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Draft:Siege of the Mikhailovsky fortification


Siege of the Mikhailovsky fortification
Part of Russo-Circassian War
Date22 March-3 April 1840
Location
Mikhailovsky fortification, Black Sea coastline (Now Arkhipo-Osipovka, Krasnodar Territory)
Result Circassian victory
Belligerents

Circassia

 Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ismail Berzeg Russian Empire Nikolay Liko
Strength
7,000 500
8 Naval guns
Casualties and losses
Unknown 420 killed, 80 taken hostage

The siege of the Mikhailovsky fortification took place from 22 March-3 April 1840. Thousands of Circassian Mujahideen were besieging The half-thousand Russian garrison for several hours. At the critical moment of the siege of the Tenginsky Infantry Regiment, A. Osipov blew up the powder cellar with himself, the remnants of the garrison and a significant number of mountaineers. In the history of the Russian army, this feat acquired "symbolic immortality"[1][2].

Fortification

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Approximate plan of the Mikhailovsky fortification with the designation of the location of the garrison during the attack of the highlanders on March 22, 1840 (according to the testimony of a retired private C. Yakovlev, son of Gurtov, 1876)[3]

The Mikhailovsky fortification was built in 1837 at the mouth of the river Vulan (on the site of the current village Arkhipo-Osipovka Krasnodar Territory). It had a length of about 200 sazhens. The line of fire was very extensive[4] and reached up to 540 sazhens in length[5].

During the construction of the fortification, it was attacked by the Ubykhs in the same 1837 under the leadership of their prince Haji-Dogomuko Berzek[6][7]

Since 1839, the fortification has belonged to the 1st branch of the Black Sea Coastline. The head of that department was the rear admiral L. Min Serebryakov, the head of the entire coastline - Lieutenant General N. N. Raevsky[8].

By the beginning of 1840, of the two companies of the Black Sea Line Battalion's companies of the Black Sea Line Battalion in arms, including artillerymen and batmen[9][10]. After the highlander uprising, the garrison was temporarily reinforced by two infantry companies.[11] Eight guns[12] were placed on the bastions.

Position

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Main article: Black Sea coastline

The idea of creating the Black Sea coastline belonged to the emperor Nicholas I. According to his plan, its fortifications were to prevent smuggling (trafficking in human beings and supplying the highlanders with weapons and ammunition) by sea. However, for a number of reasons, they were ineffective[13]. The "absurdity" of the creation of this kind of fortifications was repeatedly pointed out by the Caucasian military leaders, but Nicholas I considered their construction necessary[14]The fortifications were built from local natural material. From frequent or even continuous rains, the buildings gradually collapsed. Slufterhouses of raw brick periodically collapsed, and the outer facing stone filled outer ditches[15].

Cast iron guns, mainly of the 1813 model, were of different calibers and arsenals on the shafts. In addition to them, there were also shortened semi-pood unicorns, which had long been out of the Russian army, which overturned back when fired, and the rotten wooden lafet often simply crumbled[15]

The coastline garrisons were not fully staffed. Instead of the people prescribed for garrison service throughout the entire coastline

, their total number was 2,776 privates[16]

, of which about half were in hospitals and infirmaries[15]. 50-70% of the personnel of the Lazarevsky, Mikhailovsky and Velyaminovsky fortifications were sick with singa and malaria[17]. Fever spread, which developed quite quickly and, due to the rapid depletion of medical means, often ended in death. The main sources of those diseases were extensive swamps in the mouths of rivers and rotting plants on them, as well as the influence of the local climate[18]. There was no land communication both between the fortifications of the coastline and the "big land", and therefore in case of military danger, the garrisons had to rely exclusively on their own forces, without hope for outside help. Twice a year by sea, and only in the summer, provice was delivered to the fortifications, and cruisers occasionally went there along the way to pick up the sick[15].

Build-up

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After the capture of the Lazarevsky and Velyaminovsky forts, the mountaineers began to prepare with renewed strength for the storming of the Mikhailovsky fortification. United Kingdom On March, a scout from the Circassians arrived at the fortification with the news of the collection of about 11 thousand Shapsugs and Abadzekhs from the valleys of the rivers Farsa and Kurgipsa, who intended to attack the fortification[19]. Having reported this, he also promised to warn in advance about the day of the upcoming attack, and if he fails to get into the fortification, on the night of the assault he will start signal lights in several places[20].

