In 1768 Turkish Sultan declared war on Russia, headed at that time by Catherine II. Leader Ottoman Empire wanted to get Podolia and Volhynia, expand his possessions in the Northern Black Sea region and the Caucasus, and also establish a protectorate over the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
During the war, the Russian army under the leadership of Pyotr Rumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov defeated the Turkish troops, and the Mediterranean squadron of the Russian fleet under the command of Alexei Orlov and Grigory Spiridov defeated the Turkish fleet. As a result, Russia forced the enemy to sign the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Treaty, according to which the Crimean Khanate formally gained independence, but in fact became dependent on Russia. In addition, the Ottoman Empire paid Russia military indemnities in the amount of 4.5 million rubles. and ceded the northern coast of the Black Sea along with two important ports.
In 1783, by the manifesto of Catherine II, the Crimean Khanate was annexed to Russia.
In 1787, the Ottoman Empire issued an ultimatum to Russia demanding the restoration of the vassalage of the Crimean Khanate and Georgia. In addition, the attacking side wanted to obtain permission from Catherine II to inspect ships passing through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. The Empress refused, and the Sultan immediately announced new war Russia. True, he didn’t know that
Austria, which shortly before signed a military treaty with the Russian Empire, will also fight against the Ottoman Empire.
“I myself am surprised at the agility and courage of my people”
During the war, Russia won victories one after another. Thus, the Russian-Austrian army under the command of Alexander Suvorov defeated the Turkish army near Focsani. And the Sevastopol squadron, led by Marko Voinovich and Fyodor Ushakov, defeated the enemy fleet off the island of Fidonisi. About the naval battle, Catherine II wrote to the commander-in-chief of the Russian army and Prince Grigory Potemkin: “The action of the Sevastopol fleet made me very happy: it is almost incredible with what little force God helps to beat the strong Turkish weapons! Tell me, how can I please Voinovich? Crosses of the third class have already been sent to you, won’t you give him one or a sword?”
Soon a battle took place at Kerch Strait, during which the Russian squadron under the command of Fyodor Ushakov won a victory and did not allow the Ottoman Empire to land its troops in Crimea.
“I myself am surprised at the agility and courage of my people,” said Ushakov. “They fired at the enemy ship infrequently and with such skill that it seemed that everyone was learning to shoot at the target.”
And here is what Catherine II wrote about the results of the battle: “We celebrated the victory of the Black Sea Fleet over the Turkish fleet yesterday with a prayer service at Kazanskaya... I ask you to say a great thank you to Rear Admiral Ushakov on my behalf and to all his subordinates.”
Execute everyone
However, despite the multiple victories of the Russian army, the Ottoman Empire did not agree to accept the peace terms that Russia insisted on, and the Sultan delayed negotiations in every possible way. It became clear that it would be possible to speed up the negotiation process with the capture of Izmail - a powerful fortress with a high rampart and a wide ditch, whose garrison consisted of about 35 thousand people under the command of Aidozly Muhammad Pasha.
The Sultan issued an order that in the event of the fall of Ishmael, it would be necessary to execute every warrior who defended the fortress.
At the end of November 1790, Grigory Potemkin ordered Alexander Suvorov to take command of the units besieging Izmail. The commander immediately sent an ultimatum to the commandant of Izmail demanding that he surrender the fortress no later than 24 hours from the date of delivery of the ultimatum. The ultimatum was rejected.
Alexander Suvorov convened a military council, which decided that it was necessary to begin the assault as soon as possible. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the great Russian commander ordered his soldiers to “take Ishmael at any cost.”
State memorial museum A.V. Suvorov “Portrait of A.V. Suvorov in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment”, Joseph Kreutsinger. Oil on canvas, 40.5 × 31.5 cm. 1799.
“There were prisoners who died of fear at the sight of the carnage.”
The assault on the fortress was scheduled for the early morning of December 22: Suvorov believed that darkness was needed for the surprise of the first strike. However, according to historians, the Russian attack did not come as a surprise to the Turks: the latter were ready for an assault every night and, moreover, knew from the defectors about the commander’s plans.
At five o'clock in the morning the assault began, and soon the enemy was driven out of the fortress tops and retreated to the inner part of the city. Through the captured Brossky, Khotyn and Bendery gates, Alexander Suvorov moved reserves into battle. The Turkish garrison continued to resist - the troops of Aidozly Muhammad Pasha fought for every house. According to the memoirs, the Turks “sold their lives dearly, no one asked for mercy, women brutally rushed with daggers at the soldiers. The frenzy of the inhabitants increased the ferocity of the troops; neither gender, nor age, nor rank were spared; blood flowed everywhere - let’s close the curtain on the spectacle of horrors.”
By four o'clock in the afternoon the fortress was completely taken. 26 thousand Turks were killed, the rest were taken prisoner. The total Russian losses were 4,582 people.
