The five-month siege of Plevna was accompanied by three bloody assaults, which, however, did not lead the Russian army to the intended result. Then it was decided to take a different route: the famous military engineer Eduard Totleben advised the commanders not to resort to further assault attempts, but to begin blockading the city.

However, shortly before the start of the blockade, reinforcements arrived to the Turkish troops stationed in Plevna. In addition, the city's food supplies were significantly replenished. Also, a decree of the Sultan was delivered to the city, which stated that in connection with the productive defense, commander Osman Pasha - who later, by the way, received the nickname “Lion of Plevna” - was awarded an honorary title. At the same time, the Turks were strictly forbidden to leave the city. The siege of Plevna was strategically beneficial to the Sultan: while it lasted, the Russians did not pay enough attention to what was happening elsewhere, so that at this time the Turks could be busy strengthening Istanbul and Adrianople.

Osman Pasha was supposed to receive additional reinforcements beyond what was sent earlier, but this could not be done before the blockade began. The Grenadier Regiment under the command of Ivan Ganetsky joined the Russian army.

Blockading the city turned out to be a difficult undertaking, accompanied by many casualties. For example, during the battle for the village of Gorny Dubnyak - its capture was necessary to isolate the Turks - the Russians lost 3,600 people out of 20 thousand allocated for this operation.

Sally from Plevna. Unknown artist

After the capture of Gorny Dubnyak and another village, Telisha, Plevna finally found itself in a blockade ring. Even the provisions prepared in advance did not help the people of Osman Pasha: the soldiers began to starve, diseases prevailed in the city, which there was nothing to treat - the supply of medicines was also depleted. At the same time, Russian troops, more than twice the size of the encircled enemy forces, systematically launched attacks on Plevna. The situation seemed hopeless, and the Russians invited the Turkish commander to surrender. However, Osman Pasha was adamant and said that with great pleasure will shed the blood of both his own soldiers and those of the enemy rather than lay down his arms in disgrace.

At the military council, the Turks decided to try to break the blockade and go towards Sofia. Before leaving, the army installed effigies in the fortifications in order to disorient the enemy, and on December 10 they left the city. The battle that ensued between the Turks and Russians did not lead to victory for the former. Osman Pasha was wounded and eventually captured, the morale of the soldiers was broken, and the Turkish army capitulated. Thus ended the siege of Plevna.

Monument to the Heroes of Plevna on a 19th century postcard

It was planned to honor the memory of the fallen Russian soldiers by installing a monument near Plevna, but in the end it appeared in Moscow ten years after the events described. The monument-chapel can still be seen in Ilyinsky Park.

December 10, 1877 during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Russian troops, after a difficult siege, captured Plevna, forcing the surrender of the 40,000-strong Turkish army. This was an important victory for Russia, but it came at a considerable cost.

“Defeated. Memorial Service"

Heavy battles near Plevna, which cost the Russian army tens of thousands of killed and wounded, are reflected in painting. The famous battle painter V.V. Vereshchagin, former member siege of Plevna (one of his brothers was killed during the Third Assault on the fortress, and the other was wounded), dedicated the canvas “The Vanquished. Requiem service." Much later, after the death of V.V. Vereshchagin himself in 1904, another participant in the events near Plevna, scientist V.M. Bekhterev, responded to this picture with the following poem:

The entire field is covered with thick grass.
Not roses, but corpses cover it
The priest stands with his head naked.
While swinging the censer he reads....
And the choir behind him sings together, drawn out
One after another prayers.
He eternal memory and sorrow rewards
To all those who fell for their homeland in battle.

Under a hail of bullets

One of the factors that determined the high losses of the Russian army during the three unsuccessful assaults on Plevna and a number of other battles for the capture of Turkish strongholds around this fortress was the high density of fire from the Turkish infantry. Often Turkish soldiers had two samples firearms at the same time - the American Peabody-Martini rifle for long-range shooting and Winchester repeating carbines for close combat, which made it possible to create high density fire. Of the famous battle paintings where the Turks are depicted simultaneously with rifles and carbines is the painting by A. N. Popov “Defense of the Eagle’s Nest by the Oryol and Bryants on August 12, 1877” (events at the Shipka Pass) - the appearance of the Turkish soldiers near Plevna was similar .

