Russian-Turkish war of Plevna. Heroes of Plevna: common history, common memory
November 28 ( old style) In 1877, Russian troops captured Plevna (Pleven). Four long months of siege and four assaults were required to capture the Ottoman stronghold, which chained the main forces of the Russian army to itself and slowed down its advance in the Balkans. “Plevna - this name has become the subject of general attention. The fall of Plevna was an event that everyone expected with intense attention from day to day... The fall of Plevna decided the whole issue of the war.”, - this is how one of the capital’s newspapers of that time wrote about the significance of Plevna. “In almost every war, events often occur that have a decisive influence on all further operations. Such a decisive event was undoubtedly the battle of Plevna on November 28, 1877...”- Major General of the General Staff A.I. Manykin-Nevstruev asserted in turn.
Plevna was located at the intersection of roads leading to Ruschuk, Sofia and Lovche. Wanting to stop the advance of the Russian troops, the Turkish mushir (marshal) Osman Pasha, making a swift rush with his troops, occupied Plevna, ahead of the Russians. When our troops approached the city, the Turks appeared before their eyes, erecting defensive fortifications. The first assault on Turkish positions, launched on July 8, 1877, did not bring success - having overcome three lines of trenches, Russian soldiers burst into the city, but were driven out of there by the Turks.
Having received reinforcements that ensured numerical superiority over the Turkish garrison, the Russian army launched a second assault on July 30, which also did not bring the expected result: having captured two trenches and three fortifications with huge losses, our troops were stopped at the redoubt and then knocked out by the Turkish counteroffensive. “This Second Plevna almost turned into a disaster for the entire army,” noted military historian A.A. Kersnovsky . - The defeat of the IX Corps was complete, the entire rear of the army was gripped by panic, under the influence of which the only bridge crossing at Sistov was almost destroyed. We had 32,000 soldiers at Plevia with 176 guns. There were 26,000 Turks and 50 guns. (...) Our losses: 1 general, 168 officers, 7167 lower ranks. The only trophies are 2 guns. The Turks lost 1,200 people. (...) Grand Duke the commander-in-chief completely lost his head and turned to the Romanian King Charles for help in expressions that corresponded neither to the dignity of Russia nor the honor of the Russian army.”.
In order to cut off Plevna and prevent the Turks from freely receiving provisions, the Russian command decided to attack Lovcha, which was occupied by a small Turkish garrison. The detachment of General M.D. Skobelev coped with this task brilliantly, taking Lovcha by August 22.
Meanwhile, intensive preparations were underway for the third assault on Plevna, under which all free Russian forces were pulled together. On August 25, a military council was held, at which the majority of military leaders spoke in favor of an immediate assault, so as not to prolong the siege until winter. The Commander-in-Chief of the entire Danube Army, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, who agreed with this argument, set the day of the assault on August 30, the day of the Sovereign’s name day. “And the assault on August 30 became the Third Plevna for Russia! This was the bloodiest affair in all the wars that the Russians ever fought with the Turks. The heroism and self-sacrifice of the troops did not help, nor did the desperate energy of Skobelev, who personally led them into the attack. preferring to give up victory rather than weaken the “barriers” and “reserves”. With his last effort, Osman (who had decided to abandon Plevna) snatched victory from a handful of Gortalov’s heroes, who were bleeding in front of Zot’s “reserves”, standing with a gun at their feet.”, - wrote A.A. Kersnovsky.
“White General” M.D. Skobelev, who showed himself brilliantly in this battle, was outraged: “ Napoleon was happy if one of the marshals won him half an hour of time. I won a whole day with it - and they didn’t take advantage of it.”.
Having lost up to 16 thousand soldiers and officers (13 thousand Russians and 3 thousand Romanians) during the last fierce assault, the Russian command decided to begin a blockade of the city.
