The campaign of 1853, thanks to the victories of the Russian army at Akhaltsykh and Bashkadyklar, and the fleet at Sinop, brought the Ottoman Empire to the brink of military defeat. The Russian army thwarted the enemy's plans to invade deep into the Russian Caucasus and seized the initiative.
The beginning of the war in the Caucasus
A new Russian-Turkish war began simultaneously in the Caucasus and on the Danube. The Turkish high command had big plans for the Russian Caucasus. In Istanbul, they planned not only to return the previously lost lands in the Caucasus, but also to break through to the banks of the Kuban and Terek. The Ottomans were pushed to this by the French and British. The Ottomans hoped for the support of the North Caucasian highlanders. The Turkish sultan elevated Imam Shamil to the rank of generalissimo and promised him the post of governor of Tiflis after his capture. By the beginning of the war in the Caucasus, the Turkish army had up to 70 thousand people. The main forces of the Ottomans were concentrated in Kars, strong detachments were concentrated near Batum, Ardahan and Bayazet. The main goal of the Turks at the beginning of the war were Akhaltsykh and Alexandropol, from where the way to Tiflis opened.
The Russian army had more strength in the Caucasus at the beginning of the war - about 140 thousand people. But almost all of these troops were bound by the Caucasian War - the fight against Imam Shamil, or garrisoned in cities and fortresses, defending already occupied positions and points. On the border with Turkey there were only about 10 thousand soldiers with 32 guns. By the beginning of the war, the active forces of the Separate Caucasian Corps under the command of Lieutenant General Bebutov were 35, 5 infantry battalions, 10 dragoon squadrons, 26 Cossack hundreds and 54 hundreds of Georgian militia (militia) with 75 guns. These forces were divided into three detachments, covering the most important areas: the Gurian detachment of Prince Gagarin, the Akhaltsykh detachment of Prince Andronikov, the main forces of the corps were the Alexandropol detachment under the command of Bebutov.
Before the start of the war, St. Petersburg was able to strengthen its grouping in the Caucasus: in September 1853, the Sevastopol naval squadron under the command of Nakhimov transferred the 16,000th 13th Infantry Division from Crimea to Abkhazia. However, the Tsar's governor in the Caucasus, Prince Vorontsov, left most of the division in Sukhum-Kala (present-day Sukhumi) and sent only a small part to reinforce the Akhaltsykh detachment. The governor Vorontsov and the commander of the Caucasian corps, Bebutov, feared a Turkish landing in Abkhazia, therefore, almost the entire 13th division was left to defend the coast, although initially the high command planned that the Russian army in the Caucasus, with the help of this division, would launch a decisive offensive in order to capture Kars.
The first enemy attack was taken by the garrison of the post of St. Nicholas, located on the coast north of Batumi. The Turks planned with a sudden blow to destroy a small Russian garrison under the command of Captain Shcherbakov and open the road to Guria, and then there was a direct path to Kutais and Tiflis. On the night of October 16, 1853, the Turks landed 5 thousand troops three kilometers from the post of St. Nicholas. The Ottomans had more than tenfold superiority in people over the Russian garrison (along with the Gurian militias).
The Russian detachment repulsed the first assault and subsequent attacks. When the ammunition ran out and most of the soldiers died, including the head of the local militia, Prince Gurieli, and seeing that further defense was impossible, Shcherbakov led the remnants of the garrison to break through. Russian soldiers from the Black Sea Line Battalion unanimously struck with bayonets, and the Gurian warriors - at checkers. And they broke through the enemy ranks into the forest. Only three officers, 24 infantrymen and part of the Gurian militiamen came out of the encirclement alive, but wounded. The Ottomans were afraid to pursue them in the forest. Thus, the heroism of the defenders of the small Russian post deprived the Turkish Anatolian army of the surprise factor.
Alakhtsykh
The Ottoman commander-in-chief (seraskir) Abdi Pasha further planned to take the Akhaltsykh fortress, from which there were convenient routes from the mountains to the plain, to Mingrelia and Guria. The loss of this fortress threatened to sever ties between the various units of the Separate Caucasian Corps. Back in early October 1853, the Turkish command moved the 18-thousandth Ardahan corps under the command of Ali Pasha to Akhaltsy. The Russian 7-thousandth Akhaltsykh detachment, covering Western Georgia, was noticeably inferior in strength to the enemy.
