From the Bulgarian appeal Central Committee to the Bulgarian people

Brothers! Hordes of Turkish monsters drowned our protest in blood and committed those unheard-of atrocities for which there is no justification, atrocities that shocked the whole world. Our villages were burned: mothers, loved ones, children were dishonored and slaughtered without pity; priests crucified on crosses; the temples of God were desecrated, and the fields were strewn with innocent bloodied victims. We bore the martyr's cross for a whole year, but amidst the indescribable oppression and suffering, hope glimmered and strengthened us. The hope that never left us for a minute was the great Orthodox Rus'.

Brothers! It was not in vain that we waited for her powerful support, a year has passed, she comes and asks for an account for the blood of the martyrs.

Soon the victorious Russian banners will rise in our fatherland, and under their shadow the beginnings of a better future will be laid.

The Russians are coming unselfishly, like brothers, to help, to do now the same thing that they did earlier to liberate the Greeks, Romanians, and Serbs.

Bulgarians! Let us all meet the liberating brothers as one and assist the Russian army...

COURSE OF EVENTS

During the siege of Plevna, four battles were fought: the first three were attacks on the tour. fortifications, the fourth - the last attempt of Osman Pasha to break through the battle formations of the besiegers. July 20, 1877 vanguard of the corps of General. Schilder-Schuldner numbering 6,500 people. attacked the defensive fortifications north and east of Plevna; the Russians lost two-thirds of their officers and approx. 2000 soldiers. The second battle took place on July 30, when Gen. Kridener with two Russian divisions (30,000 people) attacked the tour. redoubts to the north and east of the city; gene. Shakhovskoy commanded the offensive. The attack on the Grivitsky redoubt (north of Plevna), which turned out to be completely unsuccessful, was led by Kridener himself; Shakhovskoy by 17.30 captured two redoubts located east of the fortress, but even before darkness they were retaken by the Turks, and the Russians retreated, suffering defeat along the entire front. Their losses amounted to 169 officers and 7,136 soldiers, including 2,400 who were left dead on the battlefield. 11 and 12 September an army of 95,000 people besieging the city. under the command of Grand Duke Mikhail attacked Plevna from three sides. Osman Pasha at this time had 34,000 people under his command. 11 Sep. the attack on the Omerbey redoubt was repulsed, Russian losses amounted to 6,000 people. Skobelev captured two of the six internal redoubts that protected the corner of the fortress from the southwest. 12 Sep. The attack on the second Grivitsky redoubt was repelled, and after a fierce battle, the two redoubts captured by Skobelev were again occupied by the Turks. As a result of the two-day battle, Russian losses amounted to 20,600 people, including 2,000 prisoners, with a tour. sides - 5000. 10 Dec. Osman Pasha, at the head of a 25,000-strong detachment, with 9,000 wounded and recovering in carts, tried to break through the Russian army besieging the city, which by this time numbered 100,000 people. (under the nominal leadership of the Romanian Prince Karol, chief of staff - General Totleben). Having successfully crossed the river. Vit, Osman attacked the Russian troops on a two-mile front and captured the first line of field fortifications. However, Totleben hastily sent reinforcements there, and the Turks, in turn, were attacked and driven back across the river in disorder; Osman was seriously wounded. The Turks are here last time tried to gain a foothold, but were crushed and pushed back to Plevna; the city capitulated before evening after 143 days of defense. In this battle, the Turks lost 5,000, the Russians - 2,000 killed and wounded. The Russian army continued its movement deep into the Balkan Peninsula.

SKOBELEV UNDER THE PLEVNA

...He was extremely popular in Russian society. “Our Achilles,” said I.S. about him. Turgenev. Skobelev’s influence on the mass of soldiers could only be compared with the influence of. The soldiers idolized him and believed in his invulnerability, since he, who spent his entire life in battle, was never wounded. Soldiers' rumor “certified” that Skobelev knew a conspiracy word against death (“in Turkestan he bought it from a Tatar for 10 thousand gold”). Near Plevna, a wounded soldier told his comrades: “The bullet went through him (Skobelev - N.T.), nothing to him, but it wounded me.”

N. Troitsky

UNSTOPPABLE "HURRAY!"

At the end of November, the Turks left the fortress and tried to break through the Russian defense lines in one of the sections and join the main forces of their army. But they failed. They were stopped, attacked and surrounded by reserves of Russian troops that quickly arrived from other areas.

On command, the troops quickly moved apart, and as soon as the Turks rushed into the space open to them, forty-eight copper throats threw fire and death into their solid and crowded ranks... Buckshot with an angry whistle burst into this living mass, leaving another mass along the way, but already either motionless, lifeless, or writhing in terrible agony... The grenades fell and exploded - and there was nowhere to escape from them. As soon as the grenadiers noticed that the fire on the Turks had the proper effect... they rushed at a quick pace with a bang. Once again bayonets crossed, once again the copper jaws of the guns roared, and soon the countless crowd of the enemy fell into disorderly flight... The attack proceeded brilliantly. The retreaters hardly fired back. Redif and Nizam, bashi-buzouks and cavalrymen with Circassians - all this was mixed into one sea of ​​\u200b\u200bhorses and lava, uncontrollably rushing back...

