Battle of Kozludzha

The Battle of Kozludzha (also known as the Battle of Kozludža or the Battle of Kozluca), fought on 20 June (Old Style - June 9) 1774 near the village of Kozludzha (now Suvorovo, Bulgaria), was one of the final and decisive battles of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774).[6] The Russians managed to rout the Ottoman army, scoring a major victory.[6] This battle, alongside several others in this campaign, established the reputation of the Russian general Alexander Suvorov as one of the brilliant commanders of his time.[7][8]

Battle of Kozludzha
Part of the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774

Battle of Kozludzha by Johann Friedrich Anthing
Date20 June 1774
Location
near the village of Kozludzha, Ottoman Bulgaria (part of the Empire)
43°19′45.9″N 27°35′33.91″E
Result
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire  Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Abdul-Rezak Pasha Alexander Suvorov
Mikhail Kamensky
Strength
40,000[1][2] 8,000[1][2][3] out of ~19,500[lower-alpha 1]
Casualties and losses

3,000[5]

29 guns[3]
107 standards[3]		 209[5]

The Ottoman forces are estimated at about 40,000.[6][1][2] Russian numbers were much lower,[9] 8,000 men who participated in the battle.[1][2] All in all, Suvorov had about 19,500 men available. This is his corps (14,000), and part of Kamensky's forces (approximately 5,500 out of 11,000).[4] The Ottoman forces were demoralized due to previous defeats and had poor logistics (including a year of withheld back pay).[10]

Monument to the battle of Kozludzha in Suvorovo

Battle

The Russian army under Generals Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kamensky encountered the Ottoman forces of General Abdul-Rezak Pasha.[6][11] After scouts reported to Suvorov, he immediately ordered the attack.[12] The Russian army, divided into four squares, attacked the Ottomans.[12] Ottoman cavalry charges were repulsed by the Russians,[13] while a Russian cavalry attack from the rear resulted in the capture of all of the Ottoman artillery.[12] Russian artillery fire is also said to have been highly devastating to the Ottoman forces.[14] Casualties were 3,000 for the Ottomans[5] and 209 for the Russians.[5][12] The Russians captured the Ottoman camp with its supplies, while the Ottomans abandoned Kozludzha[14] and retreated to Shumla, where they were soon blockaded, suffering from further defeats and attrition.[9][11][12][14][15]

Aftermath

The Russian victory was one of the major reasons why a month later, on 21 July, the Ottomans were forced to sign the unfavorable Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca.[6][9][16]

Notes
  1. Suvorov's corps: 14,000; part of Kamensky's forces (11,000).[4]

References
  1. Duffy C., Younghusband B. Eagles Over the Alps: Suvorov in Italy and Switzerland, 1799. Emperor's Press. 1999. P. 15
  2. Dowling T. C. Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond. ABC-CLIO. 2014. P. 436
  3. Petrushevsky, Alexander (1884). Generalissimus Prince Suvorov (in Russian). Vol. 1 (1st ed.). St. Petersburg: Типография М. М. Стасюлевича. pp. 175–176.
  4. Tashlykov 2016.
  5. Dowling T. C. Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond. ABC-CLIO. 2014. P. 437
  6. Political History and Culture of Russia. Nova Science Publishers. 2003. p. 171. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  7. Gregory Fremont-Barnes (June 2006). The encyclopedia of the French revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: a political, social, and military history. ABC-CLIO. p. 960. ISBN 978-1-85109-646-6. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  8. Alexander Mikaberidze (19 January 2005). Russian Officer Corps of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Casemate Publishers. p. 387. ISBN 978-1-61121-002-6. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  9. Mesut Uyar; Edward J. Erickson (2009). A Military History of the Ottomans: From Osman to Atatürk. ABC-CLIO. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-275-98876-0. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  10. Jadwiga Nadzieja (1988). Od Jakobina do księcia namiestnika. Wydawnictwo "Śląsk". p. 14. ISBN 978-83-216-0682-8.
  11. Tony Jaques (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 545. ISBN 978-0-313-33538-9. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  12. Wlodzimierz Onacewicz (1985). Empires by Conquest: Ninth century-1905. Hero Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-915979-04-2. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  13. Jadwiga Nadzieja (1988). Od Jakobina do księcia namiestnika. Wydawnictwo "Śląsk". p. 15. ISBN 978-83-216-0682-8.
  14. Virginia H. Aksan (1 January 1995). An Ottoman Statesman in War and Peace: Ahmed Resmi Efendi, 1700-1783. BRILL. p. 165. ISBN 978-90-04-10116-6. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  15. Gábor Ágoston; Bruce Alan Masters (1 January 2009). Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Infobase Publishing. p. 493. ISBN 978-1-4381-1025-7. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  16. Anthony Pagden (25 March 2008). Worlds at War: The 2,500-Year Struggle Between East and West. Random House Publishing Group. p. 362. ISBN 978-1-58836-678-8. Retrieved 26 June 2013.

Sources
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