In the 16th division

Associated with the name of Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev whole line bright episodes of the Russian-Turkish war. Noteworthy is the preparation of Skobelev's 16th division for the crossing of the Balkans after the capture of Plevna. Firstly, Skobelev rearmed his division with Peabody-Martini rifles, which were taken in huge quantities from the Plevna arsenals. Most Russian infantry units in the Balkans were armed with the Krynka rifle, and only the Guard and the Grenadier Corps had more modern Berdan rifles. Unfortunately, other Russian military leaders did not follow Skobelev’s example. Secondly, Skobelev, using the shops (warehouses) of Plevna, provided his soldiers with warm clothing, and when moving to the Balkans also with firewood - therefore, moving along one of the most difficult sections of the Balkans - the Imetli Pass, the 16th Division did not lose a single person to frostbite .

Troop supply

The Russo-Turkish War and the siege of Plevna were marked by enormous difficulties in military supply, which, under very dark circumstances, was entrusted to the Greger-Gerwitz-Cogan Partnership. The siege of Plevna was carried out in extremely difficult conditions of the beginning of the autumn thaw. Diseases increased and there was a threat of famine. Up to 200 people were out of action every day. During the war, the size of the Russian army near Plevna constantly increased, and its needs increased. Therefore, in September 1877, two civilian transports were formed, consisting of 23 departments of 350 horse-drawn carts each, and in November 1877, two more transports, consisting of 28 departments of the same composition. By the end of the siege of Plevna in November, 26 thousand 850 civilian carts and a large number of other transport. The fighting in the autumn of 1877 was also marked by the first appearance of field kitchens in the Russian army much earlier than other European countries.

E. I. Totleben

After the Third unsuccessful assault on Plevna on August 30-31, 1877, the famous engineer, hero of the defense of Sevastopol E. I. Totleben was called to lead the siege work. He managed to establish a tight blockade of the fortress, destroy Turkish water mills in Plevna by releasing streams of water from open dams, depriving the enemy of the opportunity to bake bread. The outstanding fortifier did a lot to improve the life of the troops besieging Plevna, preparing the Russian camp for the inclement autumn and the approaching cold weather. Refusing frontal attacks on Plevna, Totleben organized constant military demonstrations in front of the fortress, forcing the Turks to maintain significant forces in the first line of defense and suffer heavy losses from concentrated Russian artillery fire. Totleben himself noted: “The enemy is only defensive, and I conduct continuous demonstrations against him so that he assumes on our part the intention to storm. When the Turks fill the redoubts and trenches with men, and their reserves approach, I order volleys of a hundred or more guns to be fired. In this way I am trying to avoid losses on our part, thereby inflicting daily losses on the Turks.”

On August 26 (September 7) the third battle of Plevna began. Russian troops numbered 46.5 thousand bayonets and 5.6 thousand sabers, Romanian troops - 29 thousand bayonets and 3 thousand sabers, Turkish troops - about 32.5 thousand The calculation was made for a long artillery preparation (4 days), during which Russian troops gradually approached the enemy’s fortified positions. But artillery preparation was ineffective due to the weak high-explosive effect of the shells.

Before launching an attack on Plevna, the Russian command decided to occupy Lovcha - important node roads leading to Plevna. Through Lovcha, Osman Pasha's troops maintained contact with Suleiman Pasha's army and received reinforcements. The capture of this point was supposed to ensure the upcoming attack on Plevna from the south.

Lovcha was defended by a Turkish detachment under the command of Rifat Pasha (consisting of about 8 thousand people with six guns). The detachment of Major General A.K. Imeretinsky (total number of more than 22 thousand people with 98 guns) was supposed to capture Lovcha. The Russians outnumbered the enemy almost three times in men, and their superiority in artillery was overwhelming. The main blow was delivered by the left column under the command of Major General M.D. Skobelev. The battle ended with the complete defeat of the enemy.