Meanwhile, Osman Pasha's army received new reinforcements and provisions, and the marshal himself received the title "Ghazi" (invincible) from the Sultan for his successes. However, successful Russian operations near Gorny Dubnyak and Telish led to a complete blockade of Plevna. The Russian-Romanian army besieging Plevna numbered 122 thousand people against almost 50 thousand Turks who had taken refuge in the city. Constant artillery fire, depletion of provisions and the onset of diseases led to a significant weakening of the Turkish garrison. Squeezed in Plevna by an iron ring of Russian troops four times larger than it, the army of Osman Pasha began to suffocate in this vice. However, the Turkish military leader responded with a decisive refusal to all offers to surrender. Knowing the iron character of the “invincible” Osman Pasha, it was clear that in the current conditions he would make a last attempt to break through the army besieging him.
Early in the morning of November 28, taking advantage of the fog, the besieged Turkish army attacked Russian troops. Having taken the advanced fortifications thanks to an unexpected and fierce blow, Osman Pasha's army was stopped by artillery fire from the second line of fortifications. And after the attack by Russian-Romanian troops in all directions and Skobelev’s capture of Plevna itself, abandoned by the Turks, Osman Pasha’s position became hopeless. Seriously wounded in the leg, the Turkish commander realized the hopelessness of his situation and suspended the battle, ordering to throw out White flag. The Turkish army surrendered unconditionally. During the last battle, Russian-Romanian losses amounted to about 1,700 people, and Turkish losses - about 6,000. The remaining 43.5 thousand Turkish soldiers and officers, including the army commander, were taken prisoner. However, highly appreciating the courage shown by Osman Pasha, Emperor Alexander II ordered that the wounded and captured Turkish commander be given marshal honors and the saber returned to him.
In just four months of the siege and fighting near Plevna, about 31 thousand Russian soldiers died. But the capture of Plevna became a turning point in the war, allowing the Russian command to free up over 100 thousand people for the offensive, after which the Russian army occupied Andrianople without a fight and approached Constantinople.
In 1887, on the tenth anniversary of the capture of Plevna, a monument to the Russian grenadiers who distinguished themselves in this battle was unveiled in Moscow. The monument was designed by architect V.O. Sherwood; inside the monument there was a chapel, the walls of which were lined with tiles and decorated with seven bronze plaques with the names of the fallen soldiers and two with a description of the battle and construction of the monument. The memorial chapel was built on the initiative and with voluntary donations from the surviving grenadiers who took part in the Battle of Plevna. At the opening of the monument, for the edification of descendants, the senior adjutant of the headquarters of the grenadier corps, Lieutenant Colonel I.Ya. Sokol, said the following important words: “Let this monument, erected by grateful grenadiers to their fallen comrades, remind future generations from year to year, from century to century, how her faithful sons know how to stand for the honor and glory of the Motherland when they are inspired by the holy Orthodox faith, boundless love for the Tsar and To the Fatherland!.
During the years of Soviet power, the Plevna Chapel miraculously survived, but at the same time fell into a dilapidated state. Only in December 1993 the Moscow Government handed over the chapel-monument to the Russian Orthodox Church, which, by decree of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II in 1999, acquired the status Patriarchal Compound. And from now on, every year at the chapel-monument, traditional events are held in memory of the Russian heroes - the liberators of Bulgaria.
None of the people knows anything in advance. And the greatest misfortune can befall a person in best place, and the greatest happiness will find him - in the worst...
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
In foreign policy Russian Empire In the 19th century there were four wars with the Ottoman Empire. Russia won three of them and lost one. The last war in the 19th century between the two countries became Russian-Turkish war 1877-1878, in which Russia won. Victory was one of the results military reform Alexandra 2. As a result of the war, the Russian Empire regained a number of territories, and also helped to gain the independence of Serbia, Montenegro and Romania. In addition, for non-intervention in the war, Austria-Hungary received Bosnia, and England received Cyprus. The article is devoted to a description of the causes of the war between Russia and Turkey, its stages and main battles, the results and historical consequences of the war, as well as an analysis of the countries' reactions Western Europe to strengthen Russia's influence in the Balkans.
What were the causes of the Russo-Turkish War?
Historians identify the following reasons for the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878:
- Exacerbation of the “Balkan” issue.
- Russia's desire to regain its status as an influential player in the foreign arena.
- Russian support for the national movement Slavic peoples in the Balkans, seeking to expand its influence in this region. This caused intense resistance from European countries and Ottoman Empire.
