The Anapa campaign (1787) was a military expedition launched by the Russians to capture the fortress of Anapa. The Russians failed to capture the fort.

Background

The Ottoman Empire declared its war on Russia on August 13, 1787. The empress of Russia,

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

, declared war against the Ottomans in response. These events made the Ottomans establish an alliance with the Chechen leader,

Sheikh Mansur Sheikh Mansur (born Ushurma or Uchermak, – 13 April 1794) was a Chechen military commander and Islamic leader who led a resistance movement against Russian expansion into the Caucasus from 1785 until his capture in 1791. Sheikh Mansur is cons ...

. The Ottomans sent expensive presents, hoping to recruit the Caucasians to join them in their ranks. Imam Mansur was also seeking help from the Ottomans against the Russians, saying that he exhaustively fought the Russians continuously. The Ottoman sultan dispatched a clock and binoculars as a gift and recognized Mansur as the leader of the Caucasian people. The Ottomans also dispatched the governor of

Trabzon Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid E ...

, Kose Mustafa Pasha, to

Anapa Anapa (, , ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. As of the 2021 Russian census, it had a population of 81,863. It is one of the largest ...

in order to support Imam Mansur. Mansur learned of the Ottoman march and went to meet them.

Campaign

Catherine dispatched an army to conquer the Ottoman fortress of Anapa, and Tsemez, a Russian force consisting of 8,000 men and 35 cannons, led by General Potemkin, was marching towards Anapa. Mansur was marching as well; however, he encountered the Russian army in Obun, a place between Laba and

Urup Urup (; , ) is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Kuril Islands chain in the south of the Sea of Okhotsk, northwest Pacific Ocean. Its name is derived from the Ainu language word ''urup'', meaning "sockeye salmon". Geography and climate U ...

. Imam Mansur's force was 7,000 men, consisting of people from Circassia, Chechenia,

Kuban Kuban ( Russian and Ukrainian: Кубань; ) is a historical and geographical region in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Don Steppe, the Volga Delta and separated fr ...

, and the Nogais. Mansur fought the Russians from September 20 to 22. The Chechens weren't able to compete with the Russians, so they withdrew. Immediately after this battle, Potemkin marched to Anapa and arrived there on September 25. The Russians thought Anapa was abandoned; however, the Imam with a detachment of 300 people, under the cover of darkness, attacked the rearguard of the Russian troops and almost crushed it, After a two-hour battle, Mansur's warriors retreated. On the same day, General Ratiev and his troops received an order to retreat beyond the Kuban. The main goal for this campaign did not end in success. Russian troops failed to capture the rebel imam and defeat his troops. In the battle with the Caucasians, the Russians suffered significant losses. Up to 200 people were killed, and there were also a large number of wounded. In this regard, on September 25, Potemkin ordered the troops to return to the shores of the Kuban.

References

Wars involving Chechnya Wars involving the Russian Empire Conflicts in 1787 History of Chechnya 1787 in the Russian Empire Sheikh Mansur Movement Caucasian War Battles involving the Circassians

Bibliography

* * * * {{Cite book , last=Мусаев , first=Алаудин , url=https://bukvateka.com/books/istoricheskaya-proza/page-68-85408-alaudin-musaev-sheih-mansur.html#fullstory-text , title=Шейх Мансур , year=2007 , pages=68–69 , language=Russian , trans-title=Sheikh Mansur

Background

Campaign

See also

References

Bibliography