“Our soldiers attacked the Turks, who were armed with sabers and daggers, with pikes and bayonets,” recalled the French officer Langeron, a volunteer in the Russian army. “This battle lasted five hours: the Turks were expelled from the fortress walls, they barricaded themselves in the streets, and every house was besieged. Finally, at noon, four hundred Turks (the remaining of the 30 thousand who defended the city) laid down their arms and the battle stopped. The terrible robbery that followed ended only the next day. In almost all columns we lost a third killed and wounded, and in one - two thirds. For the 23 thousand participants in the assault, there were from 6 thousand to 7 thousand casualties, including the deaths of three major generals, one brigadier, six colonels, more than forty lieutenant colonels or majors and two hundred to three hundred junior officers.
It took several days to remove the corpses that filled the ditches, earthworks, streets and large areas. There was no question of saving the wounded; almost all of them were mercilessly finished off. There were prisoners who died of fear at the sight of this terrible massacre.”
If the fallen Russians were buried according to church rite, then the dead soldiers of the Ottoman Empire were thrown directly into the Danube. The captured Turks were sent to the city of Nikolaev under the escort of the Cossacks.
Suvorov appointed Mikhail Kutuzov, the future famous commander and conqueror of Napoleon, as commandant of the fortress.
Who got the diamond uniform?
“Thus, victory has been achieved,” Alexander Suvorov soon reported to Grigory Potemkin. - The Izmail fortress, so fortified, so extensive and which seemed invincible to the enemy, was taken by a weapon that was terrible for him Russian bayonets, the stubbornness of the enemy, who arrogantly placed his hope in the number of troops, was defeated. Although the number of troops receiving secrets was supposed to be 42 thousand, according to exact calculations it should be 35 thousand. The number of the enemy killed was up to 26 thousand.
Seraskir Aidos Mehmet the three-bunchuzh Pasha, who was in charge of Ishmael, sat down with a crowd of more than 1 thousand people in a stone building and did not want to surrender, was attacked by Phanagorian grenadiers in the command of Colonel Zolotukhin. And both he and everyone who was with him were beaten and stabbed.
In the Izmail fortress, 245 cannons were found, including nine mortars, and twenty on the shore, 245 in total; a large powder magazine and various shells. 345 banners were taken as trophies, except for those that were torn in battles, seven bunchuks, two sanzhaks, and eight lansons.
Bringing your lordship congratulations and gratitude for entrusting me with such a famous victory, I consider it my direct duty to testify to the firmness and courage of the leaders and the boundless zeal and courage of all ranks and to petition for your favor and patronage for reward for my employees and comrades.”
For the storming of Izmail, Alexander Suvorov dreamed of receiving the rank of field marshal - the highest military rank V ground forces. However, Potemkin received the field marshal's uniform embroidered with diamonds, and Suvorov was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky regiment.
Thunder of victory, ring out!
After the capture of Izmail, panic began in the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan was forced to agree to the terms of the Treaty of Iasi, which ended the Russo-Turkish War. According to the document, the Ottoman Empire renounced its claims to Georgia and pledged not to take any hostile actions against Georgian lands. Russia secured the entire Northern Black Sea region and strengthened its political positions in the Caucasus and Balkans.
In 1794, the city of Odessa was founded on lands obtained as a result of the Treaty of Jassy.
The unofficial Russian anthem “Thunder of Victory, Ring Out!” is dedicated to the storming of Izmail. The author of the words was the poet Gabriel Derzhavin. Unofficial anthem Russian Empire began with the following lines:
Thunder of victory, ring out!
Have fun, brave Ross!
Decorate yourself with resounding glory.
You beat Mohammed!
Soon after the victory over the Turks, Alexander Suvorov began strengthening the new Russian-Turkish border along the Dniester River. By his order, Tiraspol, the largest city in Transnistria today, was founded on the left bank of the Dniester in 1792.
Victory of the Russian Empire
Assault on Izmail- siege and assault in 1790 of the Turkish fortress of Izmail by Russian troops under the command of Chief General A.V. Suvorov during the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1792
Suvorov took measures to ensure order. Kutuzov, appointed commandant of Izmail, placed guards in the most important places. A huge hospital was opened inside the city. The bodies of the killed Russians were taken outside the city and buried according to church rites. There were so many Turkish corpses that the order was given to throw the bodies into the Danube, and prisoners were assigned to this work, divided into queues. But even with this method, Ishmael was cleared of corpses only after 6 days. The prisoners were sent in batches to Nikolaev under the escort of Cossacks.
Captions: "For excellent courage" on the front side and "Ishmael taken December 11, 1790" on the reverse.
Suvorov expected to receive the rank of field marshal general for the assault on Izmail, but Potemkin, petitioning the empress for his award, proposed awarding him with a medal and the rank of guard lieutenant colonel or adjutant general. The medal was knocked out, and Suvorov was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. There were already ten such lieutenant colonels; Suvorov became eleventh. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Prince G. A. Potemkin-Tavrichesky, having arrived in St. Petersburg, received as a reward a field marshal's uniform, embroidered with diamonds, worth 200 thousand rubles, the Tauride Palace; In Tsarskoe Selo, it was planned to build an obelisk for the prince depicting his victories and conquests. Oval silver medals were distributed to the lower ranks; for officers who have not received the Order of St. George or Vladimir, a golden cross is installed on the St. George ribbon; the chiefs received orders or golden swords, some received ranks.
