After the expiry of the Armistice of Slobozia and the breaking off of diplomatic contacts at Iași (Jassy), the conflict between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Porte entered a phase of renewed hostilities. By imperial order of Alexander I, the commander-in-chief of the Army of Moldavia, General Field Marshal Prince A. A. Prozorovskii, was directed to go over to offensive operations.
The primary strategic objective of the spring campaign of 1809 was the neutralization of the Turkish bridgeheads on the left bank of the Danube, the key one among them being the fortress of Giurgiu (Zhurzha in Russian sources), which covered the approach to Ruschuk (Ruse) and posed a threat to Bucharest. Possession of Giurgiu would secure Wallachia against raids and cover the rear of the Russian army during the planned crossing of the Danube.
The Loss of Surprise
Preparations for the occupation of Giurgiu unfolded against the background of secret negotiations. The commander of the corps at Bucharest, Lieutenant General M. A. Miloradovich, acting through the imperial aide-de-camp I. F. Paskevich, entered into secret communication with the pasha of Ruschuk, Ahmed Efendi. Having incurred the wrath of the Divan, the pasha declared his readiness to go over to the Russian side and proposed that Miloradovich occupy weakly armed Giurgiu, promising to send no reinforcements.
The correspondence, however, was discovered by the Ottoman authorities. Ahmed Efendi fled to Bucharest, and Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha was appointed the new pasha of Ruschuk. On receiving word from his spies that the Russians were preparing ladders, Hüsrev Mehmed promptly dispatched fresh forces to Giurgiu and hastily set about strengthening its ramparts.
Learning that the plan had been uncovered, Miloradovich reported this to the commander-in-chief. Prince Prozorovskii ordered the fortress to be stormed at once, "in accordance with circumstances." The element of surprise was thus entirely lost even before the troops moved out.
The Forces and Operational Plan of M. A. Miloradovich
To carry out the task, M. A. Miloradovich formed a corps of 17 infantry battalions (the Siberia and Little Russia Grenadier Regiments; the Apsheron, Olonets, and Odessa Musketeer Regiments; and the 6th Jäger Regiment), 8 squadrons of the Belorussia Hussars, a company of pioneers, and 6 *sotni* of Don Cossacks, with 24 guns.
According to the disposition, the troops were divided into six columns:
Columns nos. 1–5 (under Major Generals Palitsyn, Stavitskii, and Ushakov and Colonels Tolbukhin and Brimmer) were designated for the assault on Giurgiu from several directions.
The sixth column, under Colonel Lopukhin (a battalion of the Siberia Grenadier Regiment, a squadron of hussars, 50 Cossacks, and 4 guns), was detached to seize independently the enemy castle of Slobozia, where the Turkish stores were located.
The Assault on the Fortress of Giurgiu, March 24, 1809
At dawn on March 24, 1809,[^1] five Russian columns took the outer retrenchment of the suburb and advanced toward the main rampart of the fortress under a hail of fire from a garrison ready for defense.
In attempting to scale the rampart, the troops met insurmountable obstacles:
Reconnaissance errors: the available drawings proved to be wrong. The ditch was substantially deeper than estimated, and the scaling ladders that had been made turned out to be too short.
Arrival of reinforcements: at the height of the fighting a fresh detachment of Turkish infantry arrived from Ruschuk in 17 boats, sharply stiffening the enemy's resistance.
General Miloradovich was personally at the head of the first column on the rampart under continuous fire. Realizing that the escarps could not be overcome without siege guns, Miloradovich gave the order to sound the retreat and was the last to come down from the rampart. The withdrawal proceeded in perfect order: as they left, the Russians spiked 6 Turkish guns and carried off 7 with them.
The Taking of the Castle of Slobozia
In contrast to the failure at Giurgiu, the operation of Colonel Lopukhin's column at the castle of Slobozia ended in success. The advance guard under Sub-Lieutenant Baron F. K. Geismar (100 volunteer grenadiers of the Siberia Regiment and 50 Cossacks), under cover of a starlit night, approached the fortification undetected and, thanks to a local guide, found the weak points of its defenses.
At daybreak Geismar seized the outer five-gun battery and then burst through a postern gate into the castle. At the same moment an assault party under Staff Captain Russau broke in through another gate. In hand-to-hand fighting the Ottoman garrison was routed: more than 100 men surrendered, and the rest were killed. Twenty-seven guns, 32 standards, and the stores were taken in the castle. Lopukhin's battery on the bank of the Danube sank two boats carrying reinforcements from Ruschuk.
Outcome, Losses, and Military-Historical Significance
Russian losses at Giurgiu and Slobozia amounted to 250 killed, 457 wounded, and 15 missing. The death of Major General Stavitskii was a heavy loss.
Emperor Alexander I received Miloradovich's report with favor, bestowing a ring on the adjutant who brought the news and assuring the general that his high opinion of the latter's zeal and knowledge of the art of war was unchanged.
The operation of March 24, 1809, was an example of a tactical failure on the main axis combined with brilliant success on the flank. The experience of the assault on Giurgiu demonstrated the complete impossibility of taking an entrenched enemy without first breaching the ramparts with siege artillery, a key lesson before the siege of Brăila.
1 All dates are given in the Old Style (Julian calendar), which in the nineteenth century ran twelve days behind the Gregorian calendar; March 24, 1809 (O.S.) thus corresponds to April 5, 1809 (N.S.)
Date, chronology: March 24, 1809; spring 1809; early nineteenth century.
Historical events: Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812; Armistice of Slobozia; negotiations at Iași; assault on the fortress of Giurgiu; taking of the castle of Slobozia; siege of Brăila.
Geography: Russian Empire; Ottoman Porte (Ottoman Empire); Danube River; Wallachia; fortress of Giurgiu (Zhurzha); castle of Slobozia; Bucharest; Ruschuk (Ruse); Iași (Jassy).
Persons, ranks, and offices: Alexander I (Emperor of All Russia); Prince A. A. Prozorovskii (general field marshal, commander-in-chief); M. A. Miloradovich (lieutenant general, corps commander); I. F. Paskevich (imperial aide-de-camp); Baron F. K. Geismar (sub-lieutenant); Ahmed Efendi (pasha of Ruschuk); Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha (pasha of Ruschuk); Major General Palitsyn; Major General Stavitskii; Major General Ushakov; Colonel Tolbukhin; Colonel Brimmer; Colonel Lopukhin; Staff Captain Russau.
Institutions: Army of Moldavia; the Divan (Ottoman Empire); Siberia Grenadier Regiment; Little Russia Grenadier Regiment; Apsheron Musketeer Regiment; Olonets Musketeer Regiment; Odessa Musketeer Regiment; 6th Jäger Regiment; Belorussia Hussar Regiment; Don Cossack regiments; pioneer companies.
Historical processes / concepts: art of war; assault tactics; fortification (escarps, retrenchments, ramparts); siege artillery; operational deception; tactical surprise.
Source studies / historiography: troop disposition (battle order); military drawings (plans of fortifications); reports (Miloradovich's dispatch); agent intelligence ("word from spies"); secret correspondence.
