Battle of Oltenița facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Oltenița |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Crimean War | |||||||
 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ottoman Empire |
 Russian Empire |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Omar Pasha | Peter Dannenberg | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5 companies of infantry, 150 cavalrymen, 6 guns Russian estimate:8,000 with 20 guns |
8 battalions of infantry, 9 squadrons of cavalry In total, about 6,000 |
||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 30 dead 150 wounded |
600–700 killed 3,000–4,000 wounded |
||||||
The Battle of Oltenița was a fight that happened on November 4, 1853. It was the very first battle of the Crimean War. In this battle, the Ottoman army, led by Omar Pasha, defended their strong positions. They were attacked by Russian forces, led by General Peter Dannenberg. The Russians had to pull back, even though they reached the Ottoman defenses. They lost many soldiers. The Ottomans kept their ground but did not chase the Russians. Later, the Ottomans moved back across the Danube.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
This battle was part of the bigger Crimean War. Before the war started, Russia had taken over two areas called Moldavia and Wallachia. They placed their soldiers on the north side of the Danube, which was the border with Ottoman land.
The Ottoman Empire responded by sending their own soldiers. These troops were led by Omar Pasha. They gathered on the south side of the Danube. On the left side of the Ottoman army, a large force gathered near the Vidin fortress. The Russians did not have many soldiers there.
In the middle, Russian forces near Bucharest faced Ottoman forces. These Ottoman forces were in fortresses like Ruse, Turtukai, and Silistra. The Ottoman Empire told Russia to leave their lands by October 4, 1853. When Russia did not leave, the Ottomans began to act.
On October 28, 1853, Ottoman forces crossed the Danube River. They wanted to push the Russians out of western Wallachia. On October 30, Omar Pasha himself arrived at the troops near the Turtukai fortress.
The Battle Begins
On November 2, 1853, some Ottoman soldiers, led by Omar Pasha, crossed the Danube. They went into eastern Wallachia. They took over a strong quarantine post near the village of Oltenița. This was across from the Turtukai fortress.
First, one group of Ottomans crossed, then another. They quickly built up some defenses. Omar Pasha reported that they had three companies of regular soldiers. They also had two companies of riflemen, 150 horsemen, and 6 cannons. Several artillery guns were placed on the Ottoman side of the Danube. More guns were on an island near the quarantine post. Omar Pasha stayed in Turtukai during the battle.
On November 4, Russian troops attacked. General Dannenberg led them. The Russians had 8 groups of foot soldiers and 9 groups of cavalry. This was about 6,000 soldiers in total.
The Attack
First, the Russian artillery fired for two hours. They had 16 guns. They slowly moved closer to the Ottoman defenses. The Russians thought the Ottoman return fire was weak enough. So, they sent all their foot soldiers to attack.
The foot soldiers marched in close groups. They faced heavy fire from Turkish riflemen and cannons. They lost many soldiers. The attackers reached a ditch in front of the Ottoman defenses. But then, they were told to retreat. The Russians lost about 970 men in total.
Why the Russians Failed
The Russians failed for several reasons. They had too few soldiers. Their scouting was poor. Their artillery did not do enough to stop the strong Ottoman defenses. Also, the order to retreat came when Russian soldiers were almost breaking through.
Emperor Nicholas I of Russia studied the battle carefully. He said Dannenberg's troops did not have enough artillery. They could not drive the Ottomans away or stop their cannons. These cannons were also supported by other guns across the Danube. The Emperor also thought the Russians should have fought in a looser formation. They should have used marksmen to shoot into the openings of the enemy defenses.
Dannenberg said he ordered the retreat because his troops would be open to Turkish artillery fire from across the Danube. But this reason was not very good. It did not explain why the attack happened at all if that was the risk.
Omar Pasha said his army lost about 180 soldiers. The Russians did not know the exact Ottoman losses. But they thought the Ottomans must have lost many soldiers. This was because the Ottomans used many shrapnel shells from close range.
What Happened Next
The Battle of Oltenița was the first military fight of the Crimean War. The Ottomans won a tactical victory. This means the Russians left, and the Ottomans kept their position. However, the Ottomans did not chase the Russians.
Later, the Russian army brought more soldiers to Oltenița. So, the Ottomans left and went back across the Danube.
The European newspapers made the battle seem like a huge Ottoman victory. But it did not change much in the war. Western newspapers were confused when the Ottomans retreated afterward. Still, the Russians felt bad about their loss. The Ottomans felt good about their first important victory.
See also
- Battle of Cetate
- Siege of Calafat
- Siege of Silistra