The conquest of Ishmael was of great political significance. It influenced the further course of the war and the conclusion of the Peace of Iasi between Russia and Turkey in 1792, which confirmed the annexation of Crimea to Russia and established the Russian-Turkish border along the Dniester River. Thus, the entire northern Black Sea region from the Dniester to the Kuban was assigned to Russia.
The anthem “The Thunder of Victory, Ring Out!” was dedicated to the victory at Ishmael! ", considered until 1816 the unofficial anthem of the Russian Empire.
Notes
Sources
- A. A. Danilov. History of Russia in the 9th-19th centuries.
- Team of authors.“One Hundred Great Battles”, M. “Veche”, 2002
Links
- The Assault of Ishmael, - from the book. “Kutuzov”, Rakovsky L. I.: Lenizdat, 1971
IZMAIL FORTRESS
Izmail was one of the strongest fortresses in Turkey. Since the war of 1768–1774, the Turks, under the leadership of the French engineer De Lafitte-Clove and the German Richter, turned Ishmael into a formidable stronghold. The fortress was located on a slope of heights sloping towards the Danube. A wide ravine, stretching from north to south, divided Ishmael into two parts, of which the larger, western, was called the old fortress, and the eastern, the new fortress. The fortress fence of the bastion outline reached six miles in length and had the shape right triangle, with a right angle facing north and its base facing the Danube. The main shaft reached 8.5 meters in height and was surrounded by a ditch up to 11 meters deep and 13 meters wide. The ditch was filled with water in places. There were four gates in the fence: on the western side - Tsargradsky (Brossky) and Khotynsky, on the northeast - Bendery, on the eastern side - Kiliyasky. The ramparts were defended by 260 guns, of which 85 cannons and 15 mortars were on the river side. City buildings inside the fence were put into a defensive state. It was prepared a large number of firearms and food supplies. The fortress garrison consisted of 35 thousand people. The garrison was commanded by Aidozli Mahmet Pasha.
Shirokorad A. B. Russian-Turkish wars 1676–1918 M., 2000 http://wars175x.narod.ru/1790_02.html
ACTIONS NEAR IZMAIL BEFORE ARRIVAL
At the head of the defense was the three-bunchu Aidozli Mehmet Pasha, gray in battle. Twice they offered him the title of vizier, and each time he rejected it. Without arrogance and without weakness, he constantly showed firmness and determination to bury himself under the ruins of the fortress rather than surrender it. […] There was plenty of ammunition, food for 1½ months; only there was a shortage of meat, and only the noblest officials received a portion of meat. The Turks considered Ishmael invincible.
Thus, a strong, well-equipped fortress, a courageous commandant, a garrison superior in number, whose courage was aroused by the threat of the death penalty - these were the difficulties that the Russians had to overcome.
It was necessary to capture Ishmael, not only due to the above military considerations, but also political ones.
Since August, State Councilor Loshkarev, on behalf of Potemkin, has been negotiating peace with the Supreme Vizier in Zhurzhev. As always, the Turks dragged out negotiations ad infinitum. […] It would seem that the fall of Kiliya, Tulcha, Isakchi and the defeat of Batal Pasha in the Kuban should have made Sherif Pasha more accommodating; but the intrigues of Prussia, which importunately offered its mediation under extremely unfavorable conditions, led to constant delays. Potemkin had long been driven out of patience (“I’m already bored with Turkish fables,” he writes to Loshkarev on September 7).
The Empress demanded a speedy conclusion of peace. In a rescript to Potemkin dated November 1, 1790, which he received, probably during the mentioned operations of Ribas, Potemkin and Gudovich near Izmail, she orders: “to devote all your strength and attention, and try to achieve peace with the Turks, without which it is impossible venture into no enterprise. But about this peace with the Turks, I will say that if Selim, due to his youth, needs uncles and guardians, and he himself does not know how to finish his affairs, for this he chose the Prussians, the English and the Dutch, so that they would further entangle his affairs with intrigues, then I am not in an equal position with him, and with a gray head I will not give myself into their care.”
Potemkin saw that the campaign of 1790 was coming to an end, ending it by limiting itself to the capture of insignificant fortresses would be an important mistake in political terms, that until Ishmael fell, negotiations for peace would only be a waste of time, and the Empress demands this peace. He understands very well that the grandiose feat of capturing Izmail is beyond the capabilities of any of the generals there; he probably feels that he himself is not capable of this, and therefore decides to entrust the matter to Suvorov. On November 25, Potemkin from Bendery sent Suvorov a secret order in his own hand: “The flotilla near Izmail has already destroyed almost all of their ships and the side of the city to the water is open. All that remains is to undertake, with God’s help, to take possession of the city. For this, Your Excellency, please hurry there to accept all the units into our team... having arrived at the place, inspect the situation and weak points through the engineers. I consider the side of the city towards the Danube to be the weakest…[…].”