Military Chief of the Mikhailovsky Fortification Staff Captain N. K Liko gathered a military council, to which, in addition to all officers, the lower ranks were invited, who had served for more than 20 years and had the insignia Military Order or St. Anna. At the meeting, reminding him of the duty of the military oath, announced to everyone his intention "not to give up and beat to the last drop of blood", in the case of "penalty", he proposed to blow up the powder cellar and die together with the enemy, to which the audience responded with unanimous consent[21][20]. Also, due to the long length of the fortification, which does not correspond to the size of the garrison, N. K Liko ordered to divide the fortification with a deep retranchment into two parts and build before the latter from logs, boards, barrels and other improvised material traverse, behind which, in case of a breakthrough of the enemy into the fortification, it would be possible to consolidate[22]. At the front position in the brustver, a embrasure was built for a gun removed from one of the bastions, which did not make sense to hold[23].

United Kingdom On March, the scout confirmed the preparation of the Circassians for the attack, of which more than 12 thousand[24] gathered. However, the other two insorsies who arrived after him reported that the mountaineers decided to attack another, "less strong" fortification, and there will be no Mikhailovsky attack[25]. But despite this, the garrison continued to carry out enhanced guard service. The fighters slept with guns. In case of alarm, everyone was assigned their place in advance to the position[20]. United Kingdom March at the morning construction of garrison N. K Liko summoned volunteers ready to blow up the powder cellar at a critical moment. 10 people were out of action, including N. K Liko chose the Tengin regiment of private A. I Osipov, who before others had expressed a desire to fulfill this order[28]. He was given a key and every day from 12 o'clock in the morning to 10 a.m. he was locked with a gun, wick, water and alcohol in a powder cellar[27].

The defense

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First assault

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By 10 p.m., the mountaineers at a considerable distance on all sides besieged the fortification. Their main forces were secretly located in the woods beyond the Vulan River. That night, barking fired guard dogs fired for the night for strengthening[30] and signal lights were opened by a scorator in three places. The garrison, symbolically wearing clean underwear, and the officers and their best uniforms, quietly occupied the predetermined position. The 3rd Company Lineys occupied phas facing the river Pshada and the Juba Gorge, and the 2nd Company - the fas, on the contrary, facing the Vulan River. The 9th Company Tengin occupied Brustver of the northern part of the fortification, adjoining the Bogatyr Battery, and the 6th Company Navagintsev - the same bruster, adjacent to the Juba battery. 40 people from the Navagins made up the reserve, located between Gauptvakhtachtvacht, The guns were put in advance cartech cannon[20][23].

At 4 o'clock in the morning from just before dawn, the mountaineers in complete silence, carrying the stairs, began to approach the fortification from different sides. As the intersigators later reported, most of them were drunk, presumably drinking alcohol captured in the Lazarevsky and Velyaminovsky fortifications[31]. The sentry from the Juba Battery, noticing the "dark masses" of the mountaineers moving towards strengthening, immediately reported this to the Feldwebel Komlev. Having let the front rows of the enemy on a cannon shot, the garrison opened fire. After the first gunshot, the mountaineers with a "frantic geek" and raised badges[32] have already openly rushed to storm{[20][24]. At a time when it was not yet dawn enough, the soldiers of the garrison "shot at random"', however, under heavy rifle and canister fire, the highlanders were forced to retreat[33]{[25].

There was an exchange of fire for about an hour and a half, after which the highlanders resumed a rapid assault. From the bastion, the gun managed to fire a buckshot along the moat, in which the attackers were already located. Nevertheless, the highlanders managed to climb the rampart, where they engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand fight with a company of lineans. Several times the defenders of the fortification dropped the attackers from the shaft, but new forces of the highlanders, ""stepping through the corpses of their comrades," again climbed it. In the end, the liners, together with the Tengin platoon and the Navagin platoon that came to their aid, managed to drop the attackers from the shaft and turn them into flight[34]. The defenders of the fortification continued to conduct rifle and artillery fire on the retreating highlanders, significantly increasing their losses[33][27][25].