In the battle near Lovcha, the power of hand-held weapons and the unsuitability of old methods of attack were especially clearly revealed. The defensive fire required the attackers to advance in dashes. This was primarily understood by ordinary soldiers and junior commanders.

On the day of the battle of Lovcha, Osman Pasha made an attempt to help Rifat Pasha. With eighteen battalions (about 12 thousand people), he left the Plevna fortifications and attacked the positions of the 4th Corps southwest of Plevna. The Russians repelled the Turkish advance. Artillery played an important role in this. But the command missed the opportunity to defeat Osman Pasha’s detachment and burst into Plevna with a surprise attack on his shoulders. The commander of the 4th Corps, General P. D. Zotov, and the commander of the 9th Corps, General N. P. Kridener, did not take measures to ensure that; destroy the enemy in field battle, although they had superior forces. While the 4th Corps fought a stubborn battle, the 9th Corps passively followed the course of events. “Thus,” noted D. A. Milyutin, “and this time, when the enemy dared to stumble upon our two corps with 25 thousand, our strategists did not know how to take advantage of the favorable opportunity and beat the enemy, but were content with repelling him attack".

By this time, the troops of Osman Pasha, defending in the Plevna region, numbered 32 thousand people with 70 guns. The number of Russian-Romanian troops reached 84.1 thousand people with 424 guns. During the time that elapsed after the second assault on Plevna, the Turks strengthened their positions. Numerous strong points - redoubts, connected by continuous trenches in several tiers, represented a strongly fortified position. The approaches to the fortifications were under cross rifle and artillery fire. From the west, Plevna was not covered by fortifications, since here the approaches to the city were blocked by the Vid River.

The Russian command hoped to destroy enemy fortifications with a four-day artillery bombardment, and then begin an assault, inflicting main blow from the east. An auxiliary attack was planned from the south. When organizing the assault, an attempt was made for the first time to plan artillery preparation. However, this was a new matter, and it was not possible to fully implement it.

The artillery preparation, which involved 152 guns, lasted four days and was generally ineffective due to the weak high-explosive effect of the shells. The Turkish fortifications were not destroyed. The assault on August 30 had to begin after additional bombing. In addition, the disposition for the assault was sent out only a few hours before the start of the assault, and the troops did not have enough time to thoroughly organize the attack. The direction of the main attack was also chosen incorrectly. It was applied to the most fortified area. They did not take advantage of the opportunity to carry out a roundabout maneuver and attack Osman Pasha from the west, where he had almost no fortifications.

The timing of the assault was also poorly chosen. It rained all night and half a day on August 30th. It gave way to drizzling rain. The soil is wet. Visibility was poor. The assault should have been postponed. But it was the royal name day, and no one dared to make such a proposal. In my memories former chairman office; Ministers P. A. Valuev wrote that “if not for the 30s, we would not have stormed Plevna.”

Bravery, courage and perseverance in achieving the goal were equally demonstrated by all participants in the assault. However, the offensive on the main direction was unsuccessful. But events developed favorably on the left flank, where a detachment under the command of M.D. Skobelev operated. Here the Russians managed to break through all enemy defense lines and reach the southern outskirts of Plevna. The soldiers, who had not slept for two days, were extremely tired. Due to the lack of an entrenching tool, it was not possible to secure it properly.

At this time, the Turkish command, concentrating superior forces against Skobelev, managed to push his detachment back to initial position.

So, despite the heroism and courage of the soldiers, the assault on Plevna was unsuccessful and led to large losses: among the Russian troops they reached 13 thousand people, among the Romanian troops - 3 thousand; Turkish losses were also significant.