- The conflict between Russia and Turkey over the status of the straits, as well as the desire for revenge for the defeat in the Crimean War of 1853-1856.
- Turkey's unwillingness to compromise, ignoring not only the demands of Russia, but also the European community.
Now let's look at the reasons for the war between Russia and Turkey in more detail, since it is important to know them and interpret them correctly. Despite the loss Crimean War, Russia, thanks to some reforms (primarily military) of Alexander 2, again became an influential and strong state in Europe. This forced many politicians in Russia to think about revenge for the lost war. But this was not even the most important thing - much more important was the desire to regain the right to have the Black Sea Fleet. In many ways, it was to achieve this goal that the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 was unleashed, which we will talk briefly about later.
In 1875, an uprising against Turkish rule began in Bosnia. The army of the Ottoman Empire brutally suppressed it, but already in April 1876 an uprising began in Bulgaria. Türkiye also cracked down on this national movement. As a sign of protest against the policy towards the southern Slavs, and also wanting to realize its territorial goals, Serbia declared war on the Ottoman Empire in June 1876. The Serbian army was much weaker than the Turkish one. Russia with early XIX century, positioned itself as a defender of the Slavic peoples in the Balkans, so Chernyaev, as well as several thousand Russian volunteers, went to Serbia.
After the defeat of the Serbian army in October 1876 near Dyuniš, Russia called on Turkey to stop fighting and guarantee the cultural rights of the Slavic people. The Ottomans, feeling the support of Britain, ignored the ideas of Russia. Despite the obviousness of the conflict, the Russian Empire tried to resolve the issue peacefully. Proof of this are several conferences convened by Alexander 2, in particular in January 1877 in Istanbul. Ambassadors and representatives gathered there key countries Europe, however general decision did not come.
In March, an agreement was signed in London, which obligated Turkey to carry out reforms, but the latter completely ignored it. Thus, Russia has only one option left for resolving the conflict - military. Before the last Alexander 2 did not dare to start a war with Turkey, because he was worried that the war would again turn into resistance of European countries to Russian foreign policy. On April 12, 1877, Alexander 2 signed a manifesto declaring war on the Ottoman Empire. In addition, the emperor concluded an agreement with Austria-Hungary on the latter’s non-entry on the side of Turkey. In exchange for neutrality, Austria-Hungary was to receive Bosnia.
Map of the Russian-Turkish War 1877-1878
Main battles of the war
Several important battles took place between April and August 1877:
- Already on the first day of the war, Russian troops captured key Turkish fortresses on the Danube and also crossed the Caucasian border.
- On April 18, Russian troops captured Boyazet, an important Turkish fortress in Armenia. However, already in the period June 7-28, the Turks tried to carry out a counter-offensive; Russian troops survived the heroic struggle.
- At the beginning of the summer, General Gurko's troops captured the ancient Bulgarian capital of Tarnovo, and on July 5 they established control over the Shipka Pass, through which the road to Istanbul went.
- During May-August, Romanians and Bulgarians began to massively create partisan detachments to help the Russians in the war with the Ottomans.
Battle of Plevna in 1877
The main problem for Russia was that the emperor’s inexperienced brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich, commanded the troops. Therefore, individual Russian troops actually acted without a center, which means they acted as uncoordinated units. As a result, on July 7-18, two unsuccessful attempts were made to storm Plevna, as a result of which about 10 thousand Russians died. In August, the third assault began, which turned into a protracted blockade. At the same time, from August 9 until December 28, the heroic defense of the Shipka Pass lasted. In this sense, the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, even briefly, seems very contradictory in events and personalities.
In the autumn of 1877, the key battle took place near the Plevna fortress. By order of the Minister of War D. Milyutin, the army abandoned the assault on the fortress and moved on to a systematic siege. The army of Russia, as well as its ally Romania, numbered about 83 thousand people, and the garrison of the fortress consisted of 34 thousand soldiers. Last Stand took place near Plevna on November 28, Russian army emerged victorious and was finally able to capture the impregnable fortress. This was one of the largest defeats of the Turkish army: 10 generals and several thousand officers were captured. In addition, Russia was establishing control over an important fortress, opening its way to Sofia. This was the beginning of a turning point in the Russian-Turkish war.