Military Council of Highlanders

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After the failed assault, disagreements and disputes began in the mountaineer camp. The Ubykhs accused the Shapsugs of cowardice and flight from the battlefield. It almost came to a military clash between them, but in the end the military leaders of both tribes still came to an agreement[33][34].

The council decided to send a foot militia to the attack for a second time, and to move the cavalry, which was previously in the distance, closer to perform its function of fey detachment. The latter was given the order "without mercy" to cut anyone, who will turn his back to the enemy[33][27][34].

Second assault

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The Circassian foot militia, which found itself between the two fires, "desperately, with a stunning soul of a geek", again rushed to the assault and, despite the heavy fire of the defenders, managed to climb the rampart simultaneously in several places[34]. According to, initially part of the highlanders attacked the part of the fortification where the covered and only exit of the garrison to the water was located. But it turned out to be a "fake" attack, the purpose of which was to distract the garrison from the northern and north-eastern parts of the fortification, followed by the main forces of the highlanders[31].

The remains of the 3rd Line Company defending the Juba Battery were finally crushed by the numerical superiority of the highlanders. The commander of the 9th company of the Tengin Regiment, Sub-Lieutenant Kraumgold, with the words "don't be shy", rushed to that battery to knock out the enemy from there, but, having been wounded (according to some reports, he was killed by a shot at point-blank range[25]), stumbled and, according to non-commissioned officer I. Miroslavsky, was cut down by the highlanders ""into pieces"" before his eyes. Soon, Lieutenant Timchenko, commander of the 6th Company of the Navagin Regiment, also fell on the shaft. Artillery Ensign Yermolaev, due to the lack of ammunition and people, as well as due to the clutter of the space by the bodies of the dead, could no longer act from the guns and, having riveted them, took up the guns with the remnants of the artillerymen. In a shootout with the mountaineers, he and all the artillerymen were killed[26][33].

During the battle, the garrison was dismembered into two parts and thrown by the highlanders behind the traverse. The 9th Tengin Company retreated to the battery cavalier, and the 6th Navagin Company and the 2nd Company of the Lineans with Staff Captain N. K Liko - to retranchment[35], previously built near the powder cellar and the sauptvacht[20][36]. When retreating, the garrison burned food and other warehouses so that they would not go to the enemy[37][38]. Breaking into the fortification, the highlanders set fire to the hospital, which housed up to a hundred seriously ill soldiers[20].

Having taken refuge behind the retranchment, the remnants of the Navaginians and the linears continued to defend themselves. There, Liko was wounded in the right leg (the bone above the foot was crushed), and his eyes were bleeding from his split left eyebrow. Nevertheless, he, relying on shashka, and in his left hand clutching the dagger, continued to lead the fight[20][36].

During a short pause, a parliamentarian, who was previously one of the spies and warned the garrison about the upcoming attack by the mountaineers, left the ranks of the mountaineers. He asked Liko to "voluntarily surrender." The latter shouted after that, "Guys, kill him! The Russians do not give up", and the parliamentarian was immediately shot, after which the highlanders rushed to the Russians with even more rage[20].

At the same time, the Tenginians who retreated to the battery, together with the artillerymen there, deployed 4 guns and opened cannister fire on the mountaineers who had dispersed in search of prey. The latter, in turn, rushed to the battery, the defenders of which, having used up ammunition, entered into hand-to-hand combat with the attackers. Private of the Tengin Regiment Alexander Fedorov, who the latter remained in position, with his back in the corner of the breaststrower, for a long time fought off with a bayonet and butt from about a dozen mountaineers who hit him. However, the latter decided not to kill him, but to take him alive. After Fyodorov finally lost his strength and lowered his gun, the highlanders attacked him and took him prisoner[39][27][20].

During the 3-hour battle, all the officers were killed and the superiors took over the cadet and lower ranks of the nobility. All the bastions by that time had already been captured by the highlanders, who installed red badges on them, marking the victory[20].

Explosion of the powder cellar

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The feat of Private of the 77th Tengin Infantry Regiment Arhip Osipov on March 22, 1840.