After the unsuccessful assault on Plevna, the command decided to blockade the fortress and force its garrison to capitulate. Russian and Romanian troops besieged Plevna from the north, south and east. However, in the west and southwest, the paths for the enemy actually remained open. The Sofia road was especially important for the besieged garrison, along which Osman Pasha’s army received ammunition and food. In order to retain this important communication, the enemy positioned considerable forces along it. To completely block Plevna, it was necessary to interrupt communication with Sofia. For this purpose, a detachment was formed under the command of Gurko. With bold and energetic actions, the detachment completely drove the enemy off the road by October 20. From this; moment the city of Plevna found itself closely surrounded on all sides by allied Russian-Romanian troops.

On October 25, General Gurko proposed to the commander-in-chief a plan for crossing the Balkans: Its goal was to defeat the formation of new army enemy and not give her the opportunity to come to the aid of Osman Pasha. At the same time, it was intended to provide routes to Southern Bulgaria for Russian troops.

The plan was approved and the offensive began in mid-November. Gurko's detachment now consisted of 50 thousand bayonets and sabers with 174 guns; his offensive developed successfully. Overcoming stubborn enemy resistance, the Russians reached the Balkan ridge by the end of November and stopped in front of the heavily fortified Arabkonak position.

Meanwhile, the situation of the besieged in Plevna became critical: food and ammunition supplies were running out, there was no fuel. The Bulgarian population of Plevna provided great assistance to the Russian siege troops. It provided information about the condition of the Turkish garrison, its supply of ammunition and food. Despite the brutal repressions, the Bulgarians often ran over to the Russians, bringing them valuable information about the state of affairs in Plevna.

On November 24, four days before the capitulation of the garrison, defectors Ilya Tsanev, Ivan Tsvetkov, Hristo Slavka, Toma Pavlov, Vena Nikolov said that each soldier of the garrison was given 100 g of bread, 20-25 g of meat and two ears of corn. corn per day, and there are up to 10 thousand sick Turks in the city. The Bulgarians Dmitry Georgiev, Ivan Kostov, Hristo Bozhnov, Kosto Hristov reported that the food in Plevna would only last for five to six days, that “Osman Pasha is thinking of breaking through these days... The Turks took all the shells and cartridges to the redoubts.” Having received such information, the Russian command took measures to repel enemy attempts to escape from Plevna.

Desperate, Osman Pasha actually decided to break through. On the night of November 28, (December 10) his troops set out from Plevna and crossed the river. View and, forming in columns, attacked the positions of the 3rd Grenadier Division at dawn. They pushed back parts of the division and even occupied the second line of defense, but soon they themselves came under crossfire and were unable to build on their success. The approaching reserves attacked them from all sides. The enemy, gripped by panic, fled, losing 6 thousand people killed and wounded. This failure completely demoralized Osman Pasha's army, and at 13 o'clock on the same day he capitulated. 10 generals, 2,128 officers and 41,200 soldiers surrendered; 77 guns were taken.

The fall of Plevna had great importance. Now the Russian command could, without fear for its right flank, plan a decisive offensive through the Balkans.

“Not a single victory of ours,” wrote one of his contemporaries, “caused such noisy enthusiasm as the victory at Plevna. It is unlikely that the joy of the Russians would have manifested itself with greater strength even if the capital Constantinople is captured.” The victory of the Russian-Romanian troops filled the hearts of the Bulgarians with joy and hope for imminent liberation. After the Russian army entered Plevna, the newspaper “Bulgarin” wrote: “The fall of Plevna, which became a significant holiday for us, will be written down in history in capital letters.”

Exhausted, having endured incredible difficulties and hardships, the inhabitants of Plevna on December 30, 1877 presented their liberators with thank you address, in which they expressed their delight at an exceptional event in the history of the city, in the history of the entire country. “The liberation of Pleven,” the address said, “is the dawn of the liberation of ancient Bulgaria. Pleven was the first to rise again, just as he was the last to die several centuries ago! This resurrection will forever remain in the memory of our descendants.”

Russian-Romanian troops suffered huge sacrifices in the struggle for the liberation of Plevna. Every inch of earth is soaked in their blood. In the battles for Plevna, the Russians lost about 32 thousand, and the Romanians - 4.5 thousand people. Plevna became a symbol of the brotherhood of the Russian, Bulgarian and Romanian peoples.

