Battle of Cetate

The Battle of Cetate was fought during the Crimean War. In this battle a large Ottoman force under Ahmed Pasha unsuccessfully attempted to capture the village of Cetate which was controlled by Russian Colonel Alexander Baumgarten [ru; de].

Battle of Cetate
Part of the Crimean War
The Battle of Cetate
Date 31 December 1853 – 6 January 1854 Location Cetate, Wallachia 44°06′N 23°13′E Result Inconclusive[lower-alpha 1]
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ahmed Pasha Omar Pasha	Col. Alexander Karlovich Baumgarten (WIA) Maj. Gen. Karl Aleksandrovich Bellegarde Iosif Anrep-Elmpt (unengaged)
Strength
18,000 (totally[2]), 24 guns[3]	First Engagement: 2,500, 6 guns (Baumgarten)[3] (full force[2]) Second Engagement: 5,000[3]–7,000[2] (Baumgarten & Bellegarde)
Casualties and losses
3,000, 6 guns, 3 banners[3]	835 killed and 1,213 wounded[4]

Background

The battle took place during the Danube campaign of the Crimean War. In the build-up to the war, Russia occupied the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, positioning troops on the left (northern) bank of the Danube, which formed the border with Ottoman territory. The Ottoman Empire had responded by moving troops to the right bank to face them.

In the west, on the border with Austria and Serbia, Russian troops in Cetate were faced by Ottoman forces in the fortress of Vidin.

Following the Ottoman ultimatum on 4 October 1853 to withdraw within 2 weeks, Ottoman forces under Ahmed Pasha crossed the river and occupied the town of Calafat, which they fortified as a bridgehead.

Battle

On 31 December 1853 Ahmed Pasha and a force of several thousand cavalry, supported by infantry, advanced to attack Cetate, which was held by a Russian detachment, under Colonel Alexander K. Baumgarten. This attack was repulsed, after which both sides called up reinforcements.

On 6 January 1854 (Christmas Day in the Russian Orthodox calendar), Ahmed renewed his assault with a force of 18,000 men.^[3] The Russians repelled several attacks but were running out of shells and losing a significant number of the troops.^[3] However, Russian reinforcements arrived during the day (under Major General Karl Aleksandrovich Bellegarde [ru]^[3]) and pushed the Turks out of their trenches, but failed in their attempts to dislodge the Turks from the staging area.^[2]

Aftermath

In the evening, having received the news that General Anrep with large forces moves to the battlefield, Ahmed, fearing an assault on his base and being cut off himself, abandoned the town and retreated to Calafat, the Russians for some time persecuted, having killed many.

Gallery

• 
  Battle of Cetate by Karl Lanzedelli
• 
  Arrival at Calafat of the wounded from Cetate
• 
  Distribution of the Medjidie, after the Battle of Cetate
• 
  Colonel Alexander Karlovich Baumgarten, sometimes between 1858 and 1861

References

1. The first battle began with the Ottoman offensive, all attacks were repulsed with heavy losses for both sides, the battle ended with the success of the Russians^[1] Bellegarde's troops arrived and knocked the Ottomans out of their trenches, but failed in their attempts to dislodge the Ottomans from the staging area; therefore, the second engagement, against Bellegarde, was also a draw. But as news of Anrep's arrival on the battlefield came to the Ottomans in the evening, they retreated, and were shattered in the course of their withdrawal (n.b.: Anrep was not involved in the battle).^[2]

1. Егоршина 2023, p. 425.
2. Yevgeny Tarle. Крымская война. — Vol. 1. — Ch. IV. Дунайская кампания 1853 г. Вторжение русских войск в Молдавию и Валахию. Ольтеница и Четати. — P. 275–278
3. "Cetate". encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
4. Егоршина 2023, p. 426.

Bibliography

• Baumgart, Winfried (1999). The Crimean War: 1853–1856. London: Arnold. ISBN 0-340-75960-7. OCLC 48249310.
• Егоршина, Петрова (2023). История русской армии [The history of the Russian Army] (in Russian). Moscow: Moskva. ISBN 978-5-699-42397-2.

See also

• Battle of Oltenița