At the head of his best camps, himself in front, Osman Pasha rushed in to try one last time to break through our lines. Each soldier following him fought for three... But everywhere... a wall of menacing bayonets grew in front of him, and an uncontrollable “Hurray!” thundered right in the pasha’s face. Everything was lost. The duel was ending... The army must lay down its arms, fifty thousand of the best fighting troops will be eliminated from the already significantly thinned resources of Turkey...

Nemirovich-Danchenko V. I. Year of the war. Diary of a Russian correspondent, 1877-1878, St. Petersburg, 1878

ALL RUSSIA REJOICES

The battle on November 28 with Osman Pasha decided the fate of his army, which had so steadfastly resisted all the efforts of our weapons for almost 8 months. This army, with its worthy commander at its head, numbering 40 thousand, surrendered to us unconditionally...

I am proud to command such troops and must tell you that I cannot find words to adequately express my respect and admiration for your military prowess.

Bearing with full consciousness of your sacred duty all the difficulties of the blockade service near Plevna, you completed it in battle on November 28, like real heroes. Remember that I am not alone, but all of Russia, all its sons rejoice and rejoice in your glorious victory over Osman Pasha...

Commander of the Grenadier Corps, Lieutenant General P.S. Ganetsky

A. Kivshenko. Surrender of Plevna (Wounded Osman Pasha before Alexander II). 1880. (Fragment)

RUSSIAN WINNERS

Emperor Alexander, who was in Tuchenitsa, having learned about the fall of Plevna, immediately went to the troops and congratulated them... Osman Pasha, the “lion of Plevna,” was received by the sovereign and his senior commanders with distinction and delicacy. The Emperor said a few flattering words to him and returned the saber. Russian officers showed the captured marshal high respect at every opportunity.

On December 11, the Russians entered the conquered city, surrounded on all sides by mountains, lying completely in a basin opening only to the west... The sanitary situation of the city was simply terrifying. Hospitals, mosques and other buildings were overflowing with corpses, dying sick and wounded. These unfortunates were left without help and charity; Great energy and dedication were required to separate the living from the dead and establish at least some order.

On December 15, the emperor left the theater of military operations, returning to St. Petersburg, where he was received with indescribable delight.

MONUMENT TO THE HEROES OF PLEVNA

From an appeal to the troops about the opening of a voluntary subscription for the monument to the heroes of Plevna

Serving as a tribute of deep respect to the memory of those who fell in this battle, the erected monument will serve to maintain high military feelings in future descendants: valor, bravery and courage, and for the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula - a reminder that they owe their freedom and new life to the Christian generosity of the Russian people, who redeemed their liberation through the blood of faithful sons.

On November 28 (old style), 1877, Russian troops captured Plevna (Pleven). Four long months of siege and four assaults were required to capture the Ottoman stronghold, which chained the main forces of the Russian army to itself and slowed down its advance in the Balkans. “Plevna - this name has become the subject of general attention. The fall of Plevna was an event that everyone expected with intense attention from day to day... The fall of Plevna decided the whole issue of the war.”, - this is how one of the capital’s newspapers of that time wrote about the significance of Plevna. “In almost every war, events often occur that have a decisive influence on all further operations. Such a decisive event was undoubtedly the battle of Plevna on November 28, 1877...”- Major General of the General Staff A.I. Manykin-Nevstruev asserted in turn.

Plevna was located at the intersection of roads leading to Ruschuk, Sofia and Lovche. Wanting to stop the advance of the Russian troops, the Turkish mushir (marshal) Osman Pasha, making a swift rush with his troops, occupied Plevna, ahead of the Russians. When our troops approached the city, the Turks appeared before their eyes, erecting defensive fortifications. The first assault on Turkish positions, launched on July 8, 1877, did not bring success - having overcome three lines of trenches, Russian soldiers burst into the city, but were driven out of there by the Turks.

Having received reinforcements that ensured numerical superiority over the Turkish garrison, the Russian army launched a second assault on July 30, which also did not bring the expected result: having captured two trenches and three fortifications with huge losses, our troops were stopped at the redoubt and then knocked out by the Turkish counteroffensive. “This Second Plevna almost turned into a disaster for the entire army,” noted military historian A.A. Kersnovsky . - The defeat of the IX Corps was complete, the entire rear of the army was gripped by panic, under the influence of which the only bridge crossing at Sistov was almost destroyed. We had 32,000 soldiers at Plevia with 176 guns. There were 26,000 Turks and 50 guns. (...) Our losses: 1 general, 168 officers, 7167 lower ranks. The only trophies are 2 guns. The Turks lost 1,200 people. (...) The Grand Duke Commander-in-Chief completely lost his head and turned to the Romanian King Charles for help in terms that corresponded neither to the dignity of Russia nor the honor of the Russian army.”.

In order to cut off Plevna and prevent the Turks from freely receiving provisions, the Russian command decided to attack Lovcha, which was occupied by a small Turkish garrison. The detachment of General M.D. Skobelev coped with this task brilliantly, taking Lovcha by August 22.

