The Battle of Focșani (also Battle of Fokschani or Battle of Focsani; ) took place during the

Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) The Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792 involved an unsuccessful attempt by the Ottoman Empire to regain lands lost to the Russian Empire in the course of the previous Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). It took place concomitantly with the Austro-T ...

on 1 August 1789 (

Old Style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, they refer to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries betwe ...

21 July) between the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

and the alliance of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

near

Focșani Focșani (; ) is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the banks the river Milcov, in the historical region of Moldavia. , it has a population of 66,719. Geography Focșani lies at the foot of the Curvature Carpathians, at a point of ...

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

(now in

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 ...

). The Russians were led by

Alexander Suvorov Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy () was a Russian general and military theorist in the service of the Russian Empire. Born in Moscow, he studied military history as a young boy and joined the Imperial Russian ...

, the Austrians by

Prince Josias of Coburg Prince Frederick Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (; 26 December 1737 – 26 February 1815) was a military commander in the army of the Holy Roman Empire. He began his career at the age of 18 in a cavalry regiment with which he took part in the Se ...

, and the Ottomans by

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

Koca Yusuf Pasha. The Austrian army numbered 18,000 Austrian and Hungarian troops. The Russian contingent was made up of 7,000 soldiers. The Ottomans mustered ca. 30,000 soldiers. The allies stormed the Ottoman entrenched camp and drove the Turks out of Moldavia.

The Moldavian campaign begins

As the campaigning season of 1789 began, Koca Yusuf Pasha,

of the Ottoman Empire, took steps to defend the vassal states of Moldavia and

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

. He faced the prospect of offensives from two directions. To the northwest lay an Austrian army of 18,000 men under Coburg. Meanwhile, Suvorov was marching Russian troops into Moldavia from the northeast. Yusuf Pasha determined to attack the Austrian forces before they could link up with their Russian allies.Jeremy Black, ''The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492-1792'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 134-35. To this end, he ordered Osman Pasha to lead an army of 30,000 men north to Focșani. The town was an important trade center strategically located on the border between Moldavia and Wallachia. Learning of the Ottoman approach, Coburg asked his Russian counterpart for assistance. Suvorov marched with 7,000 men. He left his position at

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 ...

on July 28 and marched 40 miles in 28 hours to reach Coburg the next day on the

Siret River The Siret or Sireth (, , , ) is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of Ukraine, and flows southward into Romania before it joins the Danube. It is long,

Preparation for battle

The Russians and Austrians advanced from the Siret in two columns. Suvorov commanded the left column, Coburg the right. They made contact with Osman Pasha's outposts on July 31 and drove them back on the main Turkish army at Focșani. On August 1, Suvorov and Coburg drew up their forces in two lines, with their

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

in squares. The illustration accompanying this article shows infantry in square formations. In previous engagements with the Ottomans, the Russian Army had deployed its infantry in line. Russian commanders soon found that using linear tactics against the Turks led to disaster. The Ottomans attacked the long and thin Russian lines with masses of excellent cavalry, which were able to pierce the Russian formations and break them into fragments. Suvorov and others reorganized their battle formations into square. These squares could repel Ottoman

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

charges and then advance to win battles. Suvorov used squares made up of individual regiments and battalions, disposed in a checkerboard pattern, with skirmishers in loose order. His battlefield deployment led to more flexibility, speed, mutual fire support, ability to break through the Ottoman defenses, and steadfastness in repelling Turkish cavalry and light infantry attacks. The Austrians had reached a conclusion similar to that of the Russians. In the

Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739) The term Austro-Turkish War may refer to: * Austro-Turkish War (1593–1606) * Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) * Austro-Turkish War (1683–1699) * Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) * Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739) * Austro-Turkish War (1788– ...

, the Austrians had used linear tactics against the Ottomans. Now they adopted infantry squares arranged to offer mutual support. Ironically, by the late 18th century, Ottoman cavalry such as feudal

sipahi The ''sipahi'' ( , ) were professional cavalrymen deployed by the Seljuk Turks and later by the Ottoman Empire. ''Sipahi'' units included the land grant–holding ('' timar'') provincial ''timarli sipahi'', which constituted most of the arm ...

s and deli volunteers, had declined substantially in quality and importance. The mainstays of an Ottoman army were the professional artillery corps and the infantry, including salaried troops such as

janissaries A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted du ...

and auxiliaries such as those fielded by the

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

aristocracy of Moldavia and Wallachia.