Eastern front
On the eastern front, the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 also developed rapidly. At the beginning of November, another important strategic fortress was captured - Kars. Due to simultaneous failures on two fronts, Turkey completely lost control over the movement of its own troops. On December 23, the Russian army entered Sofia.
Russia entered 1878 with a complete advantage over the enemy. On January 3, the assault on Phillipopolis began, and already on the 5th the city was taken, and the road to Istanbul was opened for the Russian Empire. On January 10, Russia enters Adrianople, the defeat of the Ottoman Empire is a fact, the Sultan is ready to sign peace on Russia’s terms. Already on January 19, the parties agreed on a preliminary agreement, which significantly strengthened Russia’s role in the Black and Marmara Seas, as well as in the Balkans. This caused great concern in European countries.
Reaction of major European powers to the successes of Russian troops
England expressed its dissatisfaction most of all, which already at the end of January sent a fleet into the Sea of Marmara, threatening an attack in the event of a Russian invasion of Istanbul. England demanded to move Russian troops away from the Turkish capital, and also to begin developing new agreement. Russia found itself in difficult situation, which threatened to repeat the scenario of 1853-1856, when the entry of European troops violated Russia's advantage, which led to defeat. Taking this into account, Alexander 2 agreed to revise the treaty.
On February 19, 1878, in a suburb of Istanbul, San Stefano, a new treaty was signed with the participation of England.
The main results of the war were recorded in the San Stefano Peace Treaty:
- Russia annexed Bessarabia, as well as part of Turkish Armenia.
- Türkiye paid an indemnity of 310 million rubles to the Russian Empire.
- Russia received the right to have a Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol.
- Serbia, Montenegro and Romania gained independence, and Bulgaria received this status 2 years later, after the final withdrawal from there Russian troops(who were there in case Turkey tried to return the territory).
- Bosnia and Herzegovina received autonomy status, but were actually occupied by Austria-Hungary.
- In peacetime, Turkey was supposed to open ports to all ships heading to Russia.
- Turkey was obliged to organize reforms in the cultural sphere (in particular for the Slavs and Armenians).
However, these conditions did not suit the European states. As a result, in June-July 1878, a congress was held in Berlin, at which some decisions were revised:
- Bulgaria was divided into several parts, and only the northern part received independence, while the southern part was returned to Turkey.
- The amount of indemnity decreased.
- England received Cyprus, and Austria-Hungary received the official right to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Heroes of War
The Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 traditionally became a “minute of glory” for many soldiers and military leaders. In particular, several Russian generals became famous:
- Joseph Gurko. Hero of the capture of the Shipka Pass, as well as the capture of Adrianople.
- Mikhail Skobilev. He led the heroic defense of the Shipka Pass, as well as the capture of Sofia. He received the nickname “White General”, and is considered a national hero among the Bulgarians.
- Mikhail Loris-Melikov. Hero of the battles for Boyazet in the Caucasus.
In Bulgaria there are over 400 monuments erected in honor of the Russians who fought in the war with the Ottomans in 1877-1878. There are many memorial plaques mass graves etc. One of the most famous monuments is the Freedom Monument on the Shipka Pass. There is also a monument to Emperor Alexander 2. There are also many settlements, named after Russians. Thus, the Bulgarian people thank the Russians for the liberation of Bulgaria from Turkey, and the end of Muslim rule, which lasted more than five centuries. During the war, the Bulgarians called the Russians themselves “brothers,” and this word remained in the Bulgarian language as a synonym for “Russians.”
Historical reference
Historical significance of the war
The Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 ended with the complete and unconditional victory of the Russian Empire, however, despite the military success, European states quickly resisted the strengthening of Russia's role in Europe. In an effort to weaken Russia, England and Turkey insisted that not all the aspirations of the southern Slavs were realized, in particular, not the entire territory of Bulgaria received independence, and Bosnia passed from Ottoman occupation to Austrian occupation. As a result, the national problems of the Balkans became even more complicated, eventually turning the region into the “powder keg of Europe.” It was here that the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne took place, becoming the reason for the outbreak of the First World War. This is generally a funny and paradoxical situation - Russia wins victories on the battlefields, but over and over again suffers defeats in the diplomatic fields.