Meanwhile, intensive preparations were underway for the third assault on Plevna, under which all free Russian forces were pulled together. On August 25, a military council was held, at which the majority of military leaders spoke in favor of an immediate assault, so as not to prolong the siege until winter. The Commander-in-Chief of the entire Danube Army, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, who agreed with this argument, set the day of the assault on August 30, the day of the Sovereign’s name day. “And the assault on August 30 became the Third Plevna for Russia! This was the bloodiest affair in all the wars that the Russians ever fought with the Turks. The heroism and self-sacrifice of the troops did not help, nor did the desperate energy of Skobelev, who personally led them into the attack. preferring to give up victory rather than weaken the “barriers” and “reserves”. With his last effort, Osman (who had decided to abandon Plevna) snatched victory from a handful of Gortalov’s heroes, who were bleeding in front of Zot’s “reserves”, standing with a gun at their feet.”, - wrote A.A. Kersnovsky.

“White General” M.D. Skobelev, who showed himself brilliantly in this battle, was outraged: “ Napoleon was happy if one of the marshals won him half an hour of time. I won a whole day with it - and they didn’t take advantage of it.”.

Having lost up to 16 thousand soldiers and officers (13 thousand Russians and 3 thousand Romanians) during the last fierce assault, the Russian command decided to begin a blockade of the city.

Meanwhile, Osman Pasha's army received new reinforcements and provisions, and the marshal himself received the title "Ghazi" (invincible) from the Sultan for his successes. However, successful Russian operations near Gorny Dubnyak and Telish led to a complete blockade of Plevna. The Russian-Romanian army besieging Plevna numbered 122 thousand people against almost 50 thousand Turks who had taken refuge in the city. Constant artillery fire, depletion of provisions and the onset of diseases led to a significant weakening of the Turkish garrison. Squeezed in Plevna by an iron ring of Russian troops four times larger than it, the army of Osman Pasha began to suffocate in this vice. However, the Turkish military leader responded with a decisive refusal to all offers to surrender. Knowing the iron character of the “invincible” Osman Pasha, it was clear that in the current conditions he would make a last attempt to break through the army besieging him.

Early in the morning of November 28, taking advantage of the fog, the besieged Turkish army attacked the Russian troops. Having taken the advanced fortifications thanks to an unexpected and fierce blow, Osman Pasha's army was stopped by artillery fire from the second line of fortifications. And after the attack by Russian-Romanian troops in all directions and Skobelev’s capture of Plevna itself, abandoned by the Turks, Osman Pasha’s position became hopeless. Seriously wounded in the leg, the Turkish commander realized the hopelessness of his situation and suspended the battle, ordering the white flag to be thrown out. The Turkish army surrendered unconditionally. During the last battle, Russian-Romanian losses amounted to about 1,700 people, and Turkish losses - about 6,000. The remaining 43.5 thousand Turkish soldiers and officers, including the army commander, were taken prisoner. However, highly appreciating the courage shown by Osman Pasha, Emperor Alexander II ordered that the wounded and captured Turkish commander be given marshal honors and the saber returned to him.

In just four months of the siege and fighting near Plevna, about 31 thousand Russian soldiers died. But the capture of Plevna became a turning point in the war, allowing the Russian command to free up over 100 thousand people for the offensive, after which the Russian army occupied Andrianople without a fight and approached Constantinople.

In 1887, on the tenth anniversary of the capture of Plevna, a monument to the Russian grenadiers who distinguished themselves in this battle was unveiled in Moscow. The monument was designed by architect V.O. Sherwood; inside the monument there was a chapel, the walls of which were lined with tiles and decorated with seven bronze plaques with the names of the fallen soldiers and two with a description of the battle and construction of the monument. The memorial chapel was built on the initiative and with voluntary donations from the surviving grenadiers who took part in the Battle of Plevna. At the opening of the monument, for the edification of descendants, the senior adjutant of the headquarters of the grenadier corps, Lieutenant Colonel I.Ya. Sokol, said the following important words: “Let this monument, erected by grateful grenadiers to their fallen comrades, remind future generations from year to year, from century to century, how its faithful sons know how to stand for the honor and glory of the Motherland when they are inspired by the saint Orthodox faith, boundless love for the Tsar and the Fatherland!”.

During the years of Soviet power, the Plevna Chapel miraculously survived, but at the same time fell into a dilapidated state. Only in December 1993 the Moscow Government handed over the chapel-monument to the Russian Orthodox Church, which, by decree of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II in 1999, acquired the status of the Patriarchal Compound. And from now on, every year at the chapel-monument, traditional events are held in memory of the Russian heroes - the liberators of Bulgaria.

The capture of Plevna by the troops of Alexander II turned the tide of the war against the Ottoman Empire.

The long siege claimed the lives of many soldiers on both sides. This victory allowed Russian troops to open the road to Constantinople and liberate them from Turkish oppression. The operation to capture the fortress went down in military history as one of the most successful. The results of the campaign forever changed the geopolitical situation in Europe and the Middle East.

Prerequisites

Until the mid-nineteenth century Ottoman Empire controlled most of the Balkans and Bulgaria. Turkish oppression extended to almost all South Slavic peoples. The Russian Empire has always acted as the protector of all Slavs, and foreign policy was largely aimed at their liberation. However, as a result of the previous war, Russia lost its fleet in the Black Sea and a number of territories in the south. Treaties of alliance were also concluded between the Ottoman Empire and Great Britain. If the Russians declared war, the British pledged to provide military assistance to the Turks. This situation excluded the possibility of expelling the Ottomans from Europe. In return, the Turks promised to respect the rights of Christians and not persecute them on religious grounds.

