| Battle of Kozludzha | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Russian Empire |
 Ottoman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kamensky | Abdul-Rezak | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| less than the Ottomans | 40,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| over 200 | 3,000-4,000 | ||||||
Battle of Kozludzha (also known as the Battle of Kozluca) fought on 20 June (Old Style - June 9) 1774 near the village of Kozludzha (now, Suvorovo) was one of the final and decisive battles of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–74).[1] The Russians managed to rout the Ottoman Army, scoring a major victory.[1] This battle, alongside several others in this campaign, is said to have established the reputation of Russian general Alexander Suvorov as a brilliant commander of his era.[2][3]
The Ottoman forces are estimated at about 40,000.[1] Russian numbers are said to have been inferior.[4] The Ottoman forces were demoralized due to previous defeats and poor logistics (including a year of withheld back pay).[5]
Russian army under Generals Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kamensky encountered the Ottoman Army of General Abdul-Rezak.[1][6] After scouts reported to Suvorov, he immediately ordered the attack.[7] The Russian army, divided into four squares, attacked the Ottomans.[7] Ottoman cavalry charges were repulsed by the Russians.[8] Russian cavalry attack from the rear resulted in the capture of all of the Ottoman artillery.[7] Russian artillery fire is also said to have been highly devastating to the Ottoman forces.[9] Casualties were reported as 3,000 for the Ottomans, and 209 for the Russians.[7] The Russians captured the Ottoman camp with its supplies, while the Ottomans abandoned Kozludzha[9] and retreated to Shumla (Shumen, Kolarovgrad), where they were soon blockaded, suffering from further defeats and attrition.[4][6][7][9][10]
The Russian victory was one of the major reasons why a month later, on 21 July, the Ottomans were forced to sign the unfavorable Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca.[1][4][11]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Political History and Culture of Russia. Nova Science Publishers. 2003. p. 171. http://books.google.com/books?id=K-aNAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ Gregory Fremont-Barnes (June 2006). The encyclopedia of the French revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: a political, social, and military history. ABC-CLIO. p. 960. ISBN 978-1-85109-646-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=eYIRAQAAMAAJ. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ Alexander Mikaberidze (19 January 2005). Russian Officer Corps of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Casemate Publishers. p. 387. ISBN 978-1-61121-002-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=j2BwBPz4QFQC&pg=PA387. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Mesut Uyar; Edward J. Erickson (2009). A Military History of the Ottomans: From Osman to Atatürk. ABC-CLIO. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-275-98876-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=JgfNBKHG7S8C&pg=PA118. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ Jadwiga Nadzieja (1988). Od Jakobina do księcia namiestnika. Wydawnictwo "Śląsk". p. 14. ISBN 978-83-216-0682-8.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Tony Jaques (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 545. ISBN 978-0-313-33538-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=Dh6jydKXikoC&pg=PA545. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Wlodzimierz Onacewicz (1985). Empires by Conquest: Ninth century-1905. Hero Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-915979-04-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=bQfUAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ Jadwiga Nadzieja (1988). Od Jakobina do księcia namiestnika. Wydawnictwo "Śląsk". p. 15. ISBN 978-83-216-0682-8.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Virginia H. Aksan (1 January 1995). An Ottoman Statesman in War and Peace: Ahmed Resmi Efendi, 1700-1783. BRILL. p. 165. ISBN 978-90-04-10116-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=aPwBhqF3dTkC&pg=PA165. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ Gábor Ágoston; Bruce Alan Masters (1 January 2009). Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Infobase Publishing. p. 493. ISBN 978-1-4381-1025-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=QjzYdCxumFcC&pg=PA493. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ↑ Anthony Pagden (25 March 2008). Worlds at War: The 2,500-Year Struggle Between East and West. Random House Publishing Group. p. 362. ISBN 978-1-58836-678-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=ANYO0jAq2eMC&pg=PA362. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The original article can be found at Battle of Kozludzha and the edit history here.