The Battle of Focșani

The battle began around 9:00 a.m. on August 1, 1789, as the Russian and Austrian artillery opened fire on the Turkish lines. The Turks had fortified their camp with a line of entrenchments. Ottoman troops in the Balkans were experienced at erecting field fortifications, which could include ditches, earthen ramparts, and wooden

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...

s and

towers A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

. The Ottomans sortied from their defenses to attack the allies all along their battle line. Allied

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

and

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

fire drove the Turks back. Suvorov then attacked the Turkish right flank. The Russian cavalry was repulsed, but the Russian infantry attack was successful. The Turks were pushed back into their entrenchments under close range Russian fire. On the Ottoman left, the Austrian infantry also threw back the defenders. Defeated on both ends of their line, the Ottomans fled. The victory was complete by 4:00 p.m. The allies lacked the resources to pursue the Turks and advanced no further into Ottoman territory. The Turkish casualties numbered 1,500 dead and 2,500 wounded. Allied casualties amounted to 800. The allies had captured 12 Ottoman guns.Field, 2011, 476; Onacewicz, 1985, 155.

Aftermath

With Osman Pasha beaten and driven from Moldavia, Yusuf Pasha's replacement as Grand Vizier, Cenaze Hasan Pasha, had to come up with a new strategy. In September, the Vizier himself went on the offensive with 100,000 men. Again, Suvorov joined Coburg, and the result was a great allied victory at the

Battle of Rymnik The Battle of Rymnik or Rimnik, also Battle of Mărtinești ( Buzău_(river).html" ;"title="'Battle of the Buzău (river)">Boze'' 'Battle of the Rymnik'' ), on , took place in Wallachia, at the Râmnicul Sărat River, known as the Rymnik, ...

Order of battle

The following is a list of the units that comprised the Austro-Russian army at Focșani. Russian units: *Apsheron

Musketeer A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifl ...

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

, *Rostov Musketeer Regiment, *Smolensk Musketeer Regiment, * Jäger regiment, *2

grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

s, *Ryazan Dragoon Regiment, *Starodub Dragoon Regiment, *Chernigov Dragoon Regiment, *

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

. Austrian units: *Kaiser Infantry Regiment, *Kaunitz Infantry Regiment, *Schröder Infantry Regiment, *Wenzel Colloredo Infantry Regiment, *First Szekler Grenz Regiment, *Second Szekler Grenz Regiment, *Karl Toscana Grenadier Battalion, *Khevenhüller Grenadier Battalion, *Mittrowsky Grenadier Battalion, *Pellegrini Grenadier Battalion, *Levenher Chevauxleger Regiment, *Barco

Hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

Regiment, *Kaiser Hussar Regiment, * Szekler Hussar Regiment, *Arnauten (Albanian auxiliaries) or local auxiliaries: Wallachian for Habsburg forces, "armed Moldavian" in Russian forces.^ https://m.aftershock.news/?q=node/336046 File:Ordine de mars focsani 1789 A. VON WITZLEBEN.png, Battle of Focșani march-order File:Ordin de lupta focsani1 789 A. VON WITZLEBEN.png, Order of battle HartafocsaniSmall

Notes

References

Sources

*Black, Jeremy. ''The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492-1792''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. *Criste, O., ''Kriege under Kaiser Josef II''. Vienna: K.u.K. Kriegsarchivs, 1904. Nafziger Collection, http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/789GAA.pdf , http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/789HAA.pdf (accessed December 20, 2017). *Field, Jacob F. "Focsani, 1 August 1789", R.G. Grant, ed., ''1001 Battles that Changed the Course of History''. New York: Universe Publishing, 2011. *Onacewicz, Wlodzimierz. ''Empires by Conquest''. Fairfax: Hero Books, 1985. *Nicolle, David, and Angus McBride. ''Armies of the Ottoman Empire, 1775-1820''. London: Osprey, 1998. *Tucker, Spencer C., ed. "Aleksandr Vasilievich Suvorov", ''A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East''. ABC-CLIO, 2010.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Focsani, Battle Of Battles involving Austria Battles involving Hungary Battles involving the Ottoman Empire Battles involving the Russian Empire Military history of Romania Battle of Focsani Conflicts in 1789 1789 in Europe 1789 in the Ottoman Empire 18th century in Moldavia Alexander Suvorov Battles of the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)