The resentment of the great commander. How Suvorov took the impregnable Izmail. Capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail

The assault on Ishmael became an apotheosis Russian-Turkish war 1787-1791. The war was provoked by Türkiye, which was trying to take revenge for previous defeats. In this endeavor, the Turks relied on the support of Great Britain, France and Prussia, which, however, did not themselves intervene in hostilities.

In July 1787, Türkiye issued an ultimatum demanding from Russia the return of Crimea, renunciation of Georgian patronage and consent to inspect Russian merchant ships passing through the straits. Having not received a satisfactory answer, the Turkish government declared war on Russia on August 12 (23), 1787. In turn, Russia decided to take advantage of the situation to expand its possessions in the Northern Black Sea region by completely displacing Turkish troops from there.

Fighting turned out disastrously for the Turks. The Russian armies inflicted defeat after defeat on the enemy, both on land and at sea. Two Russian military geniuses shone in the battles of the war - commander Alexander Suvorov and naval commander Fedor Ushakov.

In October 1787, Russian troops under the command of General-in-Chief A.V. Suvorov almost completely destroyed the 6,000-strong Turkish landing force that intended to capture the mouth of the Dnieper on the Kinburn Spit. In 1788, the Russian army won a brilliant victory near Ochakov, and in 1789 near Fokshani on the Rymnik River. The Russian Black Sea Fleet won victories at Ochakov and Fiodonisi in 1788, in the Kerch Strait and at Tendra Island in 1790. It was obvious that Türkiye was suffering a decisive defeat. However, Russian diplomats were unable to persuade the Turks to sign a peace treaty. They hoped that having the powerful Izmail fortress as a support base at the mouth of the Danube, they would be able to turn the tide of the war in their favor.

The Izmail fortress lay on the left bank of the Kiliya branch of the Danube between lakes Yalpukh and Katlabukh, on a gently sloping slope ending at the Danube bed with a low but rather steep slope.

The strategic importance of Izmail was very great: the routes from Galati, Khotin, Bender and Kilia converged here. Its fall created the possibility of Russian troops breaking through the Danube into Dobruja, which threatened the Turks with the loss of vast territories and even the partial collapse of the empire. In preparation for war with Russia, Türkiye strengthened Izmail as much as possible. The best German and French military engineers were involved in fortification work. We can say that it was one of the most perfect fortresses in Europe at that time. The fortress was surrounded by a rampart up to 8 meters high and a wide ditch with a depth of 6.4 - 0.7 m, in places filled with water. There were 260 guns on 11 bastions. The garrison of Izmail consisted of 35 thousand people under the command of serasker Aidozly Muhammad Pasha. Part of the garrison was commanded by Kaplan Giray, the brother of the Crimean Khan, who was assisted by his five sons. The garrison personnel were ready to fight to the end, since, enraged by military failures, the Turkish Sultan issued a special firman in which he promised to execute anyone who left Ishmael.

The siege of the fortress began in mid-November 1790, but was not successful. At the end of November 1790, at a military council, generals Gudovich, Pavel Potemkin and de Ribas decided to withdraw their troops to winter quarters. And then, to organize the assault, by order of the commander of the Southern Army, His Serene Highness Prince G. A. Potemkin, Chief General A. V. Suvorov went there.

The commander arrived at the troops on December 2 (13) and immediately began preparing for the assault. The plan for the assault on Izmail was a sudden night attack of the fortress from three sides at once with the support of a river flotilla. At that time, Suvorov had 31 thousand people under his command, of which 15 thousand were irregular Cossack troops, and 500 guns. According to the canons military science, an assault in such conditions is doomed to failure.

Having personally carried out a reconstruction and not finding any weak points in the fortress, the great commander nevertheless acted without delay. He completed preparations for the assault in just six days. At a distance from the fortress, an exact copy of its rampart and moat was built. At night, the soldiers learned to throw fascines - bundles of brushwood - into the ditch, cross it, place ladders against the shaft and climb the shaft.