Oppression of the Slavs

However, the 60s of the 19th century were marked by new persecution of Christians. Muslims had great privileges before the law. In court, the voice of a Christian against a Muslim carried no weight. Also, most local government posts were occupied by Turks. Dissatisfaction with this state of affairs caused mass protests in Bulgaria and Balkan countries. In the summer of 1975, an uprising begins in Bosnia. And a year later, in April, popular riots engulfed Bulgaria. As a result, the Turks brutally suppress the uprising, killing tens of thousands of people. Such atrocities against Christians cause outrage in Europe.

Under pressure from public opinion, Great Britain abandons its pro-Turkish policy. It frees up your hands Russian Empire, which is preparing a campaign against the Ottomans.

Beginning of the war

On the twelfth of April the capture of Plevna began and it would actually be completed in six months. However, there was a long way to go before this happened. According to the plan of the Russian headquarters, the troops were supposed to attack from two directions. The first group will go through Romanian territory to the Balkans, and the other will strike from the Caucasus. In both these directions there were insurmountable obstacles. prevented a quick strike from the Caucasus, and the “quadrangle” of fortresses from Romania. The situation was also complicated by possible British intervention. Despite public pressure, the British still continued to support the Turks. Therefore, the war had to be won as quickly as possible so that the Ottoman Empire would capitulate before reinforcements arrived.

Fast attack

The capture of Plevna was carried out by troops under the command of General Skobelev. At the beginning of July, the Russians crossed the Danube and reached the road to Sofia. On this campaign they were joined by the Romanian army. Initially, the Turks were going to meet the allies on the banks of the Danube. However, the rapid offensive forced Osman Pasha to retreat to the fortresses. In fact, the first capture of Plevna took place on June 26. An elite detachment under the command of Ivan Gurko entered the city. However, the unit had only fifty scouts. Almost simultaneously with the Russian Cossacks, three battalions of Turks entered the city and drove them out.

Realizing that the capture of Plevna would give the Russians complete strategic advantage, Osman Pasha decided to occupy the city before the arrival of the main forces. At this time, his army was in the city of Vidin. From there the Turks had to advance along the Danube to prevent the Russians from crossing. However, the danger of encirclement forced the Muslims to abandon their original plan. On July 1, 19 battalions set out from Vidin. In six days they covered more than two hundred kilometers with artillery, convoys, provisions, and so on. At dawn on July 7, the Turks entered the fortress.

The Russians had the opportunity to take the city before Osman Pasha. However, the negligence of some commanders played a role. Due to the lack of military intelligence, the Russians did not learn in time about the Turkish march on the city. As a result, the capture of the Plevna fortress by the Turks took place without battles. Russian General Yuri Schilder-Schuldner was only a day late.

But during this time the Turks had already managed to dig in and take up defensive positions. After some deliberation, the headquarters decides to storm the fortress.

First attack attempt

Russian troops marched on the city from both sides. General Schilder-Schuldern had no idea about the number of Turks in the city. He led the right column of troops, while the left marched at a distance of four kilometers. According to the original plan, both columns were supposed to enter the city at the same time. However, due to an incorrectly drawn up map, they only moved away from each other. At about one o'clock in the afternoon the main column approached the city. Suddenly they were attacked by the advance troops of the Turks, who had occupied Plevna just a few hours earlier. A battle ensued, which escalated into an artillery duel.

Schilder-Schuldner had no idea about the actions of the left column, so he ordered to move away from the positions under fire and set up camp. The left column under the command of Kleinhaus approached the city from Grivitsa. Cossack reconnaissance was sent. Two hundred soldiers advanced along the river with the aim of reconnaissance of the nearest villages and the fortress itself. However, hearing the sounds of battle, they retreated to their own.

Offensive

On the night of July 8, a decision was made to attack. The left column was advancing from the direction of Grivitsa. The general and most of the soldiers came from the north. Osman Pasha's main positions were near the village of Opanets. About eight thousand Russians marched against them on a front up to three kilometers away.

Due to the low ground, Schilder-Schuldner lost the ability to maneuver. His troops had to launch a frontal attack. At five o'clock in the morning artillery preparation began. The Russian vanguard launched an attack on Bukovlek and drove the Turks out of there in two hours. The road to Plevna was open. The Arkhangelsk regiment reached the main enemy battery. The fighters were within shooting distance of the Ottoman artillery positions. Osman Pasha understood that the numerical superiority was on his side, and gave the order to counterattack. Under pressure from the Turks, two regiments retreated into the ravine. The general requested support for the left column, but the enemy advanced too quickly. Therefore, Schilder-Schuldner ordered a retreat.

Strike from the other flank

At the same time, Kridener was advancing from Grivitsa. At six o'clock in the morning (when the main troops had already begun artillery preparation), the Caucasian Corps struck the right flank of the Turkish defense. After the unstoppable onslaught of the Cossacks, the Ottomans began to flee to the fortress in panic. However, by the time they took positions at Grivitsa, Schilder-Schuldner had already retreated. Therefore, the left column also began to retreat to its original positions. The capture of Plevna by Russian troops was stopped with heavy losses for the latter. The lack of intelligence and the general’s inept decisions had a lot to do with it.

Preparations for a new offensive

After the unsuccessful assault, preparations began for a new attack. Russian troops received significant reinforcements. Cavalry and artillery units arrived. The city was surrounded. Surveillance began on all roads, especially those leading to Lovcha.