Russia regained its lost territories and the Black Sea Fleet, but never achieved the desire to dominate the Balkan Peninsula. This factor was also used by Russia when joining the First world war. For the Ottoman Empire, which was completely defeated, the idea of revenge persisted, which forced it to enter into a world war against Russia. These were the results of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, which we briefly reviewed today.
Ilyinsky Square in the very center of Moscow, next to the Kremlin. Old Military Cemetery in Minsk. It would seem that what can connect these areas of two capitals, separated by hundreds of kilometers. It turns out that there is a lot. General history. Common pride in the exploits and heroism of our ancestors. In these iconic places there are monuments to our soldiers and officers who died 135 years ago during the heroic siege of the Bulgarian city of Plevna, occupied by the Turkish army.
In Moscow, this is a famous chapel, popularly called simply - a monument to the heroes of Plevna. In Minsk, this is the Alexander Nevsky Temple, where the remains of the Belarusian heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of the Slavic brothers in distant Bulgaria rest. And both beautiful monuments were erected almost at the same time, with a difference of 10 years. In Minsk in 1898, in Moscow in 1887.
Monument to the heroes of Plevna in Moscow
There is an old soldier's song from those times.
THE CAPTURE OF PLEVNA
It was not the fog that rose from the sea,
It rained heavily for three days in a row -
The Great Prince was crossing,
He and his army walked across the Danube.
He walked with the prayer cross,
To defeat the Turks,
To defeat the Turks,
Free all Bulgarians.
We hiked for three nights,
It became blurry in our eyes.
The sovereign gave us freedom
Take a walk for three hours.
We walked for three hours
Only heaven knew about us.
Suddenly fire opened in the troops
And hit strong thunder —
The whole city was covered in smoke,
The city was not visible for three hours!
Our Plevna cried,
Turkish glory is gone
And it will never happen again!
Temple of Alexander Nevsky in Minsk
The next Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878), and there were countless of them in our common history, quickly acquired the character of a national one. Because the goals were set high and noble. To liberate fellow believers, the Orthodox brothers of the Bulgarians from Turkish enslavement. A monstrous genocide of Christians took place in Bulgaria. Orthodox brothers were mercilessly slaughtered in entire villages, sparing no one. In Europe, the best minds of that time openly opposed the atrocities committed by the Turks. Victor Hugo, Oscar Wilde, Charles Darwin published angry articles in newspapers. But these were just words. In reality, only Russia could help the Bulgarians.
And then war was declared on Turkey. A patriotic upsurge reigned in Russia. Thousands signed up to volunteer for the army, and donations were collected throughout the country to help the army and the Bulgarian militias. Many outstanding people of that time, the cultural elite of the country, such as the writer V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, (brother of director V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko), famous doctors N.I. Pirogov, S.P. Botkin, N.V. Sklifosovsky, writers V.A. Gilyarovsky and V.M. Garshin volunteered for the Russian army. Leo Tolstoy wrote: “All of Russia is there, and I must go.” F.M. Dostoevsky saw in this war the fulfillment of a special historical mission of the Russian people, which was to unite the Slavic peoples around Russia on the basis of Orthodoxy.
The army was led by the brother of Tsar Alexander II, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. Such iconic words as the Shipka Pass and the crossing of the Danube were known to everyone. And of course, the siege of Plevna.
On November 28 (December 11), 1877, the Russian army captured the Turkish fortress of Plevna. After three bloody unsuccessful attacks, after a four-month siege, the denouement of the military drama approached. In Russian main apartment everything was prepared. It was known that the locked army of Osman Pasha had run out of almost all food supplies and, knowing the character of this commander, it could be foreseen that surrender on his part would not be without bloodshed and that he would make a last attempt to break through the army besieging him.
