The Turkish troops guarded a fort worth 52” of heavy works on the top right of the field, supported by a French camp top left.

Report

The battle opened with the Russians advancing strongly from the bottom left corner:  sending only their heavy infantry and Don Cossacks towards the French camp. Immediately the French headed for the fort:  although attempts at doubling ended in disorder.

The Russians halted within artillery range of the fort, defending their guns with lines of infantry. The Russian cavalry headed up the left wing whilst, on the right, the heavy infantry crossed a bridge and halted: still some way from the French camp.

The Russian guns opened up on the Turks:  all parties expecting the “sick men of Asia” to flee. They did not. In fact, the whole masterplan of the Russians was held up by the steadiness of the Turkish 2nd Brigade: which refused to budge despite the guns cutting vast swathes through their ranks.

The Russian cavalry then advanced to start peppering them with carbine fire: only to rout backwards at the first shots from the fort. In fact, Pasha Avery routed both the Uhlans and the Dragoons, severely disrupting general Russian morale.

Meanwhile, the French were now in column heading right from their camp. This was the moment that the Russian commander had been waiting for. His men surged forward into position: forcing the French into an uneven firefight four battalions to three. Fire blazed from one end of the line to the other.

The French line, outnumbered 3:2, began to waver and go shaken. Desperate measures were needed: particularly as the Turkish infantry had finally succumbed to Russian artillery fire and routed back to the fort.

The French commander ordered his Zouaves to charge the Russian line. They did: driving both the 4th Moscva and the light artillery from the field. A charge at the right flank of the Russian line was, however, less successful: with the 3ieme Battalion Ligne halted before impact.

At this point, both armies began to waver: the French from the appalling casualties taken from the firefight, the Russians from the morale effect of the French charges. Independently, but simultaneously, both Commanders ordered a withdrawal.

Casualties

The Turks lost 220 infantry and 200 Lancers.  The French lost 640 infantry, with the 1ere Bttn, 1ere Ligne being very badly hit.

The Russians lost 700 infantry, 180 cavalry and 20 artillerymen.

Results

Although technically a draw, the Russians failed to capture the fort, despite outnumbering the French/Turks!

Analysis

If nothing else, the battle showed that fighting line verses line can happen: and that even the force armed with smoothbore muskets can sometimes hold its own against muzzle-loading rifles.

The luck of the battle swung this way and that: with the Turkish infantry proving impossible to shift despite being D class.

In the end, a draw had to be declared: as both sides were about to quit the field. The Russians had, however, failed to shift the Turks from the fort: so had to accept “loser” status.