Appointed at his own request "in case of penalty" to blow up the powder cellar of the Private Tengin Infantry Regiment Arhip Osipov during the assault by the mountaineers, the fortifications carried ammunition to the nearest bastions. During another walk, he saw the death of his company commander and hand-to-hand combat on the shaft of the remains of his defenders at the already riveted guns. At the same time, the highlanders had already crossed the rampart of the adjacent face and entered the rear of one of the groups of defenders of the fortification. Having thrown his burden, A. Osipov raised the gun of one of the killed soldiers and, firing a shot at the enemy, rushed to the powder cellar{[25].

By that time, the powder cellar had already been surrounded by the mountaineers, breaking the doors, roof and walls. A. Osipov reported this to Staff Captain N., who was with the remnants of the garrison behind the retranchement. K Liko. When the situation became completely hopeless, he ordered the cellar to be blown up. Hieromonk Markel blessed A. Osipov and let him lay down on the cross, after which the latter, tore off the grenade from the grenade and took the lit wick in the other hand, went to him between the barracks and the Zeikhhaus. Together with him, they rushed to 40 Tengin, led by Private I. Miroslavsky, "paving the road with bayonets." Having made its way to the Zeichhaus, his group lost up to 20 people killed. There's A. Osipov shouted[20]:

It's time, brothers! Who will stay alive, remember my business!

Several mountaineers who were at the door of the powder cellar, soldiers, according to I. Miroslavsky, - "they were raised on the bayonets," and others were driven away. At the cellar with A. Osipov remained several wounded fighters[40], and the rest headed to the Marine Battery[41].

An explosion occurred at about 10 o'clock in the morning. According to a Cossack who escaped from captivity, captured by the highlanders in the blockhouse, "the explosion was terrible." The logs of the cellar, in which, in addition to the stuffed grenades, stored up to 200 pood of gunpowder, scattered sazhen into 200[42]. D. C Rakovich, quoting the words of an eyewitness, wrote[20]:

... there was a terrible crackle, everything shuddered, and a whole column of smoke with flames, with human corpses, with stones, soared into the air!.. <...> Everything fell silent and the sun, before noon, illuminated only the bloody picture of death and destruction.

Consequences

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On 30th March head of the Caucasus line Adjutant General P. H. Grabbe from Stavropol to St. Petersburg was sent news of the fall of the Mikhailovsky fortification. The Minister of War, General of Cavalry, who received it on the evening of April 9, Count A. I. Chernyshev immediately reported this to the emperor Nikolas I. A day later, on April 11, the report of the Lieutenant General was also received about the fall of the Mikhailovsky fortification N. N. Raevsky, on which the emperor himself put a resolution - "Terriful!" Realizing that the situation on the Black Sea coastline is critical, he wrote there - "I am extremely afraid that this is not the last misfortune yet"[43].

According to G. I. Philipsona, Fort Velyaminovsky and the Mikhailovskoye fortification were the most dangerous points on the Black Sea coastline, and it turned out that "by strengthening we did not save them, but only increased the number of victims"[31]. In addition, according to him[42]:

The mountaineers not only did not lose heart from a huge loss when taking the fortification of Mikhailovsky, but immediately over the piles of their dead gave a solemn oath not to lay down their weapons until they destroy all Russian institutions in their land.

