Battle of Giurgiu (1854)

Battle of Giurgiu - Fighting during the Crimean Wars, which took place in the Danube theater of operations on islands near Giurgiu (city) i from June 21 (July 3) to June 26 (July 8), 1854.

After the Russian Southern Army on June 11 (23) removed the siege of Silistria and began to withdraw to the north bank of the Danube, the Turkish commander Omer Pasha began to pull together his forces to Rushchuk to force the river and invade Wallachia. Adjutant General M. D. Gorchakov, commander of the Southern Army, reinforced the detachment of Lieutenant General F. I. Soimonov (an infantry brigade, two batteries and the Pavlograd Hussar Regiment standing at Jurju. Soimonov]]a (infantry brigade, two batteries and Pavlograd Hussar Regiment), standing at Zhurzhi, a detachment of Major-General A. K. Baumgartena (Tobolsk Infantry Regiment, one battery and a squadron of lancers), and moved the 11th Infantry Division from the place Katarzhi to Bucharest 11th Infantry Division]] By June 21 (July 3), Omer Pasha had drawn more than 30,000 men to Rushchuk and opened fire on Zhurzha on the same day. The next day Soimonov took a battalion with 8 guns island Rodoman, lying on the north bank of the Danube southwest of Giurgiu. On June 23 (July 5), the Turks, using a steamship and 18 boats,^[1] crossed to Makan Island, where they began building batteries. On June 25 (July 7), the Turks, under cover of fire from all the batteries, began a simultaneous crossing to Rodoman, Makan, and to Zhurzhe.

On the vast Rodoman the first attack was repulsed by three battalions of Tomsk Regimenta Lieutenant-General S. A. Khruleva. Soimonov sent two battalions of the Tobolsk regiment in support. The skirmish, which at times turned into hand-to-hand combat, lasted into the night.

The troops fought in the most unfavorable conditions, some units were three days without hot food, the wounded were taken away under the scorching sun, on straw, without bandages.^[2] The Russian soldier stopped trusting the rifle, seeing how much worse it was than the enemy's: “The soldiers know how to deal with the bayonet perfectly, but they shoot hastily, without aiming, with little reliance on their rifle,” says a participant in the battle. And makes a general conclusion: “We need better rifles and good heads, and we can cope with the Turks.”^[3]

On the night of June 26 (July 8) Soimonov, finding the position disproportionate to the number of troops, ordered the destruction of the bridge connecting the island of Rodoman with the left bank of the Danube, and withdrew his detachment first to Zhurzha, and then to the heights near Frateshti.

Russian troops lost, according to one data - 342 killed and 473 wounded, according to others - 1015, according to others - 1800 people.^[2] The Turks, according to the testimony of prisoners, lost about 5 thousand.

The Turks were content with occupying Zhurzhi and did not pursue. Gorchakov, having concentrated in the town of Frateshti 46 battalions of infantry, 60 squadrons of cavalry, 4 Cossack regiments and 180 guns, waited in vain for the Turks, but they did not start moving out of Zhurzhi. Gorchakov had to send to the Crimea 16th Division, after which he continued his retreat on July 15 (27).

• Журжево // Военная энциклопедия : [в 18 т.] / под ред. В. Ф. Новицкого … [и других: К. И. Величко, А. В. фон-Шварца, В. А. Апушкина, Г. К. фон-Шульца]. — Санкт-Петербург ; [Москва] : Типография т-ва И. Д. Сытина, 1911—1915.
• М. И. Богданович. Восточная война 1853-1856 гг. В 4 т. — СПб.: Тип. Ф. Сущинского, 1876.
• Е. В. Тарле. Крымская война. В 2-х т. — М.-Л.: 1941-1944

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