At the end of October, the Ottomans laid siege to Akhaltsykh. However, the Turkish gunners lost in the artillery duel. The fire of the Russian artillery was more accurate. Ali Pasha decided to postpone the assault, since the fortifications of the fortress remained almost intact. The Ottomans decided to throw part of their forces on a breakthrough to the city of Gori and further to Tiflis through the Akhalkalaki district and the Borjomi gorge. At the forefront of the enemy attack was the small fortress of Akhtsur. Its garrison consisted of four companies of the Bialystok and Brest regiments. Having learned about the approach of the enemy, our troops blocked the Borjomi Gorge. Reinforcements soon arrived - three companies from the Brest regiment and Georgian militias. Our soldiers bravely repulsed all enemy attacks, and then went over to a counterattack and defeated the Ottomans.
The Akhtsur defeat forced Ali Pasha to lift the siege of Alaltsikh. However, the Turks did not leave at all and took up strong positions 2-3 km from Akhaltsikh, on the Poskhov-Chai River. On November 12 (24), the Tiflis military governor Andronikov arrived at the front line. He decided to attack the enemy, while the Turks were stunned after the defeat in the Borjomi Gorge and did not receive reinforcements from Ardahan and Kars. At dawn on November 14 (26), Russian troops attacked the enemy in two columns. After a fierce battle, our troops overthrew the Turkish corps, which lost 3,500 people killed and wounded. Almost all of the enemy's artillery, ammunition, a marching camp with all the supplies, etc., were captured. The losses of our troops were over 400 people.
The defeat of the Ottoman army's Ardahan corps was the first big victory for Russia in the Eastern (Crimean) War. The Akhaltsykh victory led to the expulsion of the Turks from the ancient Georgian lands. Poskhovsky sandzhak became part of the Russian Empire.
Bashkadiklar battle
In the first year of the Crimean War, the Akhaltsykh victory was not the only one in the Caucasus. In October, the Turkish command sent the main forces of the Anatolian army (up to 40 thousand people) to Alexandropol. On November 2, the Ottoman troops were already 15 km from Alexandropol and stopped in a marching camp in the Bayandur region. A 7,000-strong detachment under the command of Prince Obreliani came out to meet the enemy. He had to conduct reconnaissance in force and stop the further advance of the Ottomans.
The Turks learned about the movement of the Russian detachment and its numbers. Abdi Pasha decided to destroy the advanced Russian detachment and organized an ambush in the wooded mountains near the village of Karaklis. The Turkish infantry settled on the flanks of a narrow defile in the mountains and the Ottomans set up a 40-gun battery. Obreliani's detachment did not conduct reconnaissance and did not even set up outposts. Therefore, the enemy's attack was sudden. However, the Russians were not taken aback when volleys of enemy guns fell on them. They pushed field artillery out of the convoy and returned fire, quickly crushing the Turkish battery. Seeing that the Russians were ready for battle, the seraskir did not throw the infantry into the attack. He sent the cavalry to bypass so that it hit the enemy's rear. A small Russian rearguard of dragoons and Muslim mounted militia met the enemy bravely. During a fierce battle, the Ottomans failed to overturn the rear screen.
From the sounds of battle, Bebutov guessed that the vanguard was facing enemy forces. He sent Obreliani's reinforcements. As a result, Abdi Pasha did not dare to continue the battle and retreated from the border towards Kars. The commander of the Caucasian Corps on November 14 led his forces in pursuit of the enemy. However, it was not possible to catch up with the Ottomans. After three days of a grueling march, Bebutov gave the soldiers a rest. Russian intelligence discovered that the Ottoman army had not gone to Kars. Seraskir Abdi Pasha decided to fight on his territory, near the fortress. He himself left for Kars, and gave the command to Reis-Akhmet-Pasha. At the very last moment, the Turkish army received an order from the commander-in-chief to retreat behind the walls of the Kara fortress. But it was already too late that the Russians were facing the Turks, and it was no longer possible to retreat in such a situation. The Russians on the shoulders of the retreating enemy would have rushed into Kars. Therefore, the Turks prepared for battle on the Kara road near the village of Bashkadyklar (Bash-Kadyklar). The Turks occupied a strong position across the Mavryak-Chai River, erected field fortifications and placed batteries on the commanding heights. The terrain allowed the Turks to maneuver their reserves and receive reinforcements from Kars. In addition, the Turkish army had a serious numerical advantage - 36 thousand people (of which 14 thousand were Kurdish cavalry) with 46 guns, against about 10 thousand Russian soldiers with 32 guns.