Reconnaissance in force was carried out for several days. Constant gunfire was heard both day and night. However, it was never possible to find out the size of the Ottoman garrison in the city.

New assault

While the Russians were preparing for the assault, the Turks were rapidly erecting defensive structures. Construction took place in conditions of a lack of tools and constant shelling. On the eighteenth of July another assault began. The capture of Plevna by the Russians would mean defeat in the war. Therefore, Osman Pasha ordered his soldiers to fight to the death. The attack was preceded by a long artillery preparation. After this, the soldiers rushed into battle from two flanks. The troops under the command of Kridener managed to capture the first lines of defense. However, near the redoubt they were met with overwhelming rifle fire. After bloody skirmishes, the Russians had to retreat back. The left flank was attacked by Skobelev. His fighters also failed to break through the Turkish defense lines. The battle continued all day. By evening, the Turks launched a counter-offensive and drove Krinder's soldiers out of their trenches. The Russians had to retreat again. After this defeat, the government turned to the Romanians for help.

Blockade

After the arrival of Romanian troops, the blockade and capture of Plevna became inevitable. Therefore, Osman Pasha decided to break out of the besieged fortress. On August 31, his troops carried out a diversionary maneuver. After which the main forces left the city and struck the nearest outposts.

After a short battle, they managed to push back the Russians and even capture one battery. However, reinforcements soon arrived. Close combat ensued. The Turks wavered and fled back to the city, leaving almost one and a half thousand of their soldiers on the battlefield.

To complete it, it was necessary to capture Lovcha. It was through her that the Turks received reinforcements and provisions. The city was also occupied by auxiliary detachments of bashi-bazouks. They coped well with punitive operations against civilians, but quickly abandoned their positions at the prospect of meeting with a regular army. Therefore, when the Russians attacked the city on August 22, the Turks fled from there without much resistance.

After the capture of the city, the siege began, and the capture of Plevna was only a matter of time. Reinforcements arrived for the Russians. Osman Pasha also received reserves.

Capture of the Plevna fortress: December 10, 1877

After completely encircling the city, the Turks remained completely cut off from outside world. Osman Pasha refused to capitulate and continued to strengthen the fortress. By this time, 50 thousand Turks were hiding in the city against 120 thousand Russian and Romanian soldiers. Siege fortifications were built around the city. From time to time Plevna was shelled by artillery. The Turks were running out of food and ammunition. The army suffered from disease and hunger.

Osman Pasha decided to break out of the blockade, realizing that the imminent capture of Plevna was inevitable. The breakthrough date was set for December 10th. In the morning, Turkish troops installed effigies in the fortifications and began to break out of the city. But the Little Russian and Siberian regiments stood in their way. And the Ottomans came with looted property and a large convoy.

Of course, this complicated maneuverability. After the start of the battle, reinforcements were sent to the breakthrough site. At first the Turks managed to push back forward detachments, however, after being hit on the flank, they began to retreat into the lowlands. After bringing artillery into the battle, the Turks ran randomly and eventually capitulated.

After this victory, General Skobelev ordered to celebrate December 10 as the Day military history. The capture of Plevna is celebrated in Bulgaria in our time. Because as a result of this victory, Christians got rid of Muslim oppression.

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Fall of Plevna

Dmitriev-Orenburgsky N.D.
Capture of the Grivitsky redoubt near Plevna

The capture of Plevna by Russian troops was a key event Russian-Turkish War 1877-1878, which predetermined the successful completion of the campaign on the Balkan Peninsula. The fighting near Plevna lasted five months and is considered one of the most tragic pages in Russian military history.

After crossing the Danube at Zimnitsa, the Russian Danube Army ( Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (Senior)) advanced her Western detachment (9th Corps, Lieutenant General) to Turkish fortress Nikopol to capture it and secure the right flank of the main forces. After capturing the fortress on July 4 (16), Russian troops did not take active action for two days to capture Plevna, located 40 km from it, the garrison of which consisted of 3 Turkish infantry battalions and 4 guns. But on July 1 (13) the Turkish corps began moving out of Vidin to strengthen the garrison. It consisted of 19 battalions, 5 squadrons and 9 batteries - 17 thousand bayonets, 500 sabers and 58 guns. Having passed a forced march of 200 km in 6 days, at dawn on July 7 (19), Osman Pasha reached Plevna and took up defensive positions on the outskirts of the city. On July 6 (18), the Russian command sent a detachment of up to 9 thousand people with 46 guns (lieutenant general) to the fortress. On the evening of the next day, parts of the detachment reached the distant approaches to Plevna and were stopped by Turkish artillery fire. On the morning of July 8 (20), Russian troops launched an offensive, which initially developed successfully, but was soon stopped by enemy reserves. Schilder-Schuldner stopped the fruitless attacks, and the Russian troops, having suffered heavy losses (up to 2.8 thousand people), returned to their original position. On July 18 (30), the second assault on Plevna took place, which also failed and cost the Russian troops about 7 thousand people. This failure forced the command to suspend offensive operations in the Constantinople direction.