Source: Barbasov A.P., Zolotarev V.A. About the past for the sake of the future. M., 1990)

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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 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 of the Russian war. 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 the Turkish fortress of 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 covered 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 They restored the destroyed defensive structures, erected 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). With the detachment were Emperor Alexander II, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich and the Minister of War, which made it difficult unified management troops. 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 siege weapons on the Grand Duke's Mountain

In the middle of the day on August 30 (September 11) it began general offensive. 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 troop groups attacking 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. To lead the siege work, an engineer-general was appointed assistant commander of the detachment of the Romanian Prince Charles. 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 locality northwest of Plevna - to the 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 the 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 the precautions taken, the 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 a new attack by the Turks, 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, and pack animals crowded together at the bridges in a dense mass. 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 of infantry with artillery, high efficiency 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, the historical museum “Liberation of Plevna in 1877” were built in the city, near Grivitsa - a 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

140th anniversary of the capture of Plevna. A significant date in the history of not only Russia, but also Bulgaria, where it is celebrated as “Day of Appreciation”!

The siege of Plevna is an episode of the Russian-Turkish War, which has more than once formed the basis of vivid stories. Turkish fortress on the Danube Plain, 35 km from the river. The Danube became the final point in a long and difficult relationship.

I suggest playing a question and answer game, those who are well familiar with the topic will awaken their “gray matter”, and someone will gain new knowledge, which is also not bad, agree! So - “7 QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CAPTURE OF PLEVNA.”

1. Who took part in the Russian-Turkish War and where did it all start?

The main opposing parties to this armed conflict were the Russian and Ottoman empires, respectively. Turkish troops supported Abkhaz, Dagestan and Chechen rebels, as well as the Polish Legion. Russia, in turn, was supported by the Balkans.

The reason for the start of the war was internal resistance in some Balkan countries under Turkish yoke. The brutally suppressed April uprising in Bulgaria forced some European countries (especially the Russian Empire) to show sympathy for Christians located in Turkey. Another reason for the outbreak of hostilities was the defeat of Serbia in the Serbo-Montenegrin-Turkish War and the failed Constantinople Conference.

2. How long did the Russian-Turkish war last?

The question is, of course, interesting, because The Russian-Turkish wars cover a huge period of 351 years (1568-1918) with interruptions, of course. But the most acute confrontation in Russian-Turkish relations occurred in the second half of XIX century. During this period, the Crimean War and the last Russian-Turkish campaign of 1877-1878 took place, during which the siege of Plevna took place.

On April 24, 1877, the Russian Empire declared war Ottoman Empire. The Russian troops included about 700 thousand people, the enemy army numbered about 281 thousand people. Despite the significant numerical superiority of the Russians, a significant advantage of the Turks was the possession and equipping of the army with modern weapons.

3. How did the last Russian-Turkish campaign take place?

This armed conflict was fought in two directions: Asian and European.

The Asian direction was to ensure the security of its own borders and the desire of the Russian Empire to shift the Turkish emphasis exclusively to the European theater of operations. The beginning of the countdown is considered to be the Abkhazian rebellion that occurred in May 1877. During operations in Transcaucasia, Russian troops captured many citadels, garrisons and fortresses. In the second half of the summer of 1877 fighting were temporarily “frozen” for the reason that both sides were awaiting the arrival of reinforcements. Beginning in September, the Russians began to adhere to siege tactics.

The European direction developed with the introduction of Russian troops into Romania. This was done to eliminate the Danube fleet of the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the crossings of the Danube.

The next stage in the advance of the Russian troops was the siege of Plevna, which began on July 20, 1877.

4. Siege of Plevna. How it was?

After the successful crossing of the Danube by Russian troops, the Turkish command began transferring to Plevna. In July 1877, the Russian corps captured the Nikopol fortress on the banks of the Danube north of Plevna.

The Russian command allocated another nine-thousandth detachment to occupy Plevna, which on the evening of July 20 reached the outskirts of the city and the next morning attacked Turkish positions. The Russian attacks were repelled.