References

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  1. ^ name="Menning">{book|author=Menning B. W.|part=The Army and Frontier in Russia|link part=https://media.defense.gov/2010/Oct/28/2001330228/-1/-1/0/AFD-101028-004.pdf#page=48%7Ctitle=Transformation in Russian and Soviet military history: proceedings of the Twelfth Military History Symposium, United States Air Force Academy, 1-3 October 1986|link=https://archive.org/details/transformationru1986redd%7Cresponsible=Ed. by C. W. Reddel|edition=|place=Washington, D.C.|Publishing house=USAFA, Office of Air Force History|year=1990|pages=27|isbn=0-912799-57-9}}
  2. ^ Salchinkina 2012, p. 189-191.
  3. ^ Rakovich 1900, p. 18-19.
  4. ^ Philipson 2000, p. 144.
  5. ^
    Siege of the Mikhailovsky fortification
    AuthorVoroshilov V. I.
    Pages264-255
    ISBN5-79-92-0377-1
  6. ^ Fadeev 1935, p. 146-147.
  7. ^ Lavrov 2009, p. 114.
  8. ^ Article ([[Special:EditPage/{{{1}}}|edit]] | [[Talk:{{{1}}}|talk]] | [[Special:PageHistory/{{{1}}}|history]] | [[Special:ProtectPage/{{{1}}}|protect]] | [[Special:DeletePage/{{{1}}}|delete]] | [{{fullurl:Special:WhatLinksHere/{{{1}}}|limit=999}} links] | [{{fullurl:{{{1}}}|action=watch}} watch] | logs | views)
  9. ^ AK 1884, p. 464.
  10. ^ {book|author=[[[Shcherbina, Fyodor Andreevich|Shcherbina F. A.]]|title=History of the Kuban Cossack Army: in 2 parts|link=http://elib.shpl.ru/ru/nodes/16882-scherbina-f-a-istoriya-kubanskogo-kazachiego-voyska-ekaterinodar-1910-1913%7Cplace=Ekaterinodar%7CPublishing house=Printer|year=1913|volume=2|pages=36363|archive-date=2019-05-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523230310/http://elib.shpl.ru/ru/nodes/16882-scherbina-f-a-istoriya-kubanskogo-kazachiego-voyska-ekaterinodar-1910-1913}}
  11. ^ Berger 1877, p. 280.
  12. ^ Yurov 1886, p. 280.
  13. ^ Shishkevich 2003, p. 549―550.
  14. ^ Andreev-Krivich 1952, p. 416.
  15. ^ a b c d Rakovich 1900, p. 195-197.
  16. ^ Dubrovin et al. 1896, p. 132.
  17. ^ Fadeev 1935, p. 148.
  18. ^ Rakovich 1900, p. 189-194.
  19. ^ Dubrovin and others 1896, p. 134.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rakovich 1900.
  21. ^ Karabanov 1855.
  22. ^ Archive of Raevsky & 1908-1915, T. 3.
  23. ^ a b Fyodorov 1879.
  24. ^ a b Shishkevich 2003.
  25. ^ a b c d e Belevich 1910.
  26. ^ a b c Miroslavsky 1879.
  27. ^ a b c d e f Dubrovin et al. 1896.
  28. ^ Ryadova A. I Osipov, a veteran of the Russian-Persian, Russian-Turkish Wars and a number of expeditions against the mountainers, in the barracks earlier announced to his colleagues: "I want to make a memory of Russia. At the moment of our penalties, I will set fire to the powder cellar"[26][27].
  29. ^
    Siege of the Mikhailovsky fortification
    AuthorTornau F. F.
    SeriesFrom the Russian past
    Pages321—322
    ISBN978-5-91022-033-5
  30. ^ In all the forts of the Black Sea coastline, the garrisons contained well-trained to track down highlanders. They were legalized and were on state allowance. During the drum fight, the dogs gathered in front of the garrison, and during the fighting they ran ahead and timely revealed the highlanders in ambush to the shooters, and some attacked themselves. Wounded dogs on overcoats were brought to the fortification and treated in the infirmary on an equal basis with people. At night, the guard dogs were released for fortification, and when the Circassians were found, they "frantic very special barking" let the garrison know about the danger[20][29].
  31. ^ a b c Philipson 2000.
  32. ^ The red icons (small banners) of the Circassians depicted a crescent moon and stars[26].
  33. ^ a b c d e Yurov 1886.
  34. ^ a b c d Lavrov 2009.
  35. ^ Cite error: The named reference Menning was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  36. ^ a b Lavrov 1900.
  37. ^ EVMN 1891.
  38. ^ Alhaov 2016.
  39. ^ In July 1840, Private Alexander Fyodorov was bought out of captivity. Adjutant General P. H. Grabbe made him a non-commissioned officer, and the emperor Nikolas I granted him signia of the military order (№ 74923), the Feldfebel salary and ordered him to be transferred to his life guards Izmailovsky regiment[27].
  40. ^ Bondarenko 2011.
  41. ^ Rakovich 1900, Applications.
  42. ^ a b Lazarev 1955.
  43. ^ Andreev-Krivich 1952.


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