Orlov N.A. The assault on Izmail by Suvorov in 1790. St. Petersburg, 1890 http://adjudant.ru/suvorov/orlov1790-03.htm
THE CAPTURE OF ISHMAEL
At the end of October, Potemkin's Southern Army finally opened a campaign, moving into southern Bessarabia. De Ribas took possession of Isaccea, Tulcea and Sulina Girl. Meller-Zakomelsky took Kilia, and Gudovich Jr. and Potemkin’s brother besieged Izmail. They acted, however, so unsuccessfully that at the military council it was decided to lift the siege.
Then Potemkin, who attached special importance to the capture of Izmail in order to persuade the Porte to make peace, instructed Suvorov (who was stationed with his division in Brailov) to take command of Izmail and decide on the spot whether to lift the siege or continue it. Taking with him his Phanagorians and Absheronians, Suvorov hurried to Izmail, met the already retreating troops on December 10, returned them to the trenches and at dawn on December 11 captured the Turkish stronghold in an unprecedented assault. Suvorov had about 30,000, of which a fourth were Cossacks, armed only with pikes. Ishmael was defended by 40,000 men under the command of seraskir Mehmet-Emin. Suvorov immediately sent the commandant an offer to surrender:
“To Seraskir, the elders and the whole society. I arrived here with my troops. 24 hours for reflection - will. My first shot is already captivity, the assault is death, which I leave for you to think about.” To this, the seraskir replied that “the sky would sooner fall to the ground and the Danube would flow upward than he would surrender Ishmael”... Of the 40,000 Turks, none escaped; the seraskir and all the senior commanders were killed. Only 6,000 people were taken prisoner, with 300 banners and badges and 266 guns. Suvorov's damage is 4600 people.
Kersnovsky A.A. History of the Russian Army. In 4 vols. M., 1992–1994. http://militera.lib.ru/h/kersnovsky1/04.html
THUS VICTORY IS ACCOMPLISHED
Such a fierce battle lasted 11 hours; Before noon, Mr. Lieutenant General and Cavalier Potemkin sent one hundred and eighty foot Cossacks to new reinforcements of troops to open the Broskiy Gate and sent three squadrons of the Seversky Carabineer Regiment in the command of Colonel and Cavalier Count Melin. And into the Khotyn gates, which were opened by Colonel Zolotukhin, the remaining one hundred and thirty grenadiers with three field artillery guns were introduced under the leadership of Prime Major Ostrovsky, to whose courage and efficiency I give justice; at the same time, three squadrons of the Voronezh Hussar Regiment and two squadrons of the Seversky Carabineer Regiment were introduced into the Bender Gate. These latter, dismounting and taking away the guns and cartridges from the dead, immediately entered the battle.
The fierce battle, which continued inside the fortress, after six and a half hours, with the help of God, was finally resolved in new Russia glory. The courage of the commanders, the jealousy and efficiency of the headquarters and chief officers and the unparalleled courage of the soldiers won a perfect victory over the numerous enemy, who desperately defended themselves, and at one o’clock in the afternoon the victory adorned our weapons with new laurels. The enemies remained entrenched in three more places; their only salvation was in one mosque, in two stone khans and in a casemate stone battery. All of them sent their officials to Mr. Lieutenant General and Cavalier Potemkin in the presence of our officers to ask for mercy. The first of these were brought by Lieutenant Colonel Tikhon Denisov and the duty major, Prime Major Chekhnenkov, and those who settled in the two khans were taken prisoners of war by Major General and Cavalier De Ribas; their number was more than four thousand. They also took two hundred and fifty people from the casemate battery who were with Muhafiz the three-bunched pasha.
Thus the victory is achieved. The Izmail fortress, so fortified, so extensive and which seemed invincible to the enemy, was taken by the terrible weapon of Russian bayonets; the stubbornness of the enemy, who arrogantly placed his hope in the number of troops, was defeated. Although the number of the army receiving the secrets was supposed to be forty-two thousand, according to exact calculation it should be thirty-five thousand. The number of enemy killed was up to twenty-six thousand. Seraskir Aidos Mehmet the three-bunchuzh Pasha, who was in charge of Ishmael, sat down with a crowd of more than a thousand people in a stone building and did not want to surrender, was attacked by Phanagorian grenadiers in the command of Colonel Zolotukhin. And both he and everyone who was with him were beaten and stabbed.
Which fortress comes to mind first when you just mention the name of the brilliant Russian commander Alexander Suvorov? Of course, Ishmael! The assault and rapid capture of this stronghold of the Ottoman Empire, which blocked the path from the north beyond the Danube, actually into the inner regions of the Porte, became one of the peaks of his military career. And for the Russian army, the day of the capture of Ishmael forever became one of the most glorious episodes in its history. And rightfully now, December 24 is one of the seventeen memorable dates included in the list of Days of Military Glory of Russia.
