/View.info/ 170 years ago, at the end of November 1853, Russian troops achieved victories that today seem undeservedly forgotten. Russian commanders managed to defeat the superior forces of the Turkish army and protect the southern borders of the country, thus influencing the outcome of the Crimean War and the position of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus in general.
The Crimean War (1853–1856) is often treated with some disdain in Russia. It was considered a failure for the Russian Empire, although in fact the enemy’s attempts to go on the offensive were successfully repulsed in all areas of hostilities. Even in the Crimea, where the Black Sea Fleet was sunk and Sevastopol surrendered, the Anglo-French forces found themselves at a strategic impasse.
But there is another region, far from Crimea, where hostilities are conducted with no less intensity. Several battles took place in the Caucasus, the outcome of which is of great importance for the entire war and Russian history.
Background to the Crimean War
In July 1853, Russian troops entered the territory of the Danube Christian principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. These lands were part of the Muslim Ottoman Empire, but enjoyed some autonomy and Russian patronage
And shortly before that, the Turkish Sultan succumbed to French blackmail and transferred control of the holy places in Palestine to the Catholic Church. Nicholas I responded with an ultimatum demanding not only the return of the Orthodox shrines, but also a guarantee that Russia would protect the entire Christian population of the multinational Ottoman Empire. The latter demand is improbable, which effectively meant dual sovereignty over about half of Turkey’s population. The Sultan cannot agree to this.
Then, to put pressure on the Turks, Russian troops were brought into the Danubian principalities. Russian soldiers are greeted with flowers as liberators from the Ottoman yoke.
This military intervention became the reason for the consolidation of all those dissatisfied with the leading role of Russia in Europe – and above all such powers as Great Britain and France. They were secretly joined by the Austrian Empire, which did not start hostilities, but concentrated troops on the Russian border. The Crimean War begins.
Turkish invasion
While the Anglo-French allies were preparing an expedition to the Crimea, a hundred thousand Ottoman army invaded the Caucasus, the territory of the Russian Empire, in October 1853. The Turks remembered that until recently their sultan was considered the patron of the Muslim peoples of the Caucasus, and on Turkish maps this land is painted in the colors of the Ottoman Empire. And it was only after several Russo-Turkish wars that Russian power was established in the Caucasus. For the Caucasus, this is a serious step forward towards progress and civilization. After all, the Ottoman authorities were not interested in the development of the Caucasus, nor in the establishment of order and legality there, and the Christian peoples were cruelly oppressed.
When hostilities began, the commander in the Caucasus, Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, was in a difficult position. The border on the Turkish side for more than 800 kilometers is guarded only by rare posts manned by less than two thousand Cossacks, and only four infantry battalions are stationed in the border towns, fortifications and fortresses. Under these conditions, the only possible decision was taken: to concentrate the available troops in a few of the most important fortresses, convenient for defense.
The defense is facilitated by the fact that the fighting is taking place in territory inhabited by Georgians and Armenians. They have not yet forgotten that the Russians saved them from destruction, so there is no doubt about the loyalty of these peoples. For reinforcements, the 13th Infantry Division was urgently transferred to the Caucasus.
Victory at Akhaltsikhe
The Ottoman army led an offensive against the two main strongholds of Russia in the region – Alexandropol (now Armenian Gyumri) and Akhaltsikhe (in Georgia). At the end of October 1853, an 18,000-strong corps under the command of the Turkish commander Mehmed Ali Pasha approached Akhaltsikhe. It was believed that this fortress is weak and will only slow down the advance of the enemy, and the main battles will take place over the Borjomi Gorge, which opens the way to the territory of Georgia. When the advance units of Ali Pasha appeared in front of the fortress, the commander of the Akhaltsikhe garrison, Major General Kovalevsky, who had only about 500 soldiers, took up defensive positions and began to wait for help. Fortunately, the Turks, who do not like storming fortresses, acted hesitantly and fired only cannon at the city.
A report was sent to the commander of the troops in Tiflis, Prince Ivan Andronikov. In a short time, he collected and brought to Akhaltsikhe several battalions of the 13th infantry division, the Don Cossack regiment, the Tiflis militia and a small detachment of Ossetian volunteers – a total of about seven thousand people.