Osman Pasha gathered his fighting forces to the west of Plevna. On the morning of November 28, at 7 o'clock, the besieged Turkish army furiously attacked the Russian troops. The first furious onslaught forced our troops to retreat and give the advanced fortifications to the Turks. But now the Turks came under concentrated artillery fire from the second line of fortifications. Under the weight of this gunfire, balance was restored. General Ganetsky sent his grenadiers to attack, which were able to push back the Turks.
“On command, the troops quickly moved apart, and as soon as the Turks rushed into the space open to them, forty-eight copper throats threw fire and death into their solid and crowded ranks... Buckshot with an angry whistle burst into this living mass, leaving another mass along the way, but already either motionless, lifeless, or writhing in terrible torment... The grenades fell and exploded - and there was nowhere to escape from them. As soon as the grenadiers noticed that the fire on the Turks had the proper effect... they rushed at a quick pace with a bang. Once again bayonets crossed, once again the copper jaws of the guns roared, and soon the countless crowd of the enemy fell into disorderly flight... The attack proceeded brilliantly. The retreaters hardly fired back. Redif and Nizam, bashi-bazouks and cavalrymen with Circassians - all this was mixed into one sea of \u200b\u200bhorses and lava, uncontrollably rushing back...”
Meanwhile, the Romanians (allies) from the north were advancing on the retreating line of the Turks, and from the south the legendary General Skobelev launched an attack, capturing weakly defended Turkish trenches, and entered with his army into Plevna itself, thus cutting off Osman Pasha’s path to retreat .
Vasily Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko:
“...At the head of his best camps, himself in front, Osman Pasha rushed - to last time try to break through our lines. Each soldier following him fought for three... But everywhere... a wall of menacing bayonets grew in front of him, and an uncontrollable “Hurray!” thundered right in the pasha’s face. Everything was lost. The duel was ending... The army must lay down its arms, fifty thousand of the best combat troops will be eliminated from Turkey’s already significantly depleted resources...”
Osman Pasha was seriously wounded in the leg. Realizing the hopelessness of his situation, he suspended the battle and threw out a white flag at many points. The surrender is complete. The Plevna army of the Turks surrendered unconditionally. This last battle at Plevna cost the Russians 192 killed and 1,252 wounded, the Turks lost up to 4,000 people. wounded and killed. There were 44 thousand prisoners, among them ghazi (“victorious”) Osman Pasha, 9 pashas, 128 headquarters and 2000 chief officers and 77 guns.
Artist A. D. Kivshenko. “Surrender of Plevna (Wounded Osman Pasha before Alexander II). 1878." 1880
Under the banners legendary general Mikhail Skobelev and the Belarusian prince General Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky fought many Belarusians. By the way, General N. Svyatopolk-Mirsky is the last owner of the famous Mir Castle, not far from Minsk. The Belarusian soldiers especially distinguished themselves near Plevna. They fought both in the militia and in regular units. Composed of the Mogilev Infantry Regiment, the Belarusian Lancers, the Belarusian Hussar Regiments, the 119th Kolomna Infantry Regiment and the 30th Kolomna Artillery Brigade. Named after the place of formation in the city of Kolomna. It is to these soldiers who died in battle and died from wounds in the Minsk military hospital that the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Minsk is dedicated.
Inside this beautiful church, on the columns there are marble plaques on which the names of 118 soldiers of the Kolomna regiment and artillery brigade are inscribed in gold. To the left of the altar there are still military relics of those years - a wooden camp church and regimental banners of the 119th Kolomna Regiment. Behind the altar wall of the temple there is a burial place for the remains of fallen soldiers. From the day of the consecration of the temple to the present day, four times a year on Ecumenical Saturdays, as well as on March 3, funeral services are held here, at which all soldiers are remembered by name.
This is one of the most beautiful churches in Minsk. There is some kind of gentle simplicity and sincerity in it. A huge green area of a well-kept cemetery seems to hide it from prying eyes. Makes him somewhat removed from the everyday hustle and bustle of the street. Probably, the Kingdom of God represents another world, calm and bright.
So, two buildings separated by hundreds of kilometers are united by a common great story. Which we all carry into the future.
