Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829 The Kulevchensk victory was of strategic importance. The best Turkish army was defeated, its remnants hid in Shumla. Diebitsch did not even use his main forces in the battle. This allowed the Russian commander-in-chief to begin a march through the Balkans almost immediately. Diebitsch decided not to waste time and energy on the capture of Shumla, remembering that his main goal was to throw across the Balkans, limiting himself to observing her.
Turkish offensive and maneuver of Diebitsch's army
The main task of the Russian army was to destroy the manpower of the Ottomans. As soon as the Russian troops besieged Silistria, Diebitsch began to think how he could lure the Turkish army into an open field and destroy it. The defeat of the vizier's army in a general engagement decided the outcome of the war. The Turkish army at that time was based in the powerful Shumla fortress, located west of Silistria, in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. The fortress was prepared to house an entire army. Shumla blocked the shortest and most convenient roads that led from Ruschuk and Silistria through the Balkans to Constantinople. The fortress was the headquarters of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, Rashid Mehmed Pasha. The Turkish commander-in-chief had already noted himself in the suppression of the Greek uprising in Morea and now dreamed of defeating the "infidels".
Soon, the Russian commander-in-chief was able to defeat the Turkish army. In mid-May 1829, the vizier, reinforced with reinforcements and bringing his army to 40 thousand people, again went on the offensive. The Ottoman commander-in-chief planned to defeat a small Russian corps under the command of General Roth, located in the area of the village of Pravody. Mehmed Pasha decided to defeat a separate Russian detachment, separated from the main forces of Diebitsch. According to Turkish intelligence, Diebic's main forces were far from both Shumla and Pravo. The vizier was in a hurry to destroy the troops of the Company and then quickly return to the protection of the walls of Shumla.
However, Diebitsch also followed the enemy and as soon as he learned about the movement of the enemy army, he decided to use the favorable moment to defeat the vizier. He entrusted the completion of the siege of Silistria to General Krasovsky, who was left with 30 thousand soldiers. Diebitsch himself quickly moved from Silistria to the rear of the vizier, who at that time was going to Varna. On May 24, Russian troops with reinforced and rapid marches reached the village of Madry (Madara). Strong security ensured the secrecy and surprise of this march for the enemy. By the order of the commander-in-chief, General Roth moved with the main forces of his corps to the village of Madry. Against the Turks near Pravod, he left a barrier under the command of General Kupriyanov (4 infantry and 2 cavalry regiments). The Turks also slammed this movement of the Russian troops. On May 30, the troops of the Roth successfully linked up with the main forces of Diebitsch. The number of the Russian army was about 30 thousand people with 146 guns.
Thus, in the course of the brilliant maneuver of the Russian troops, the Turkish army was cut off from its base in Shumla. Diebitsch got his way. The Ottomans had to accept a general battle. The vizier, whose troops were already besieging the Russian detachment near Pravod, learned about the movement of the Russian army only on May 29. At the same time, the Turkish command decided that the Russians who found themselves at Madra were part of the Roth corps, imprudently rushing forward. The Turkish commanders, remembering the experience of the 1828 campaign, when the siege of strong Turkish fortresses tied up all the forces of the Russian army, believed that the Russians who were besieging Silistria simply did not have large formations for conducting offensive operations. The Ottomans did not expect to meet at Madra with the main forces of Diebitsch. They were so sure of this that they did not even send cavalry to Shumla to conduct reconnaissance in force. Rashid Mehmed Pasha lifted the siege from the Russian fortifications near Pravo, where the Russians bravely repulsed all attacks and moved to Madram. The way there lay through the Kulevchensky gorges. The Ottomans rushed back in the hope of destroying the impudent Russian detachment, which blocked their path to Shumla.
The beginning of the Kulevchinsky battle
The battle began on May 30 (June 11), 1829 near the village of Kulevcha (Kyulevcha). Shumla was 16 km from the battle site, this distance was covered by the troops of the Turks with artillery and carts in one day's march. Diebitsch had less strength than the enemy, but decided to attack. Terrain conditions did not allow the use of all troops. They had to step on a narrow section of a mountain pass, bounded by wooded mountains. Diebitsch was later criticized for not attacking with the main forces.
The opponents studied the situation for a long time. The Turks stretched out on the move and pulled up their units. At about 11 o'clock, the commander-in-chief ordered General Yakov Otroshchenko (an experienced commander, veteran of the wars with the French and Turks), who commanded the Russian vanguard, to attack the enemy located on the heights near the village of Chirkovna (Chirkovka). At the same time, on the right wing, the Russian artillery forced the Turkish troops to take refuge in the forest and retreat behind the slopes of the mountains. Using the enemy's confusion, the Irkutsk hussar regiment, with the support of a battalion of the Murom infantry regiment, moved to occupy the heights cleared of the Turks. However, the Turks managed to prepare an ambush, placing a strong artillery battery here and well camouflaging it. When the Russian hussars and infantrymen were in front of the heights at Chirkovna, the Turkish artillerymen opened fire.