On December 7 (18), a letter from Count Potemkin was delivered to Izmail Aidozle-Mehmet Pasha with an offer to surrender. Suvorov attached his note to the letter: “I arrived here with the troops. 24 hours for reflection - will; My first shot is already bondage; assault - death. Which I leave for you to think about.”

The next day, Aidozla Mehmet Pasha asked for ten days to consider the Russian proposal.

Not flattered by the prospect of Izmail’s surrender without a fight, Suvorov convened a military council on December 9 (20) - this was required by the charter when making an important decision. He recalled that Russian troops had already approached the fortress twice and both times left with nothing. The third time all that remains is to take Ishmael or die. “The difficulties are great: the fortress is strong, the garrison is a whole army, but nothing can stand against Russian weapons. We are strong and confident!” – with these words Suvorov finished his speech.

For two days, Russian artillery (almost six hundred guns) began to destroy Turkish fortifications. The Turks responded. One of their rare howitzers threw fifteen-pound cannonballs at Russian positions. But by noon on December 10 (11), the Turkish artillery weakened the fire, and by the evening it stopped firing altogether. At night, only dull noise could be heard from the fortress - the Turks were making final preparations for defense.

At three o'clock in the morning on December 11 (22), Russian columns approached the fortress. The rowing flotilla approached the designated places. Suvorov divided his forces into three detachments of three columns each. Major General de Ribas's detachment (9,000 people) attacked from the river side; the right wing under the command of Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin (7,500 people) was supposed to strike from the western part of the fortress; the left wing of Lieutenant General Samoilov (12,000 people) is from the east. 2,500 cavalrymen remained Suvorov's last reserve for the most extreme case.

At 5:30 a.m. the assault began simultaneously from nine directions. It took only two and a half hours for the attackers to find themselves in impregnable Izmail. However, this was not yet a victory. Fierce, deadly battles began in the city. Each house was a small fortress, the Turks did not hope for mercy, they fought to the last opportunity. But the courage of the Russian troops was extraordinary, reaching, as it were, to the complete denial of the sense of self-preservation.

At four o'clock in the afternoon Ishmael became quiet. The shouts of “Hurray” and “Alla” were no longer heard. The fiercest battle is over. Only herds of thousands of frightened horses, escaped from the stables, rushed along the blood-stained streets.

The Turks suffered huge losses: out of 35 thousand, they lost 26 thousand killed, including four two-bunch pashas and one three-bunch pasha. 9 thousand surrendered, of which about 2 thousand died from wounds in the first day after the assault. Only one Turk managed to leave the fortress. Slightly wounded, he fell into the water, swam across the Danube, holding on to a log, and was the first to bring his news of the fall of the fortress.

The Russian army and navy lost 2,136 people killed (including: 1 brigadier, 66 officers, 1,816 soldiers, 158 Cossacks, 95 sailors); 3214 wounded (including: 3 generals, 253 officers, 2450 soldiers, 230 Cossacks, 278 sailors). In total - 5350 people, on the eve of the assault, 1 brigantine was sunk by Turkish artillery.

Russian trophies included 345 banners and 7 horsetails, 265 guns, up to 3 thousand pounds of gunpowder, 20 thousand cannonballs and many other military supplies, up to 400 banners, 8 lançons, 12 ferries, 22 light ships and a lot of rich booty that went to the army, totaling amount up to 10 million piastres (over 1 million rubles).

Suvorov took measures to ensure order. Kutuzov, appointed commandant of Izmail, placed guards in the most important places. A huge hospital was opened inside the city. The bodies of the killed Russians were taken out of town and buried in church rite. There were so many Turkish corpses that the order was given to throw the bodies into the Danube, and prisoners were assigned to this work, divided into queues. But even with this method, Ishmael was cleared of corpses only after 6 days. The prisoners were sent in batches to Nikolaev under the escort of Cossacks.

The fall of an impregnable fortress and the death of an entire army caused a state close to despair in Turkey.

After the assault, Suvorov reported to Potemkin: “There is no stronger fortress, no more desperate defense, like Ishmael, who fell in a bloody assault!”

