The Battle of Tashkessen or Battle of Tashkesan ( Turkish: ''Taşkesen Muharebesi'') was a battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. It was fought between the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

on December 31, 1877, in what is now

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

The battle

The army of Shakir Pasha, some 14,000 men, was on retreat from the village of Kamarli towards

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

. Shakir Pasha's army was threatened by a Russian force that

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

claimed had 30,000 men and "30

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

s of the Russian Guard" from its left flank, under the command of General

Iosif Gurko Count Iosif Vladimirovich Romeyko-Gurko (russian: Граф Ио́сиф Влади́мирович Роме́йко-Гурко́, Iósif Vladímirovič Roméjko-Gurkó; — ), also known as Joseph or Ossip Gourko, was a prominent Russian ...

, and another one, said to be 22,000 men strong before Kamarli. 2,400–4,000 men, 7 guns and two cavalry squadrons of Shakir Pasha's army had been detached under the command of

Valentine Baker Valentine Baker (also known as Baker Pasha) (1 April 1827 – 17 November 1887), was a British soldier, and a younger brother of Sir Samuel Baker. Biography Baker was educated in Gloucester and in Ceylon, and in 1848 entered the Ceylon Rifles ...

, a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

-born Ottoman general. Baker Pasha was given orders to hold off the advancing Russian army in order to secure the retreat of Shakir Pasha's remaining troops. Baker Pasha entrenched his forces in the village of Taşkesen (now Sarantsi,

). The superior Russian army surrounded the Ottomans, but its troops were scattered over a large territory, could not unite together and were slowed by deep snow,

winter storm A winter storm is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In temperate continental climates, these storms are not necessa ...

and difficult mountain terrain,Barry Q. War in the East: A Military History of the Russo-Turkish War 1877-78. Helion and Company. 2012. P. 384 so that only a part of them engaged; having a strong defensive position and with weather in their favour, the Ottomans successfully managed to hold off the advancing Russian forces for ten hours, allowing Shakir Pasha to withdraw, and hastily retreated as soon as the firing died down.Barry Q. War in the East: A Military History of the Russo-Turkish War 1877-78. Helion and Company. 2012. P. 385 At the end of the day the Ottoman forces were facing a Russian force ten times its size and ultimately left their position.Crisis of the Ottoman Empire: Prelude to Collapse 1839-1878, by James J. Reid, 2000, page 341 : ``...Baker´s small force defended the pass successfully against a Russian force ten times its size...´´ Burnaby declared that the skirmish had cost the Russians more than 2,000 men and the Ottomans had lost more than 800 men, although the Russians established that only 562 of their men were killed and wounded in total. During the night panic broke out in the Ottoman ranks, after rumours spread that the Russians had made a flanking movement. This caused the Ottomans to flee the village, killing the inhabitants.

remarked: "''We must burn that village to cover our crimes''". One of his officers, Allix, accompanied by some men, advanced on the village that had just been captured by the Russians and Bulgarians. They set fire to some straw stacks, which quickly ignited the houses.

References

* George Bruce. Harbottle's Dictionary of Battles. (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1981) (). *

Frederick Gustavus Burnaby Colonel Frederick Gustavus Burnaby (3 March 1842 – 17 January 1885) was a British Army intelligence officer. Burnaby's adventurous spirit, pioneering achievements, and swashbuckling courage earned an affection in the minds of Victorian imper ...

. ''On Horseback Through Asia Minor''. (Cosimo Inc., 2007, originally published in 1878) (). *Frank Jastrzembski. ''Valentine Baker's Heroic Stand At Tashkessen 1877 A Tarnished British Soldier's Glorious Victory.'' (Pen & Sword, 2017) ISBN 9781473866805 {{Ottoman battles Tashkessen Tashkessen Tashkessen 1877 in Bulgaria Tashkessen Tashkessen History of Sofia Province 1877 in the Ottoman Empire December 1877 events