It is noteworthy that even in this list, which closes with the Ishmael anniversary, there is a curious calendar discrepancy. The ceremonial date falls on December 24, and the actual day of the assault is December 22! Where did such discrepancy come from?
Everything is explained simply. In all documents relating to the course Russian-Turkish war 1787-1791, the date of the assault on the fortress is December 11. Because the we're talking about about the 18th century, then to this date it is necessary to add another 11 days of difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. But since the list of Days of Military Glory of Russia in the 20th century was compiled, when calculating the dates according to the old style, out of habit, they added not eleven, but thirteen days. And so it happened that the memorable date was set for December 24, and in the description it was noted that the actual day of the assault was December 22, 1790 according to the new style - and December 11 according to the old style.
Suvorov and Kutuzov before the assault on Izmail. Hood. O. Vereisky
Everything depends on Ishmael
In the history of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, the story of the capture of Izmail occupies a special place. The prologue to this war was another Russian-Turkish war - 1768-1774. It ended with the actual annexation of Crimea to Russia (formally it ended in 1783), and the conditions that crowned the military confrontation of Kuchuk-Kainardzhisky gave Russian military and merchant ships the opportunity to be based in the Black Sea and freely leave it through the straits controlled by the Porte - the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. In addition, after the conclusion of this peace treaty, Russia received the opportunity to seriously influence the situation in the Caucasus, and actually began the process of including Georgia into the empire - which fully met the aspirations of the Georgian kingdom.
The course of the first Russian-Turkish war, waged by Empress Catherine the Great, was so unsuccessful for the Turks that when they signed the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace, they, despite the active intervention and support of England and France, did not dare to seriously argue with the Russian conditions. But as soon as the memory of the catastrophic defeats inflicted on the Ottoman troops by the Russians under the command of commanders Pyotr Rumyantsev and Alexander Suvorov began to fade, Istanbul, which was very actively hinted at the injustice of the terms of the agreement by London and Paris, immediately wanted to reconsider the humiliating, in its opinion, agreement.
First of all, the Ottomans demanded that Russia return Crimea to them, completely stop all actions to expand influence in the Caucasus, and agree that all Russian ships passing through the straits would be subject to mandatory inspection. Petersburg, which remembered the recently ended war very well, could not agree to such humiliating conditions. And he unequivocally rejected all the claims of Istanbul, after which the Turkish government declared war on Russia on August 13, 1787.
But the course of military operations turned out to be completely different from what was seen in the Ottoman Empire. The Russians, contrary to the expectations of Istanbul and the complimentary reports of spies in London and Paris, turned out to be much better prepared for war than the Turks. This is what they began to demonstrate, winning victories one after another. First in the first major battle On the Kinburn Spit, the detachment of General Suvorov, which consisted of only one and a half thousand fighters, completely defeated the Turkish landing force, which was three times larger in number: out of five thousand Turks, only about seven hundred people were saved. Seeing that they could not count on success in the offensive campaign, and that there was no chance of defeating the Russian army in field battles, the Turks switched to passive defense, relying on their Danube fortresses. But even here they miscalculated: in September 1788, troops under the command of Pyotr Rumyantsev took Khotin, and on December 17, 1788, the army under the command of Potemkin and Kutuzov took Ochakov (by the way, the then unknown captain Mikhail Barclay de Tolly distinguished himself in that battle). In an effort to take revenge for these defeats, the Turkish vizier Hasan Pasha at the end of August 1789 crossed the Danube with a 100,000-strong army and moved to the Rymnik River, where on September 11 he suffered a crushing defeat from Suvorov’s troops. And the next year, 1790, the fortresses of Kiliya, Tulcha and Isakcha fell successively under the onslaught of Russian troops.
But even these defeats did not force the Porto to seek reconciliation with Russia. The remnants of the garrisons of the fallen fortresses gathered in Izmail - the Danube fortress, which in Istanbul was considered indestructible. And the first unsuccessful attempt of Russian troops under the command of Prince Nikolai Repnin to take Izmail in a swoop in September 1789 only confirmed this opinion. Until the enemy rose to the Izmail walls, Istanbul did not even think about peace, believing that this time Russia would break its teeth on this tough nut.
The Assault of Ishmael, 18th century engraving. Photo: wikipedia.org
“My hope is in God and in your courage”
The irony of fate was that the unsuccessful assault undertaken by Prince Repnin in 1789 became a kind of compensation to the Turks for losing the battle for Izmail in the late summer of 1770. Moreover, then the troops that still managed to take the obstinate fortress were commanded by the same Nikolai Repnin! But in 1774, under the terms of the same Kuchuk-Kainardzhi peace, Izmail was returned to Turkey, which tried to take into account the mistakes of the first defense and strengthen the defense of the fortress.