The Russian command responded by concentrating horse-artillery batteries in this area, which were able to quickly arrive at this area and open fire. The Turkish battery was quickly suppressed. Also, the 11th Jaeger Regiment with 4 guns under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Sevastyanov was sent to attack the heights, which was reinforced by the 2nd Battalion of the 12th Jaeger Regiment with 2 guns.
The battle took on a fierce character. When our troops approached the position of the enemy ambush battery, already suppressed by our artillerymen, they were attacked by masses of Ottoman infantry. The Turks were hiding in a dense forest, waiting for the shelling. And now the Ottomans rushed to our troops climbing to the heights. A fierce hand-to-hand fight began. The Murom infantrymen were immediately surrounded and fought to the last (only 30 fighters remained from the battalion). The Irkutsk hussars, who could not turn around in the middle of the forest, were knocked down from the Kulevchinsky heights, but they escaped encirclement. Three battalions of the 11th and 12th Jaeger regiments fought back with bayonets from the front and flanks. The Russian huntsmen resisted and retreated in perfect order, surprising the enemy and paved the way with the corpses of enemies. Lieutenant Colonel Sevastyanov with a banner in his hands encouraged his soldiers. The huntsmen fought hard, but the situation was dire. It became more and more difficult for them to contain the onslaught of the superior forces of the enemy.
Turks go on the offensive
General Otroshchenko, in order to stop the offensive of the Turkish tabors (battalions) from the heights and support the rangers, ordered to put 6 horse guns on the flank. The gunners quickly changed their position and began to shoot the Ottomans with buckshot, firing direct fire. At the same time, the artillerymen tried to prevent the enemy from engulfing the rangers from the flanks, encircling and destroying them. However, both the impact of artillery fire and heavy losses did not stop the enraged masses of the Ottomans, who, with shouts of "Alla!", Continued their onslaught on the weakened Jaeger battalions. In addition, they were encouraged by the thought of the need to break through to the saving walls of Shumla.
Encouraged by the first successes, the grand vizier ordered an offensive on the left flank. The Ottomans, who had previously taken refuge in mountain gorges, began to move and shot down the 1st battalion of the 12th Jaeger Regiment from their position. Numerical superiority allowed the Turks to conduct dense rifle fire. The Jaegers retreated under the pressure of the masses of enemy infantry and suffered heavy losses from their fire. There were especially many wounded. Among the wounded were generals Otroshchenko and Glazenap, who were in charge of the battle. The vizier who watched the battles steadily increased the onslaught. He sent part of the troops around the right flank of the Russians. Now the Ottomans were advancing at the front, from the flanks. Rashid Mehmed Pasha tried to seize the initiative.
However, the Russian command was not asleep either. The advance detachment of jaegers received strong reinforcements in the form of the first brigade of the 6th infantry division, reinforced by the battery company of the 9th artillery brigade. The Kaporsky Infantry Regiment with 2 guns was put forward as a reserve of the brigade. The brigade consisted of two regiments - Nevsky and Sofiysky. Its commander was Major General Lyubomirsky. The Turks, inspired by the first successes, attacked the infantry brigade on the move. The brigade formed a square and met the enemy with rifle volleys and bayonets. The Ottomans failed to crack the square and suffered heavy losses. The battery company of Colonel Waltz distinguished itself. The guns were beaten with buckshot from a close distance of 100 - 150 meters and literally mowed down the Turks. The Ottomans could not withstand such a fierce fire and their onslaught subsided for a while.
In the meantime, the Russian commander-in-chief brought new forces to the battlefield. It was the 1st brigade of the 2nd hussar division with 4 light guns under the command of Lieutenant General Budberg and the 19th horse-battery company under the command of Major General Arnoldi. While the cavalry and horse artillery hurried to the right flank, the situation there again escalated. The Turkish troops, taking advantage of the numerical superiority, crossed the small river Bulanlik and began an attack on the open flank of the Russian troops. However, Arnoldi's horse-battery company, which had just arrived at the place, stood in the way of the Turks. The gunners quickly saw the danger threatening our troops, and deployed batteries on the flank of the Russian infantry, opening fire on the enemy. It all happened very quickly. No wonder then in the Russian army they said that when horse artillery flies into position, its wheels touch the ground only out of politeness.
The fire proved to be very effective. Sudden bombardment with grenades (buckshot charges had already been used) and even brandkugels (incendiary artillery shells) upset the ranks of the Turkish army. The Turks were stunned, and a huge mass of infantry staggered in place. Turkish officers could not force their soldiers to go forward. The Russian infantry took advantage of this. Jaegers and infantrymen of the Nevsky and Sofiysky regiments went on the attack together and knocked over the first ranks of the Turkish troops with a bayonet blow. Now it was not the Russians who fought back, but the Turks. Soon the Russian artillerymen were supplied with spare charging boxes with buckshot charges, and they began to smash the enemy first with "close" buckshot - from a distance of 100 - 150 meters, then "distant" - from 200 - 300 meters.