On November 19 (December 1), 1853, the battle began with an artillery firefight. Then the Russian troops went on the attack. The first line (4 rifle battalions with 16 guns) was led by the commander of the Georgian Grenadier Regiment, Prince Obreliani. The flanks were provided by the cavalry of Prince Chavchavadze and General Baggovut - dragoons, Cossacks and Georgian militia. Major General Prince Bagration-Mukhransky (a relative of the famous hero of the Patriotic War) commanded the second line - three battalions of Erivan carabinieri and three battalions of Georgian grenadiers. The reserve had only two carabinier companies and the 4th Don Cossack regiment, as well as part of the corps artillery.
The Ottomans repulsed the attack of the first line of Russian troops. Russian troops lost all battalion and almost all company commanders. General Ilya Obreliani was fatally wounded. After this success, the Turkish cavalry, standing on the flanks, launched a counterattack, trying to cover the Russian detachment that had just withdrawn from the battle. The situation was critical. To save the situation, Bebutov personally led a counterattack of the reserve - two companies of the Erivan Carabinieri regiment. The Turks did not accept the battle and fled back. Russian troops reorganized and launched a new attack. The main blow was struck at the enemy's 20-gun battery in the center.
Meanwhile, the Nizhny Novgorod dragoons and the Kuban Cossacks of General Baggovut on the left flank overturned the enemy cavalry and broke forward. They crossed the river and reached a mountain plateau, where the Turkish infantry formed a square. Here the leading role was played by the equestrian guns of the Esaul Kulgachev. From the closest distance they began to shoot the enemy with buckshot. At the same time, our Cossacks repelled a desperate attack from the Sultan's lancers. This success allowed the Nizhny Novgorod dragoons to cut into the enemy square, which was already upset by artillery fire. After that, the Turkish square fell apart completely. The Turks, on foot and on horseback, fled. After that, Baggovut's cavalry began to enter the rear of the enemy battalions in the center. After that, the outcome of the battle was decided in favor of the Russian army. The Turks wavered and in groups began to retreat to their marching camp. Those Turkish troops that had not yet participated in the battle fled in thousands to their left fang, and further along the road to Kars.
On the right flank, the Turks were still fighting. Huge horse masses of Kurds and Bashi-bazouks attacked here. They tried to break the resistance of a small detachment of Prince Chavchavadze - Nizhny Novgorod dragoons and Georgian militia. Four hundred Don Cossacks from the reserve came to their aid in time. They held back the onslaught of the enemy's superior forces for three hours (8 - 10 times!). Nevertheless, the cavalry of Prince Chavchavadze threw back the Ottomans. However, the Russian cavalry on the right flank was so exhausted that it could not pursue the enemy.
In the center, the resistance of the Turks was finally broken. Bebutov threw spare artillery into battle under the command of General Brimmer. The gun crews were placed in the first line and opened fire on the enemy. The Turks could no longer oppose the Russian artillery and fled. The Russian infantry rushed into a decisive attack and drove the mixed battalions of the Turkish army. Russian troops captured the village of Oguzly, from where the road to Kars was. The Anatolian army fled to Kars. The only thing that Reis-Akhmet Pasha could do was to cover the crowds of the fleeing infantry with his cavalry.
Night fell, and the Russian troops were exhausted by the battle, few in number to pursue the defeated enemy, who retained a noticeable numerical advantage. Bebutov ordered to stop the pursuit and withdrew the troops to rest. The Turks fled to Kars. The Turkish army lost in this battle over 6 thousand people killed and wounded, 24 guns, the entire camp with all the supplies. Russian losses amounted to 317 people killed and about 1,000 wounded.
It was a brilliant victory. Bebutov with 10 thousand corps utterly defeated the main forces of the Turkish Anatolian army with 36 thousand people. However, the commander of the Caucasian corps could not, with such small forces, go to the assault on Kars. Thus, the Russian army on the Caucasian front thwarted the enemy's plans to invade deep into the Russian Caucasus and intercepted the strategic initiative. The victories of the Russian army at Akhaltsykh and Bashkadyklar, and the navy at Sinop put the Ottoman Empire on the brink of military defeat. However, this forced England and France, who were behind Turkey, to go to war to save Porto.