Ishmael resisted very actively. Neither the attempt of Prince Nikolai Repnin, nor the efforts of Count Ivan Gudovich and Count Pavel Potemkin, who besieged the fortress in the fall of 1790, were successful. It got to the point that on November 26, the military council, which included Gudovich, Potemkin and the commander of the Black Sea rowing flotilla that entered the Danube, Major General Osip de Ribas (the same legendary founder of Odessa), decided to lift the siege and command a retreat.
This decision was categorically rejected by the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Prince Grigory Potemkin-Tavrichesky. But realizing that the generals, who had once already admitted their inability to take the fortress, were unlikely to do so even after a new formidable order, he entrusted the responsibility of capturing Izmail to Alexander Suvorov.
In fact, the future generalissimo was ordered to do the impossible: it is not without reason that some researchers believe that Potemkin, who was dissatisfied with the rapid promotion of the new commander, threw him under Izmail, hoping that he would be completely embarrassed. This was hinted at by the unusually soft tone of Potemkin’s letter, despite the rather tense relations between the military leaders: “My hope is in God and in your courage, hurry up, my gracious friend. According to my order to you, your personal presence there will connect all the parts. There are many generals of equal rank, and from this there is always some kind of indecisive Diet... Look at everything and order it, and pray to God and take action! There are weak points, as long as they work together. The most faithful friend and most humble servant Prince Potemkin-Tavrichesky."
Meanwhile, the forces of the Russians, even after Suvorov brought with him only six months ago the personally formed Phanagorian Grenadier Regiment, as well as 200 Cossacks, 1000 Arnauts (volunteers from among the Moldovans, Wallachians and other peoples of the Balkan Peninsula, who were recruited for Russian service ) and 150 hunters of the Absheron Musketeer Regiment, its forces were significantly inferior to the forces of the Turks. In total, at the beginning of the assault, Suvorov had thirty-one thousand active bayonets and sabers. At the same time, the garrison of Izmail exceeded the number of Russian troops by at least 4,000 people. And what kind! This is how General Orlov writes about it: “The garrison for Lately strengthened greatly, because troops from fortresses that had already been taken by the Russians also gathered here. ...In general there is no data for reliable and precise definition the strength of the garrison of Ishmael. The Sultan was very angry with the troops for all the previous capitulations and ordered with a firman that in the event of the fall of Ishmael, everyone from his garrison should be executed, wherever he was found. ...The determination to defend Ishmael or die was shared by many of the other three- and two-bunch pashas. The faint-hearted few did not dare to reveal their weakness.”
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich. Photo: wikipedia.org
The fate of the fallen fortress
When Suvorov, who arrived near Izmail on December 2 (13), incognito examined the fortress in a circle, his verdict was disappointing: “A fortress without weak points.” But such a weak point was nevertheless found: it was the inability of the Turkish garrison to repel the simultaneous assault launched by Suvorov from three directions, including from a completely unexpected one - from the Danube bed. It also had an effect that for five days before the start of the assault, Suvorov’s troops, in full accordance with the commander’s plan, built and then learned to storm a model of the Izmail walls, and therefore had a perfect idea of how to act during the assault itself.
After a thirteen-hour battle, the fortress fell. The losses of the Turkish side were catastrophic: 29 thousand people died immediately, another two thousand died from wounds during the first day, 9000 were captured and were forced to carry the bodies of their fallen comrades out of the fortress and throw them into the Danube. Russian troops, although it is believed that during such operations the losses of the attackers are an order of magnitude greater than the losses of the defenders, escaped with much less bloodshed. Nikolai Orlov provides the following data in his monograph: “Russian losses are shown in the report: killed - 64 officers and 1,815 lower ranks; wounded - 253 officers and 2,450 lower ranks; the entire loss was 4,582 people. There is news that determines the number of killed to 4 thousand and wounded to 6 thousand, a total of 10 thousand, including 400 officers (out of 650).” But even if the last figures are correct, the result is still amazing: with superior enemy position and manpower, defeat him, exchanging losses one to two!
The further fate of Ishmael was bizarre. Lost for Turkey after the success of Suvorov, he returned to her under the terms of the Peace of Jassy: and all parties to the conflict were clearly aware that it was the fall of the fortress that accelerated his imprisonment. In 1809 Russian troops under the command of Lieutenant General Andrei Zass they will take it again, and the fortress will remain Russian for a long half-century. Only after Russia's defeat in Crimean War, in 1856, Izmail will be given to Moldova, a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, and the new owners, under the terms of the transfer, will blow up the fortifications and dig earthen ramparts. And eleven years later, Russian troops in last time will enter Izmail to free it forever from the Turkish presence. Moreover, they will enter without a fight: Romania, which at that time will be the owner of the former fortress, will betray Turkey and open the way for the Russian army...
Izmail is a fortress where everything that remains of ancient city, the history of which has not yet been fully explored.
The emergence of Ishmael, its early history
The appearance of Ishmael is covered in legends. Historian scientists claim that the first human settlements were here already in the second millennium BC, during the Bronze Age.
