. [16] The Russians lost 576 people.[17] and the Turks, according to their data, only 200.[10] However, the Russians estimate Turkish damage at 1,500.[18]
Reference
- ^ Achkasov et al. 1977, pp. 101–102.
- ^ Achkasov et al. 1977, pp. 103–104.
- ^ a b Dimitrov 1900, p. 135.
- ^ Paichev 1984, p. 186.
- ^ Dimitrov 1900, p. 136.
- ^ a b Schwartz et al. 1912, p. 348.
- ^ Гурко Иосиф Владимирович // Great Russian Encyclopedia - old.bigenc.ru
- ^ a b Schwartz et al. 1912, p. 349.
- ^ Dimitrov 1900, p. 137.
- ^ a b Georgiev, Georgi; Topalov, Vladislav (1958). "The last actions of the advance squad". Кратка история на Освободителната война 1877–1878 [Brief History of the 1877–78 War of Liberation]. Sofia: Bulgarian Communist Party.
- ^ Dimitrov 1900, p. 143.
- ^ Dimitrov 1900, pp. 144–145.
- ^ Schwartz et al. 1912, pp. 349–350.
- ^ Dimitrov 1900, p. 145.
- ^ Achkasov et al. 1977, pp. 104.
- ^ Achkasov et al. 1977, pp. 105–106.
- ^ Achkasov et al. 1977, pp. 105.
- ^ Achkasov et al. 1977, p. 106.
Bibliography
- Achkasov, V.; Barbasov, A.; Vinogradov, V.; Mitev, Y. (1977). "Operations in Northern Bulgaria". In Rostunov, Ivan (ed.). Русско-турецкая война 1877-1878 гг. [Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878] (in Russian). Moscow: Воениздат.
- Schwartz, Alexey; Apushkin, Vladimir; Schoultz, Gustav; Velichko, Konstantin I. (1912). Ески-Загра [Eski-Zagra]. In Novitsky, Vasily (ed.). Sytin Military Encyclopedia (in Russian). Vol. 10: Елисавета Петровна – Инициатива. Moscow: Типография Т-ва И. Д. Сытина. pp. 348–350.
- Paichev, Atanas (1984). 1300 години на стража [1300 years on guard] (in Bulgarian). Бълг. воен. изкуство. Sofia: Военно издателство.
- Dimitrov, Georgi (1900). Княжество България в историческо, географическо и етнографическо отношение. Продължение от част ІІ. По руско-турската война през 1877-78 г. [Historical, Geographic and Ethnographic Data on the Principality of Bulgaria. Continued from Part II. On the Russo-Turkish War 1877-78] (in Bulgarian). Plovdiv. pp. 130–148.
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