The Turks would have already retreated, but they could not. All this time, new Turkish battalions were leaving the Kulevchinsky gorges along a narrow mountain road. The Grand Vizier ordered an attack on the enemy. However, the Turks had already fizzled out, the previous rage disappeared, and the Ottoman troops, having suffered heavy losses, began to retreat to their original positions in the mountains. The introduction of a hussar brigade and additional artillery into battle equalized the forces, while the Russians retained their fighting spirit, and the ardor of the Turks faded away. Therefore, the Ottomans soon stopped attacks on the Russian right flank. Rashid Mehmed Pasha, seeing the futility of attacks on the enemy's right flank, which seemed to him weak, ordered to withdraw the troops back to the mountains.
The defeat of the Turkish army
The battle stopped for a while. Both sides put the troops in order. Diebitsch replaced the tired parts of the first line with fresh troops, reinforced them in advance with a reserve. The bloodless jaeger battalions were withdrawn to the rear. In addition, the Russian commander-in-chief remembered that there was a large Turkish garrison in Shumla, which had the opportunity to find itself in the Russian rear. Therefore, the barrier on the road to the fortress was strengthened. However, Diebitsch's army did not receive a blow to the rear. The Turkish command decided not to risk, withdrawing the troops remaining in the fortress, or the Turkish messengers simply did not pass through the Russian posts. In addition, the Turkish commanders held a meeting and came to the conclusion that the Russians are stronger than they thought and she would be able to defeat them in a field battle. It was necessary to go to Shumla.
The Turks believed that the battle had already ended that day. However, at 5 o'clock, already in the evening, Russian troops launched a broad front on the Kulevchensky heights. The battle began with an artillery firefight. Here, the chief of staff of the army Toll played an important role, who personally arranged artillery batteries in front of the heights. The artillery duel ended in favor of the Russian artillerymen, who had incomparably better training than the Ottomans. In the mountainous positions of the Turkish batteries, one after another, powder boxes began to explode. The Turkish gunners began to scatter. Soon the entire Ottoman army was seized with confusion and fear. First, the infantry cover of the Turkish batteries fled. On the only mountain road, where the Turkish army's carts were stationed, a traffic jam immediately formed.
Noticing the confusion in the enemy's camp, Diebitsch ordered an offensive. The first to move to the forest heights were detachments of the best riflemen. Infantry columns followed them. The offensive was so fast that the Turks had not yet had time to recover from the explosions at the artillery positions. This attack ended in complete success. The Turkish army, which had already faltered and lost its fighting spirit, panicked. And when the Russian columns climbed to the heights and went on the attack, the huge masses of the Turkish army fled. Attempts by individual groups to resist were unsuccessful. The Ottomans abandoned the Kulevchen positions, which were very convenient for a defensive battle.
The army of Rashid Mehmed Pasha very quickly turned into a crowd of fugitives. Everyone was saved as best he could. It was a complete rout. The Turkish army lost on that day only in killed 5 thousand people, 2 thousand people were taken prisoner. Russian troops captured rich trophies: almost all the artillery of the Turkish army (about 50 guns), a huge army camp of the Ottomans with thousands of tents and tents, the entire wagon train with food supplies and ammunition. Russian losses - over 2,300 killed and wounded. Most of them were fighters of the Russian avant-garde, which took the brunt of the enemy army.
The remnants of the defeated Turkish army found salvation in the wooded mountains, or fled along the only mountain road along which they came here. The Russian cavalry drove the enemy for 8 miles, but because of the terrain conditions, they could not turn around and finish off the enemy. Part of the Turkish army, led by the vizier, was still able to get into Shumla. Other scattered detachments and groups made their way south through the mountains. Another part, mostly local Muslim militias, simply fled to their homes.
The Kulevchensk victory was of strategic importance. The fugitives everywhere talked about the power of the weapons of the "infidels", all the fear and panic in the Ottoman troops. The best Turkish army was defeated, its remnants hid in Shumla. Diebitsch did not even use his main forces in the battle. This allowed the Russian commander-in-chief to begin a march through the Balkans almost immediately. Diebitsch decided not to waste time and energy on the capture of Shumla, remembering that his main goal was to throw across the Balkans, limiting himself to observing her. Russian troops demonstrated that they were preparing for the siege of Shumla. The Grand Vizier, demoralized by the defeat at Kulevchi, and misled by the actions of the Russians, began hastily to draw into Shumla all available troops in northern and southeastern Bulgaria, including those detachments that defended the Balkan passes. This was what Diebitsch was counting on. With the capture of Silistria, which fell on June 19, 1829, the liberated 3rd corps began the siege of Shumla. And the main forces of the Russian army moved on to the Trans-Balkan campaign, which began on July 3.
