Siege of Silistra (1773)
| Siege of Silistra (1773) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) | |||||||
.jpg) Plan of Russian military operations around Silistra in June 1773 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ottoman Empire |
 Russian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Osman Pasha Seyyid Hasan Pasha Çerkes Pasha |
Pyotr Rumyantsev Aleksey Stupishin Grigory Potemkin Otto Weismann Iosif Igelström Nikolai Kokovinsky Franz Klitschka Mikhail Leontyev Henry Lloyd | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 30,000 |
20,000 70 cannons Numerous mortars | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown |
8,000 killed 1,000 injured[a] | ||||||
  Location within Europe  Siege of Silistra (1773) (Bulgaria) | |||||||
The siege of Silistra, also known as the siege of Silistria,[b] was a military siege undertaken by Russia between 18–29 June 1773 against the Ottoman city of Silistria. The siege was an important phase of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), and resulted in an Ottoman victory.[3]
Prelude
[edit]In 1773, Catherine the Great ordered for Pyotr Rumyantsev to march with his army onto Silistra to pressure the Ottoman Empire into peace.[4] With this, he crossed the Danube with a tens-of-thousands-strong force after a pontoon bridge was built across the Galitsa. Grigory Potemkin and Otto Weismann's forces were at the front of this army. Rumyantsev ordered Major-general Matvey Muromtsov to have roads built out to Silistra. On 12 June, Potemkin and Weismann were sent in two columns towards Silistra. They were both under the command of Aleksey Stupishin.[5] There was constant fighting between Ottoman and Russian troops before they reached the fortress on 15 June.[6]
Stupishin sent a letter the same day to Serasker Halıcı Osman Pasha (the ethnically Armenian pasha defending the fortress alongside Seyyid Hasan Pasha), that the main Russian army would attack Silistra and block any reinforcement intended to aid him if he did not surrender. Stupishin promised everyone would be spared, threatening to bring a disaster upon the pasha if he refused to surrender. The next night, Osman Pasha sent a letter where he said that he had already taken measures to ensure that his cavalry surrounded the Russian troops. He went onto state that nothing scared him and that he would "not even give a single stone or a nail to the Russian dogs", let alone the fortress.[7]
Siege
[edit]Battle for the redoubt
[edit]On 18 June, the 20,000-strong Russian army besieged Silistra, where the Ottomans had garrisoned 30,000 men. Grigory Potemkin and Otto Weismann were tasked with seizing a redoubt on a hill overlooking Silistra. Potemkin's force, composed of 1,206 grenadiers; Iosif Igelström's unit, made up of 1,039 musketeers; and Weismann's corps, consisting of cavalry from Kabardia and Shirvan, as well as a battalion under Lieutenant colonel Blücher fired on the redoubt. All of these commanders were united under Pyotr Rumyantsev.[8]
The redoubt was attacked by several columns of the Russian army. After a six-hour battle, the redoubt was occupied by Colonel Franz Klitschka and Lieutenant colonel Ziegler. Other commanders involved in the battle were: Major general Nikolai Kokovinsky; Colonels Mikhail Leontyev Rosenberg, Yazykov; and Major Famintsyn. Welsh soldier Henry Lloyd also commanded a division for the Russians.[9] Colonel Lukin was one of those killed in action. The Turks relentlessly fired on the redoubt for the entire day. In response, Rumyantsev began bombarding Silistra non-stop on 19 June with 70 large cannons and numerous mortars, causing unabating fires to break out within the fortress.[2][10]
Second large battle