Turks in short time restored the destroyed defensive structures, built new ones and turned the closest approaches to Plevna into a heavily fortified area with the number of troops defending it over 32 thousand people with 70 guns. This group posed a threat to the Russian crossing of the Danube, located 660 km from Plevna. Therefore, the Russian command decided to make a third attempt to capture Plevna. The Western detachment was increased more than 3 times (84 thousand people, 424 guns, including Romanian troops - 32 thousand people, 108 guns). Emperor Alexander II, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich and the Minister of War were with the detachment, which made unified command and control of the troops difficult. The planning and preparation of the allied forces for the offensive were carried out in a formulaic manner, the attacks were planned to be carried out in the same directions, and the interaction between the troops attacking in each of them was not organized. Before the start of the offensive on August 22 (September 3), Lovcha was captured, and on the right flank and in the center of the battle formation of the Western detachment, a 4-day artillery preparation was carried out, in which 130 guns took part, but the fire was ineffective - it was not possible to destroy the Turkish redoubts and trenches and disrupt the enemy's defense system.

Dmitriev-Orenburgsky N.D.
Artillery battle near Plevna. Battery of siege weapons on the Grand Duke's Mountain

In the middle of the day on August 30 (September 11), a general offensive began. Romanian troops and the Russian infantry brigade of the 5th Infantry Division struck from the northeast, the Russian 4th Corps - from the southeast, and a detachment (up to 2 infantry brigades) - from the south. The regiments went on the attack at different times, entered the battle in parts, acted frontally and were easily repelled by the enemy. On the right flank, Russian-Romanian troops, at the cost of heavy losses, captured Grivitsky redoubt No. 1, but did not advance further. The Russian 4th Corps was not successful and suffered heavy losses.

Henryk Dembitsky.
Battle on the Romanian part of the redoubt at the village. Grivitsa

Only Skobelev’s detachment in the 2nd half of the day managed to capture the redoubts of Kouvanlyk and Isa-Aga and open the way to Plevna. But the Russian high command refused to regroup forces to the south and did not support Skobelev’s detachment with reserves, which the next day, having repelled 4 strong counterattacks of the Turks, was forced to retreat under pressure from superior enemy forces to its original position. The third attack on Plevna, despite the high military valor, dedication and perseverance of Russian and Romanian soldiers and officers, ended in failure.

Diorama "Battle of Plevna" from the Military Museum in Bucharest, Romania

The failure of all attempts to capture Plevna was due to a number of reasons: poor intelligence of the Turkish troops and their defense system; underestimation of enemy forces and means; a patterned attack in the same directions on the most fortified areas of Turkish positions; the lack of maneuver of troops to attack Plevna from the west, where the Turks had almost no fortifications, as well as to transfer the main efforts to a more promising direction; lack of interaction between groupings of troops advancing in different directions and clear control of all allied forces.

The unsuccessful outcome of the offensive forced the Russian high command to change the way they fought the enemy. On September 1 (13), Alexander II arrived near Plevna and convened a military council, at which he raised the question of whether the army should remain near Plevna or whether it should retreat beyond the Osma River. The chief of staff of the Western detachment, Lieutenant General, and the chief of artillery of the army, Lieutenant General Prince, spoke in favor of retreat. The continuation of the fight for the fortress was advocated by the assistant chief of staff of the Danube Army, Major General, and the Minister of War, Infantry General D.A. Milyutin. Their point of view was supported by Alexander II. The council participants decided not to retreat from Plevna, strengthen their positions and wait for reinforcements from Russia, after which it was planned to begin a blockade or a proper siege of the fortress and force it to capitulate. An engineer-general was appointed as assistant commander of the detachment of the Romanian Prince Charles to lead the siege work. Arriving at the theater of military operations, Totleben came to the conclusion that the Plevna garrison was provided with food for only two months, and therefore could not withstand a prolonged blockade. The newly arrived Guards Corps (1st, 2nd, 3rd Guards Infantry and 2nd Guards Cavalry Divisions, Guards Rifle Brigade) joined the Western Detachment.

In order to implement the plan developed by the Russian command, it was considered necessary to cut off communications between Osman Pasha’s army and the base in Orhaniye. The Turks firmly held three fortified points on the Sofia Highway, along which the Plevna garrison was supplied - Gorny and Dolny Dubnyaki and Telish. The Russian command decided to use Guard troops entrusted to the lieutenant general to capture them. On October 12 (24) and October 16 (28), after bloody battles, the guards occupied Gorny Dubnyak and Telish. On October 20 (November 1), Russian troops entered Dolny Dubnyak, abandoned by the Turks without a fight. On the same day, the advanced units of the 3rd Grenadier Division that arrived in Bulgaria approached the settlement north-west of Plevna - Mountain Metropolis, interrupting communications with Vidin. As a result, the fortress garrison was completely isolated.

On October 31 (November 12), the Turkish commander was asked to surrender, but he refused. By the end of November, the besieged garrison of Plevna found itself in a critical situation. Of the 50 thousand people who found themselves in Plevna after the annexation of the Dolny Dubnyak garrison, less than 44 thousand remained. Taking into account the deplorable state of the garrison troops, Osman Pasha convened a military council on November 19 (December 1). Its participants made a unanimous decision to fight their way out of Plevna. The Turkish commander expected to cross to the left bank of the Vid River, strike at Russian troops in a northwest direction towards Magaletta, and then move, depending on the situation, to Vidin or Sofia.