After the entire Russian corps was concentrated near the city, a second assault on Plevna was launched. Since there was no information about the Turkish forces, the attacks were carried out hesitantly, which led to failure.

At this time, the Russian command postponed the transfer of the main forces through the Balkan Mountains (the Shipka Pass had already been captured) and during July-August concentrated an army near Plevna.

The Allies besieged Plevna from the south and east and the third assault began, it was decided to proceed to a thorough siege. The best siege specialist in Russia, engineer-general Totleben, was called in to provide guidance. The Russians cut the Sofia-Plevna road, along which the Turks received reinforcements and managed to capture strongholds, thereby completely closing the blockade ring.

On December 10, Osman Pasha, having removed his troops from defensive positions, attacked the Russian troops, but having lost 6 thousand soldiers and unable to escape from the encirclement, he surrendered.

5. Why is the capture of Plevna highlighted?

Plevna was of great strategic importance; its strong garrison threatened the crossings of the Danube and could attack the advancing Russian army in the flank and rear. Therefore, the capture of Plevna freed up a hundred thousandth Russian-Romanian army for a subsequent offensive across the Balkans

6. What was the result of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878?

How do almost all wars end? Of course, there was a change in boundaries. The Russian Empire expanded to include Bessarabia, which was lost during Crimean War. And this war also played a big role in international relations. It gave rise to a gradual shift away from confrontation between Russian Empire and Great Britain for the reason that the countries began to focus more on their own interests (Russia was interested in the Black Sea, and England in Egypt).

7. In what types of art was the capture of Plevna reflected?

You know, this victory is increasingly being called forgotten, and it is culture and art that help keep this experience, dear in every sense, in the memory of generations. Architecture - Pleven Epic (panorama) - a museum in the city of Pleven, opened on December 10, 1977, the day when Pleven celebrated the 100th anniversary of its liberation. Architects Plamena Tsacheva and Ivo Petrov from Plevna.

Sculpture - Monument to the Heroes of Plevna in Moscow, sculptor Vladimir Iosifovich Sherwood.

Nemirovich-Danchenko V.I. “Skobelev. Personal memories and impressions."

Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev - military leader and strategist, general. Participant in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, liberator of Bulgaria. He went down in history with the nickname “White General,” and not only because he participated in battles in a white uniform and on a white horse. The Bulgarian people consider him a national hero. Master of words, journalist Vasily Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko was personally acquainted with Skobelev and brilliantly conveyed the nuances of the era. The book was first published in 1884 and has been reprinted to this day.

Skritsky N.V. “Balkan Gambit. Unknown War 1877-1878"

From the lips of the military historian Skritsky, little-known and controversial facts of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, people and events that influenced the development of the situation are presented.

“... I prefer to sacrifice our lives for the benefit of the people and in defense of the truth, and with the greatest joy and happiness I am ready to shed blood rather than shamefully lay down my arms” (quoted by N.V. Skritsky “The Balkan Gambit”).

Vasiliev B. L. “They were and were not”

A work of fiction - an epic novel - about the events of the last Russian-Turkish campaign. His works are distinguished by liveliness and sincerity. Book one, “Gentlemen Volunteers,” tells about the noble family of the Oleksins, whose young offspring are sent there among hundreds of volunteers. The second book is called “Gentlemen Officers”, here Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev becomes the key character... Boris Lvovich Vasiliev is a master of the historical novel!

In painting, the theme of the Balkan conflict was revealed in more detail by Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin, a direct participant in the hostilities. You can read more about him in our blog post “Around! The Circle of Books” - Artist Vasily Vereshchagin is 175 years old.

Vladimir Aleksandrovich Lifshits - Russian writer and poet wrote the poem “Plevna”.

Plevna

I remember when I was a child, I leafed through the Niva -

A yellowed and dusty heap...

The wind ruffles the horse's mane.

Screams. Shots. Blood and gunpowder.

Drums. Tents. Cards.

The general wears a white spear.

Whiskers flutter

Those that are no longer worn.

The rider's eyes sparkle angrily.