[edit]By 28 June, a 7,000-strong force led by Cherkes (Turkish: Çerkes, lit. 'Circassian') Pasha arrived from Pazarcık. A battle followed between the troops of the pasha and the units of Pyotr Rumyantsev and Grigory Potemkin. During the battle, the Turks burst into a gap between the main Russian force and Potemkin's soldiers, putting Rumyantsev's life directly in danger. Fortunately for him, Aleksey Stupishin, who was marching to aid Rumyantsev, reached on time and repelled the Turkish attacks. Rumyantsev retreated to a nearby forest and sent cavalry regiments (mobilised from Moscow and Tver) to help Stupishin.[11]
With Çerkes Pasha's force scattered, Potemkin chased after them with his cavalry regiments. Most of the Ottoman soldiers escaped through the road leading to Şumnu, which was patrolled by Major Egor Lyubimov. Cut off from the army, Lyubimov made his way through enemy territory with a small force and reached the main Russian army.[11] He was injured in the process and died in 1778 from his numerous wounds.[12]
Lifting of the siege
[edit]The Russians learned that Çerkes Pasha's army was only a detachment of Damat Numan Pasha's larger force of 20,000, which was marching from Şumnu towards Silistra.[13] Thus, Pyotr Rumyantsev decided to lift the siege on 29 June and withdrew from the area to avoid another large confrontation. With this, the Russian campaign in Silistra ended in failure.[14] In the six-hour battle on 18 June alone, the Russians lost 8,000 men, whilst 1,000 were injured.[2]
Aftermath
[edit]As the Russians were withdrawing from Silistra via the Danube, Pyotr Rumyantsev sent Otto Weismann to deal with Numan Pasha's reinforcements. In the ensuing battle, Weismann was fatally shot in the heart. Nevertheless, the battle ended in a Russian victory, with the Ottomans having lost 4,000–5,000 men.[13]
Defeating renowned general Rumyantsev earned Serasker Osman Pasha not only the title of Gazi, but also a sable fur coat, a symbol of this great achievement. He was also given a sword and awarded 1,000 kuruş (which was equivalent to 500 gold coins). The Grand Vizier sent 4,000 silver medals, known as çelenk, and 3,000 feather (tüy) insignias to be distributed among the soldiers who defended Silistra.[2]
Notes
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Black, Jeremy (2018). Fortifications and Siegecraft: Defense and Attack Through the Ages. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 146. ISBN 9781538109687.
- ^ a b c d von Hammer-Purgstall, Joseph. Çevik, Mümin (ed.). Büyük Osmanlı Tarihi [Great Ottoman History] (in Turkish). Vol. 16. Translated by Özdek, Refik. Istanbul: Üçdal Neşriyat. p. 223.
- ^ Somel, Selçuk A. [in Turkish] (2010). The A to Z of the Ottoman Empire. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. LV. ISBN 9780810875791.
- ^ Davies, Brian L. (2011). Empire and Military Revolution in Eastern Europe: Russia's Turkish Wars in the Eighteenth Century. Continuum Studies in Military History. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 272. ISBN 9781441168801.
- ^ Nikolaevich 1874, p. 52.
- ^ Nikolaevich 1874, pp. 53–56.
- ^ Nikolaevich 1874, pp. 56–57.
- ^ Nikolaevich 1874, pp. 57–58.
- ^ Matthew, Colin; Harrison, Brian, eds. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 34. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 131. ISBN 0198613849.
- ^ Nikolaevich 1874, pp. 58–60.
- ^ a b Nikolaevich 1874, p. 60.
- ^ Lyubimov, Egor // Russian Biographical Dictionary (in 25 volumes). Saint Petersburg and Moscow, 1896–1918.
- ^ a b Davies 2016, p. 196.
- ^ Davies 2016, p. 197.
References
[edit]- Davies, Brian L. (2016). The Russo-Turkish War, 1768–1774: Catherine II and the Ottoman Empire. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472512932.
- Nikolaevich, Petrov A. (1874). "Кампания 1773 Года" [Campaign of 1773]. Война России с Турцией и Польскими конфедератами с 1769–1774 год [The War of Russia with Turkey and the Polish Confederates between 1769–1774] (in Russian). Vol. 4. Saint Petersburg: Тип. и Литография А. Траншеля.