Vladimir Kazakov
The beginning of the siege. After the successful crossing of the Danube by Russian troops at Sistovo, the Turkish command on July 2 (14) began the transfer of Osman Pasha’s corps to Plevna from Vidin (northwest Bulgaria), which was tasked with striking the right flank of the Russian troops. On July 4, 1877, the 9th Army Corps of Lieutenant General N.P. Kridener captured the Nikopol fortress on the banks of the Danube north of Plevna.
The Russian command allocated a nine-thousand-strong detachment of Lieutenant General Schilder-Schuldner to occupy Plevna, which on the evening of July 7 reached the outskirts of the city and the next morning attacked Turkish positions. The 15,000-strong garrison of Plevna repelled scattered attacks by Russian regiments, inflicting serious losses on them (2.5 thousand people).
After the concentration of Kridener's entire corps (26 thousand soldiers, 140 guns) near the city, a second assault on Plevna was launched on July 18. By this time, Osman Pasha concentrated about 23 thousand people and 58 guns in the city. Kridener had no information about the Turkish forces, exaggerated their numbers and acted indecisively. The attacks were carried out from the east and southeast head-on against the most fortified areas, troops were brought into battle in parts. The assault ended in failure. Russian losses amounted to 7 thousand people, Turks - about 4 thousand people.
Plevna was of great strategic importance; its strong garrison threatened the crossings of the Danube and could attack the advancing Russian army in the flank and rear. Therefore, the Russian command postponed the transfer of the main forces through the Balkan Mountains (the Shipka Pass was captured on July 8) and during July-August concentrated an 83,000-strong army with 424 guns near Plevna, of which 32,000 people and 108 guns were from the allied Romanian army.
Third assault on Plevna. The Allies besieged Plevna from the south and east. On the right flank, opposite the Grivitsky redoubts, the Romanians settled down. From the east the city was besieged by Kridener's corps, from the southeast by General Krylov's 8th corps. On south direction there was a left-flank detachment of General M.D. Skobelev. From the north, the Turkish garrison was reliably covered by the heights of Yanyk-Bair, and from the west it was supplied along the Sofia-Plevna road. By the end of summer, the Turks increased the size of the Plevna garrison to 34 thousand people with 72 guns. The nominal commander of the allied army near Plevna was the Romanian king Carol I; in fact, his chief of staff, Lieutenant General P. D. Zotov, was in charge. But near Plevna there was also the headquarters of the Russian Emperor Alexander II and the commander-in-chief of the entire Danube Army, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Sr.
The third assault on Plevna took place on August 26-31. The Turks predicted the directions of attack of the Russian and Romanian troops and managed to hold their line of defense, inflicting heavy losses on the attackers. The decisive day was August 30, when the Romanians, with the support of the Russian 18th Infantry Regiment, managed to capture one of the two Grivitsky redoubts. On the same day, Skobelev’s detachment, delivering an auxiliary strike, groped in the Turks’ positions weakness, broke through their defenses in the Green Mountains region, captured the Issa and Kavanlyk redoubts and reached the southern outskirts of the city. The Turks hastily transferred reserves from the north and east against Skobelev.
On August 31, the Russian command did not take offensive actions and did not support Skobelev with reserves. As a result, under the pressure of superior forces, Skobelev’s detachment was forced to return to its original positions. In the third assault on Plevna, Russian and Romanian troops lost 16 thousand people, the Turks - about three thousand.
Siege and capture of Plevna. On September 1, it was decided to proceed to a thorough siege of Plevna, for the leadership of which the best specialist in siege work in Russia, engineer-general E. I. Totleben, was called in. To successfully conduct a siege, the Russians needed to cut the Sofia-Plevna road, along which the Turks received reinforcements. To solve this problem, the guards units were created strike force General I.V. Gurko. He managed to capture Gorny Dubnyak on October 12, Telish on October 16, Dolny Dubnyak on October 20 - strongholds on the Sofia road, thereby completely closing the blockade ring of the Pleven garrison, whose number by that time amounted to 50 thousand people.