There is an assumption that in the sixth millennium BC a settlement of the Gumelnitsa culture was based in the Izmail area. In 1979, during excavations, various artifacts of ancient cultures were discovered. These are amphorae and other ceramic products. The Izmail fortress did not yet exist, but in its area there were Greek, Geto-Thracian and Sarmatian settlements.
In the 11th-12th centuries AD, the Galician-Volyn principality was located here. In the 12th century, Genoese merchants built a fort that allowed them to live and protect themselves from attacks by nomadic tribes. In the 15th century, the Turks captured the fort, began to rebuild it, and thus created a defensive structure that became a checkpoint between Russia and Turkey.
Turkish troops in Izmail
The thirteenth century for the Smil fortress was marked by the fact that it was almost completely destroyed by the troops of the Golden Horde. A hundred years later, the city of Sinil appeared on this site, and in 1538 the troops of the Turkish Sultan rushed here. The Turks plundered the city and devastated it, but did not completely destroy it. The city was named Ishmasl (which translated means “hear, Lord”).
The Ottoman conquerors pursued harsh policies, and therefore the population of Budjak protested. Soon its inhabitants united with the Zaporozhye Cossacks and in 1594 attacked Ishmasl. The Sultan's troops desperately defended themselves, and soon built the Izmail fortress.
The fortress was built with the help of specialists who were invited from Europe. They created massive stone walls, up to ten meters high. Deep ditches were dug around the fortress and water was immediately poured into them. Thirty thousand Janissaries occupied the fortress of Ishmael, and woe to those who tried to take it by storm. 265 guns installed there shot at enemy troops. Fortress for a long time was considered impregnable.
Attempts to storm the fortress
The end of the eighteenth century for the history of Russia is marked by constant conflicts with Turkey. The war of 1768-1774 did not end the dispute between the two states. The Izmail fortress was taken on July 26, 1770 by troops under the leadership of Prince N. Repnin, and in 1771 the Russian Danube flotilla was even formed here, but in 1774 the fortress was returned back to the Turks. These were the terms of the peace treaty concluded at that time.
In 1789, war broke out again between Russia and Turkey. This time Ishmael became a fortified garrison. Many believed that this fortress could not be taken. But the Russian army again tried to take possession of this stronghold.
In 1790, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, General Potemkin, gave the order to take Izmail. The Russians moved forward reluctantly, and there was little success. Then it was decided to use Suvorov’s troops.
Commander Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov was a weak and sickly child as a child. Everyone told him that due to his health, he was unlikely to become a military man and would not be able to handle heavy weapons. And no one knew then that this boy was the future commander Suvorov, for whom the Izmail fortress would become the most important achievement in his career.
In the winter cold, Suvorov walked down the street in a light jacket. In the spring he swam in the rivers in ice water. He traveled often and rode horses well. He did all this in order to prepare for military service. As a result, he turned out to be a great commander, who gave more than fifty years to the army. At the very beginning of his service he was a soldier, and at the end he became a generalissimo and field marshal. He has more than thirty-five battles to his name.
Preparations for the capture of Izmail under the leadership of Suvorov
Suvorov came to the capture of Izmail as an already experienced commander. He established himself as a good boss who treated his soldiers warmly and caringly, thanks to which he repeatedly won victories. In 1787, Russian soldiers under his leadership completely dispersed and destroyed the six-thousand-strong Turkish army, and then brilliant victories followed in Rymnik and near Focsani. The Izmail fortress, for which 1790 was a turning point, was considered invincible at that time. In addition, the Turkish Sultan gave the order to execute all his soldiers who surrendered to Russian soldiers.
In December 1790, the Supreme Council of the Russian army decided that it was better not to storm the Izmail fortress for now, and proposed moving to winter quarters. Russian troops at this time suffered greatly from hunger, cold, and illness began. The arrival of Suvorov instilled cheerfulness, because everyone in the Russian army knew that this commander did not like to wait long. And so it turned out. It was Suvorov who took the Izmail fortress. He decided to do this in the very near future, but first he should prepare properly.
When Suvorov appeared, the Izmail fortress looked down on the Russian soldiers. For ten days he actively prepared soldiers for the assault. On his orders, a ditch was dug, a rampart was built next to it, and now the troops began to train. Suvorov himself showed the soldiers how to climb the walls and stab the Turks (they were represented by stuffed animals). At sixty years old, he was a very active and youthful-looking man.
The beginning of the assault on Izmail
On December 9, 1790, Russian troops began an assault on the Turkish fortress. Before this, on December 7, Suvorov sent an ultimatum Turkish Pasha, who ruled Ishmael, with a proposal to surrender. Pasha flatly refused and replied that the sky would sooner fall to the ground than Ishmael would succumb to the onslaught of foreign troops.