At four o’clock in the morning on November 14 (November 24 new style), Russian troops launched an attack. The attack was made from two directions: a distraction on the front and the main one on the flank. The battle begins with a powerful artillery barrage. Then General Freitag descended with two battalions of the Vilna Regiment from the heights to the valley of the Pohov Chai River and stormed the village of Suflis, occupied by the Turks. Soldiers must ford a turbulent mountain river under enemy fire. But the Russians took the height with a single assault, with the Turkish guns stationed on it and with shouts of “Hurrah!” invade Suflis. After several hours of fighting, the Ottoman soldiers could not stand it and fled.
It’s a total disaster. The Turks lost 11 guns, a large amount of ammunition and left intact a field camp with many secret documents of Mehmed Ali Pasha. The losses of the Turks exceeded a thousand men, while our troops lost only 51 soldiers and one officer.
Mehmed Ali Pasha’s corps ceases to exist. Tiflis is no longer threatened by any Turkish forces. For the leadership of the military operation, Prince Andronikov received the Order of St. George III degree, and units of the 13th Division received St. George flags and trumpets.
Victory at Bashkadiklar
But the victories of the Russian army do not end there. In the southern direction, a detachment of Lieutenant General Prince Vasily Bebutov went on the offensive against the Turks. He numbered only 10,000 soldiers, but successfully repelled the 40,000-strong corps of another Turkish commander, Abdi Pasha, who, after the defeat at Akhaltsikhe and the defeat at Bayandur, no longer thought of attacking Alexandropol.
Russian troops march lightly, almost without artillery, which is difficult to transport on mountain paths. The Turks are slowly retreating to Kars, a large fortress on the border with Russia. On November 19 (December 1, new style), Bebutov’s detachment approached strong enemy positions on the Kadiklar stream, near the village of Bashkadiklar.
Prince Bebutov decided to bypass the left flank of the Turkish position, take up positions on the Kars road and deliver the main blow from there, depriving the Turks of a way of retreat. The battle begins immediately and quite late – around 1 p.m. The Turks sensed the Russian plans and transferred considerable reserves to the left flank. Bebutov therefore decided to change his intentions and strike at the Ottoman right flank. Despite the almost fourfold superiority of the enemy, the Russians attacked. Only two battalions of the Tiflis grenadier and Yerevan carabiner regiments in solid columns, with unfurled flags, passed under the deadly fire of the Turks and stormed their positions.
A fierce close combat ensues. The numerical superiority of the Turks forced the Russian infantry to stop. Prince Bebutov, realizing the importance of the moment, personally led his last reserve into battle – two companies of the Yerevan Regiment and a light artillery battery.
A key Turkish position defended by 16 guns was captured. Russian troops gain dominance on the battlefield. At the same time, General Alexander Baggovut’s Don Cossacks shot down a regiment of Turkish cavalry and went after the Ottomans. On the right flank, the Russian troops barely held out against the vastly superior Turks, but the battle was already won.
Turkish losses amounted to more than six thousand people, ours lost 317 people. 24 guns were captured. For the victory at Bashkadiklar, Prince Bebutov received the Order of St. George II degree.
* * *
If not for the defeat of the Turks at Akhaltsikhe, the Ottoman army could quickly find itself in Tiflis, which has few forces to defend. The worst would happen to the Georgians. The Turks consider them traitors who betrayed their master, the Ottoman Sultan. Georgia would face a bloody massacre. Moreover, the entry of the Ottomans into Georgia would have fanned the flames of war in the North Caucasus, where radical religious fanatics were only waiting for a signal to revolt. And this would threaten Russia with a problem in all its Caucasian possessions.
Well, the victory at Bashkadiclar confirmed the success of the Russian army and opened the way to the two most important Turkish fortresses in Eastern Anatolia – Kars and Bayazet. The Ottoman Empire moves from an attack on Russian territory to a defense. Kars was eventually captured by Russian troops two years later in November 1855, the last major battle of the Crimean War. Once again in its long history, Russia defends its interests in the face of an aggressive neighbor (in this case, the Ottoman Empire), which relies on the support of the West (England and France).
Translation: V. Sergeev
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