By the end of November, the Plevna taxation detachment consisted of 130 thousand combatant lower ranks, 502 field and 58 siege guns. The troops were divided into six sections: 1st - Romanian General A. Cernat (consisted of Romanian troops), 2nd - Lieutenant General N.P. Kridener, 3rd - Lieutenant General P.D. Zotov, 4th - Lieutenant General M.D. Skobelev, 5th - Lieutenant General and 6th - Lieutenant General. A tour of the Plevna fortifications convinced Totleben that an attempt by the Turks to break through would most likely follow in the 6th sector.

On the night of November 27-28 (December 9-10), taking advantage of the darkness and bad weather, the Turkish army left its positions near Plevna and secretly approached the crossings of the Vid. By 5 o'clock in the morning, three brigades of Tahir Pasha's division moved to the left bank of the river. The troops were followed by convoys. Osman Pasha was also forced to take with him about 200 families from among the Turkish residents of Plevna and most of the wounded. Despite all Taken measures precautions, crossing Turkish army turned out to be a complete surprise for the Russian command. At 7:30 the enemy quickly attacked the center of the position
6th section, occupied by 7 companies of the 9th Siberian Grenadier Regiment of the 3rd Grenadier Division. 16 Turkish battalions drove the Russian grenadiers out of the trenches, capturing 8 guns. By 8:30 the first line of Russian fortifications between the Dolny Metropol and the Dug Grave was broken through. The retreating Siberians tried to fortify themselves in the buildings scattered between the first and second lines of defense, but to no avail. At this moment, the 10th Little Russian Grenadier Regiment approached from the direction of the Mountain Metropolis and counterattacked the enemy. However, the heroic counterattack of the Little Russians failed - the regiment retreated with heavy losses. At about 9 o'clock the Turks managed to break through the second line of Russian fortifications.

Plan of the battle of Plevna on November 28 (December 10), 1877

The critical moment of the last Plevna battle had arrived. The entire area north of the Dug Grave was littered with the bodies of killed and wounded grenadiers of the Siberian and Little Russian regiments. Corps commander Ganetsky arrived on the battlefield to personally lead the troops. At the beginning of 11 o'clock, the long-awaited 2nd brigade of the 3rd Grenadier Division (11th Phanagorian and 12th Astrakhan regiments) appeared from the direction of the Mountain Metropolis. As a result of the ensuing counterattack, the Russian grenadiers recaptured the second line of fortifications occupied by the enemy. The 3rd brigade was supported by the approaching 7th Grenadier Samogitsky and 8th Grenadier Moscow regiments of the 2nd division.

Chapel-monument in honor of the grenadier,
killed in the battle of Plevna on November 28 (December 10), 1877

Pressed from the front and flanks, Turkish troops began to retreat to the first line of fortifications. Osman Pasha intended to wait for the arrival of the second division from the right bank of the Vid, but it was delayed due to the crossing of numerous convoys. By 12 noon the enemy was driven out of the first line of fortifications. As a result of the counterattack, Russian troops not only recaptured 8 guns captured by the Turks, but also captured 10 enemy ones.

Dmitriev-Orenburgsky N.D.
The last battle near Plevna on November 28, 1877 (1889)

Lieutenant General Ganetsky, seriously fearing new attack Turk, did not plan to pursue them. He ordered to occupy the forward fortifications, bring artillery here and wait for the enemy to attack. However, the intention of the commander of the Grenadier Corps - to stop the advancing troops - did not come true. The 1st Brigade of the 2nd Grenadier Division, which occupied the fortified position of the Dolne-Dubnyaksky detachment, seeing the retreat of the Turks, moved forward and began to encircle them from the left flank. Following her, the rest of the troops of the 6th section went on the offensive. Under the pressure of the Russians, the Turks at first slowly and in relative order retreated to Vid, but soon the retreating ones encountered their convoys. Panic began among the civilians following the convoys. At that moment Osman Pasha was wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Pertev Bey, commander of one of the two regiments covering the convoys, tried to stop the Russians, but to no avail. His regiment was overthrown, and the retreat of the Turkish army turned into a disorderly flight. Soldiers and officers, residents of Plevna, artillery pieces, carts, pack animals. The grenadiers approached the enemy at 800 steps, firing aimed rifle fire at him.

In the remaining areas of investment, the blocking troops also went on the offensive and, having captured the fortifications of the northern, eastern and southern fronts, occupied Plevna and reached the heights to the west of it. The 1st and 3rd brigades of the Turkish division of Adil Pasha, which covered the retreat of the main forces of Osman Pasha's army, laid down their arms. Surrounded on all sides by superior forces, Osman Pasha decided to surrender.

Osman Pasha presents a saber to Lieutenant General I.S. Ganetsky

Dmitriev-Orenburgsky N.D.
The captured Osman Pasha, who commanded the Turkish troops in Plevna, is presented to His Imperial Majesty the Sovereign Emperor Alexander II
on the day of the capture of Plevna by Russian troops on November 29, 1877

10 generals, 2,128 officers, 41,200 soldiers surrendered; 77 guns were delivered. The fall of Plevna made it possible for the Russian command to free up more than 100 thousand people for an offensive across the Balkans.