The lack of food forced the Turkish commander Osman Pasha to attempt an independent liberation of Plevna. On November 28, having withdrawn troops from defensive positions, he attacked Russian troops northwest of Plevna. Units of the 2nd and 3rd Grenadier Divisions and the 5th Infantry Division of the Russian Army repelled the Turkish attack. Having lost 6 thousand soldiers and unable to escape from encirclement, Osman Pasha surrendered with 43 thousand soldiers. The fall of Plevna freed up a hundred thousand Russian-Romanian army for a subsequent offensive across the Balkans.
In the fighting near Plevna, forms and methods of besieging fortresses were further developed. The Russian army developed new methods of infantry combat tactics, a combination of movement and fire from rifle chains, and the use of infantry self-entrenchment in the offensive began. At Plevna, the importance of field fortifications, the interaction of infantry with artillery, the role of heavy artillery in preparing an attack on fortified positions was revealed, and the possibility of controlling artillery fire when firing from closed positions was determined. In memory of the battles for Plevna, a mausoleum was built in the city in memory of fallen Russian and Romanian soldiers (1905), a park-museum of M. D. Skobelev (1907), and an artistic panorama complex “Liberation of Plevna in 1877.” In Moscow, at the Ilyinsky Gate, there is a monument to the grenadiers who fell near Plevna.
Based on materials from Internet resources
Background
Third assault
Returning to Pleven, surrounded by superior enemy forces, Osman Pasha began to prepare to repel a new attack. His army was replenished and reached 25,000 people, the minarets of Pleven began to be used as observation posts, the wounded were evacuated from Pleven, and signs with the names of fortifications were installed in the city.
To lock the Turks in Pleven, the Russians moved to Gorny Dubnyak and Telish. To capture Mountain Dubnyak, 20,000 people and 60 guns were allocated; they were opposed by a garrison of 3,500 soldiers and 4 guns. Having started the battle on the morning of October 24, the Russian grenadiers captured both redoubts at the cost of huge losses. The Turks put up fierce resistance and fought to the last bullet, but, having lost their redoubts, capitulated. The losses were: 1,500 Turks (another 2,300 were captured), 3,600 Russians.
In Telish, the defense was successful, the Turkish garrison repelled the attack, inflicting huge losses on the attackers in manpower. About 1,000 Russian soldiers died in the battle versus 200 among the Turks. Telish was captured only with the help of powerful artillery fire, but the success of this shelling lay not so much in the number of killed Turkish defenders, which was small, but in the demoralizing effect it produced, forcing the garrison to surrender.
A complete blockade of Pleven began, Russian guns periodically struck the city. The Russian-Romanian army besieging Pleven consisted of 122 thousand people against 50 thousand Turks who had taken refuge in Pleven. The blockade of the city led to the depletion of provisions in it; Osman Pasha's army suffered from disease, lack of food and medicine. Meanwhile, Russian troops carry out a series of attacks: in early November, Skobelev’s troops occupied and held the first ridge of the Green Mountains, repelling enemy counterattacks. On November 9, the Russians attacked in the direction of the Southern Front, but the Turks repelled the attack, losing 200 soldiers versus 600 for the Russians. Russian attacks on the fortifications of Yunus-Tabiya and Gazi-Osman-Tabiya were also unsuccessful. On the thirteenth, the Russians launched an attack on the fortification of Yunus Bey Tabiy, losing 500 people, the Turks lost 100 defenders. On the fourteenth, at midnight, the Turks repelled the attack on Gazi-Osman-Tabiya. As a result of these actions, the Russians lost 2,300 people, the Turks - 1,000. Starting from the next day, there was a lull. Pleven was surrounded by 125,000 Russian-Romanian troops with 496 guns, its garrison was completely cut off from the outside world. Knowing that the food in the city would sooner or later run out, the Russians invited the defenders of Pleven to surrender, to which Osman Pasha responded with a decisive refusal:
“... I prefer to sacrifice our lives for the benefit of the people and in defense of the truth, and with the greatest joy and happiness I am ready to shed blood rather than shamefully lay down my arms.”
(quoted from N.V. Skritsky “Balkan Gambit”).
Monument in Moscow
Due to a lack of food in the besieged city, shops were closed, soldiers' rations were reduced, most of the residents suffered from disease, and the army was exhausted
