Mihail Cerchez Cristodulo (8 June 1839 – 12 July 1885) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

who fought at the

Siege of Plevna The siege of Plevna or Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at ...

and the battles of and

Vidin Vidin (, ) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin (since ...

during the

Romanian War of Independence The Romanian War of Independence () is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the phase of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), in which Romania, fighting on the Russian side of the war, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On ...

Biography

Descended from an old

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

Stoica Lascu /
Dobrudjan contributions to the development of contemporary armenology
family, he was born in

Bârlad Bârlad () is a city in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the river Bârlad (river), Bârlad, which waters the high plains of Western Moldavia. At Bârlad the railway from Iași diverges, one branch skirting the river Siret (river ...

and studied at the Academia Mihăileană in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

. He volunteered into the army as a cadet in 1855, and rose rapidly through the ranks: sergeant in 1856, second lieutenant in 1857, lieutenant in 1858, captain in 1860, and major in 1863. Promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1867 and colonel in 1870, Cerchez served in the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces () is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. Since 2007, full professionalization and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Land Forces. The Romanian Land Forc ...

during the

(1877–1878). At the start of the war, he was commander of the 2nd and 1st Infantry Divisions of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

defense, which protected the rear of the armed forces fighting on the front, in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. Later, as head of the Reserve Division, he was instrumental in surrounding the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

at the

and the battles of Smârdan and

. On 6 September 1877, Cerchez took charge of the Operative Army. On November 28, 1877, when Osman Pasha tried to break the siege, the Romanian troops under his command thwarted the attempt. Overwhelmed, stuck in the middle of enemy troops, the Turkish general had to admit defeat. Cerchez gained fame for being the officer to whom Osman Pasha surrendered and gave his sword that day at Plevna, saying, "Together with my army I surrender myself into the hands of the young and brave Romanian Army." Cerchez retired from active service in 1882 and died in Iași three years later. He is buried in the city's Eternitatea Cemetery, next to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

General

Radu Korne Radu Korne (23 December 1895 – 28 April 1949) was a Romanian Brigadier General during World War II. Biography World War I He was born in Bucharest. From 1913 to 1915 he studied at the Cavalry Officer School in Târgoviște, graduating with th ...

Legacy

The 85th Logistics Support Battalion for the 8th Mixed Artillery Brigade was named ''General Mihail Cerchez''. Streets in

Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...

and in Sector 4 of

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

also bear his name. As a gratitude for his efforts toward the independence of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian people built a bust of him in the Romanian Soldier Mausoleum at

Grivitsa Grivitsa (, ; also transliterated as ''Grivitza'' or ''Grivica'') is a village in Pleven Municipality, Pleven Province, central northern Bulgaria. It is primarily known as the site of one of the key engagements in the Siege of Plevna during th ...

References

1839 births 1885 deaths People from Bârlad Romanian people of Armenian descent Romanian people of Circassian descent Romanian military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Burials at Eternitatea cemetery {{Romania-mil-bio-stub