Then Suvorov decided that Izmail - Turkish fortress, who thinks a lot about herself, and began to carefully prepare the offensive. The Russians constantly fired flares and gradually lulled the vigilance of the Turkish rank and file. The assault on the city began early in the morning, at eight o'clock, and by 11 o'clock in the afternoon it was already clear which side would win.
Before the battle, Suvorov divided his army into three parts. The Izmail fortress, the year 1790 being a turning point in its history, was attacked from three sides. The troops of Pavel Potemkin were advancing from the west and north, the army of General Kutuzov was advancing from the east, its commanders were Orlov and Platov. The army of General Deribas took part in the battle; it consisted of 3,000 people and advanced from the Danube.
The culmination of the battle for Ishmael
The Russian army suffered great difficulties during the battle for Izmail. The fourth column, consisting of Cossacks, commanded by the St. George commander Vasily Orlov, broke into the Izmail fortress from the Bendery Gate. The Cossacks were poorly trained in military affairs. While they were storming the fortress, the Bendery Gate opened. The Turks jumped out and began to exterminate the Cossacks with sabers.
Suvorov found out about this and sent the Voronezh hussars and the squadron of Colonel Sychov to help. A battalion of soldiers from Kutuzov also arrived. In this way, they managed to drive away the Turks, and they were partially destroyed.
At this time, the commandant of the fortress, Izmail, decided to blow up the bridge in front of it in order to prevent the Russians from entering there. The hussar commander Volkov nevertheless organized a crossing, three of his squadrons broke into the city and captured eight hundred people. Soon the city fortifications were captured, and fighting began in the city itself. The fight with the Turks lasted until 16 hours, then the Russian army finally took possession of it.
The brother of the Crimean Khan, Kaplan Giray, made an attempt to recapture the city from the Russians. He gathered a detachment of several thousand Tatars who went to attack. They did not succeed, since Suvorov sent a detachment of rangers to meet them, and they led the Tatars into the coastal floodplains. Kaplan Giray and his sons were killed.
The end of the battle for Izmail
The assault on the Izmail fortress led to huge losses among the Turks. They killed about thirty thousand people, the Russians lost four thousand. The Russians captured all the guns, as well as jewelry worth 10 million francs. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov became the commandant of the captured fortress.
The bodies of the Russian killed were buried in cemeteries, while the Turks were thrown into the Danube, and prisoners did this. A hospital was opened in the city itself.
For the capture of Izmail, Suvorov received the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky regiment. The soldiers who took part in the assault were awarded silver medals, the officers who led the battles were awarded gold crosses with St. George's ribbon.
Ishmael in the twentieth century
In the twentieth century, Ishmael is experiencing an era of rapid development. This time is marked by the creation of the Russian-Danube Shipping Company. The Izmail port is operational. During the imperialist war, the city experienced famine and lack of basic necessities.
In 1918, Izmail became part of the lands of royal Romania. There he remained until 1940. Old-timers remember Izmail of that time as a well-groomed, patriarchal city. The cultural life there was very developed. Theatrical performances were constantly held. The city had women's and men's gymnasiums, in which various subjects were studied.
In the history of the Great Patriotic War The Danube flotilla showed itself with the best side. Before the start of the war on June 22, 1941 soviet soldiers in Izmail they have already reached combat positions. And one and a half thousand Soviet soldiers successfully defended themselves against twenty thousand Romanians for a long time. Only when the order was given to leave Ishmael and go to defend Odessa, did they leave it. But after three years Soviet troops returned and freed Ishmael.
Diorama of the Izmail fortress
Twentieth century artists decided to immortalize the storming of the Izmail fortress. A diorama “The Assault on the Izmail Fortress” was created, with the help of which it was possible to disassemble it in all details. The diorama was installed in 1973 in the building of a Turkish mosque. It was created by military artists E. Danilevsky and V. Sibirsky. The diorama presents the audience with the turning point of the capture of the fortress. You can see Russian soldiers crossing the moat and climbing the walls. They desperately fight the defenders of the fortress. The flag of the Russian army is already installed on the main tower. In general, the diorama depicts the city of Izmail, the fortress. Many people have taken photos of this diorama more than once.
The main gates of the fortress are already open, and the Russian grenadiers are heading into the city. On the right you can see the Russian flotilla moving along the Danube, and the Black Sea Cossacks approaching the shore. On the bank on the left is the figure of Suvorov, who is leading the battle.
Izmail Fortress in the modern era
Now the Izmail fortress is not located in better condition. Work is underway to create new buildings and an arboretum in its place. At the same time, the fortress that was once taken by the commander Alexander Suvorov is destroyed. In the land dumps created with the help construction equipment, archaeologists penetrate, whose main task is not the study of antiquity, but the search for jewelry.
Back on December 19, 1946, by decree of the Izmail City Executive Committee, the territory of the fortress was declared a protected area. But a lot has changed since then, and now the barbaric destruction of the architectural monument is taking place. Employees of the Department for the Protection of Monuments in the Odessa Region believe that the city authorities should do everything to preserve ancient artifacts that were not destroyed.