Capture of Plevna from November 28 to 29, 1877
Lubok publishing house I.D. Sytin

In the fighting near Plevna, methods of encircling and blockading an enemy group were developed. The Russian army used new infantry techniques, whose rifle chains combined fire and movement, and used self-entrenchment when approaching the enemy. Revealed important field fortifications, interaction between infantry and artillery, high efficiency of heavy artillery during fire preparation for an attack on fortified positions, the possibility of controlling artillery fire when firing from closed positions was determined. The Bulgarian militia fought bravely as part of the Russian troops near Plevna.

In memory of the battles near Plevna, a mausoleum of fallen Russian and Romanian soldiers, the Skobelevsky Park Museum, historical Museum“Liberation of Plevna in 1877”, near Grivitsa - the mausoleum of Romanian soldiers and about 100 monuments in the vicinity of the fortress.

Skobelev Park in Plevna

In Moscow, at the Ilyinsky Gate, there is a monument-chapel to the Russian grenadiers who fell near Plevna. The chapel was built on the initiative of the Russian Archaeological Society and military personnel of the Grenadier Corps stationed in Moscow, who raised about 50 thousand rubles for its construction. The authors of the monument were the famous architect and sculptor V.I. Sherwood and engineer-colonel A.I. Lyashkin.

Monument to the heroes of Plevna in Moscow

Material prepared by the Research Institute
(military history) Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The Russo-Turkish War began in April 1877. Its main goals were liberation Slavic peoples from the Ottoman yoke and the final revision of the provisions of the Paris Peace Treaty, concluded following the unsuccessful Crimean War for Russia.

16 (4 according to the old style) July, one of the detachments of the Russian army, after crossing the Danube, captured the Nikopol fortress. From here the troops had to move south to take the city of Plevna, which lay at the crossroads of important routes. 7 thousand infantrymen and about one and a half thousand cavalrymen with 46 cannons under the command of General Yuri Schilder-Schuldner advanced to the fortress. However, Osman Pasha, the commander of the Turkish troops in this direction, was almost half a day ahead of the Russian soldiers. By the time the advanced units approached the fortress, the Turks had already gained a foothold in Plevna. The number of their garrison was 15 thousand people. Despite the minority, 20 (8 O.S.) July Russian troops launched the first assault on Plevna. After artillery shelling infantry regiments went on the attack. In one place, Russian soldiers almost reached the Turkish batteries, but were driven back by a numerically superior enemy. In the other direction, they managed to occupy three rows of forward trenches and put the Turks to flight, but, not receiving reinforcements and not having enough strength to continue the attack, the Russian units retreated back. Their losses amounted to more than 2,500 people, Turkish - about 2,000.

Over the next ten days, a 30,000-strong Russian army with 140 cannons was concentrated near Plevna. But the Turks also strengthened the garrison, bringing its number to 23 thousand soldiers and 57 guns, in addition, they erected new fortifications around the city. Deciding to take advantage of the numerical advantage, 30 (18 O.S.) July, the Russian army, after artillery preparation, launched a second assault. At the same time, the troops actually launched a frontal attack on the most fortified Turkish positions. At first, Russian soldiers took several trenches and fortifications, but were stopped. The detachment of the skillfully and bravely acting General Mikhail Skobelev (in the battle under him one horse was killed and the other was wounded) also had to retreat. The second assault on Plevna ended in failure. The Russians lost about 3 thousand killed and a thousand captured, the Turks - about a thousand killed. A month later, Skobelev captured Lovcha, through which Plevna was supplied, and the sortie to support the Lovech garrison, organized by Osman Pasha, ended in vain.

The failure of the second assault on Plevna did not bother the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. At the end of August, he decided on another attack, receiving reinforcements in the form of allied Romanian troops. This time the fortress already had more than 80,000 soldiers with 424 cannons, while the Turkish army had about 35,000 people and 70 cannons. But the offensive of the Romanian troops, who incorrectly assessed the number and location of Turkish fortifications, floundered. Although Skobelev occupied the redoubts that approached the city itself, from which it was possible to continue the offensive, he again did not receive reinforcements and was forced to abandon his occupied positions. The third assault on Plevna was repulsed, with 13,000 Russian soldiers and 3,000 Romanian soldiers out of action. After this, the command invited a talented military engineer, General Eduard Totleben, on whose recommendation it was decided to abandon subsequent assaults, focusing on the blockade. Meanwhile, the Turks increased the size of the garrison to 48 thousand people and already had 96 guns. For his success in the defense of Plevna, Osman Pasha received from the Sultan the honorary title “Gazi” (which meant “invincible”) and an order not to surrender the city under any circumstances.

Subsequently, with the capture by Russian troops of a number of fortifications near Plevna, a blockade ring closed around the city. The Turks had nowhere else to wait for reinforcements, ammunition, or provisions. Nevertheless, Osman Pasha refused all proposals for surrender. But he understood that the position of the besieged was becoming hopeless, and decided to make a breakthrough. November 28 (December 10, O.S.) The Turkish garrison, led by the commander, went on the attack. The Turks, having taken the advanced Russian fortifications thanks to a sudden attack, were stopped and then began to retreat; Osman Pasha was wounded. After this, the Turkish troops capitulated, and 43.5 thousand soldiers were captured.

The capture of Plevna became one of the key episodes of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The victory allowed the Russian army to successfully continue fighting and ultimately successfully end the war. The memory of the heroes of Plevna was immortalized in 1887 by the creation of a memorial chapel in Ilyinsky Park in Moscow.