The capture of Izmail was of great political significance. It influenced the further course of the war and the conclusion of the Peace of Iasi between Russia and Turkey in 1792, which confirmed the annexation of Crimea to Russia and established the Russian-Turkish border along the Dniester River. Thus, the entire northern Black Sea region from the Dniester to the Kuban was assigned to Russia.

Many officers who took part in the assault were awarded orders, and those who were not awarded the order received a special form of golden cross on the St. George ribbon with the inscription “For excellent courage.” All lower ranks who participated in the assault were awarded silver medals on St. George ribbons with the inscription “For excellent courage in the capture of Izmail on December 11, 1790.”

Let us recall that Izmail was taken by an army that was inferior in number to the garrison of the fortress - an extremely rare case in the history of military art.

The assault on Izmail provided another example of the courage and heroism of Russian soldiers and officers. The military genius A.V. Suvorov is still unsurpassed. His success lay not only in the careful development of the battle plan, but also in the tireless support of the fighting spirit of the Russian army.

The unofficial Russian anthem “Thunder of Victory, Ring Out!” is dedicated to the storming of Izmail. The author of the words was the poet Gabriel Derzhavin. It begins with the following lines:

Thunder of victory, ring out!

Have fun, brave Ross!

Decorate yourself with resounding glory.

You beat Mohammed!

Soon after the victory over the Turks, Chief General Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov began strengthening the new Russian-Turkish border running along the Dniester River. By his order, Tiraspol, the largest city in Transnistria today, was founded on the left bank of the Dniester in 1792.

Reference:

The reader of this article may have a question: “Why is the Day of Military Glory set on December 24, and not on the 22nd, the day of the capture of Ishmael?

The point is that in preparation Federal Law“On the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russia” did not take into account the fact that the difference between the Julian calendar, which was in force in Russia until 1918, and the modern Gregorian calendar, was respectively in the 13th century. – 7 days, XIV century. – 8 days, XV century. – 9 days, XVI and XVII centuries. – 10 days, XVIII century. – 11 days, XIX century. – 12 days, XX and XXI centuries. – 13 days. Legislators simply added 13 days to the “Old Calendar” date. Therefore, historical science uses dates other than those in the law, but I think this unfortunate inaccuracy does not detract from the exploits of our ancestors, which we and subsequent generations should remember. For, as the brilliant Russian poet and patriot Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin wrote: “It is not only possible, but also necessary to be proud of the glory of your ancestors.”

When preparing the article we used:

The painting “Entry of A.V. Suvorov in Izmail", art. Rusinov A.V.

Engraving by S. Shiflyar “The Assault of Izmail on December 11 (22), 1790” (colorized version). Made according to a watercolor drawing by the famous battle painter M. M. Ivanov. The drawing was based on full-scale sketches made by the artist during the battle.

Photos of the diorama “Storm of the Izmail fortress in 1790” (Izmail Historical Museum of A.V. Suvorov). This artistic canvas measuring 20x8 m with a full-scale foreground was created in 1973 by battle painters of the Studio of Military Artists named after. M. B. Grekova. E. Danilevsky and V. Sibirsky.

Igor Lyndin

WITH Today is the day of military glory of Russia...
It was installed in honor of the Day of Capture Turkish fortress Izmail by Russian troops under the command of A.V. Suvorov in 1790. Of particular importance during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791 was the capture of Izmail, the citadel of Turkish rule on the Danube. The fortress was built under the leadership of German and French engineers in accordance with the latest fortification requirements....

The Izmail fortress was considered impregnable. Its walls are built of durable stone. From the south it was protected by the Danube, which is half a kilometer wide. And all around there was a high rampart stretching for six miles, from three to four fathoms in height, and around the rampart a ditch was dug 12 meters wide and 6 to 10 meters deep, in some places there was water up to 2 meters deep. There were more than two hundred huge cannons on the rampart...

Inside the city there were many stone buildings convenient for defense. The fortress garrison numbered 35 thousand people and 265 guns.

In November 1790, Russian troops (outnumbered) began the siege of Izmail. Two attempts to take the fortress ended in failure. And then the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Field Marshal G.A. Potemkin entrusted the capture of the impregnable fortress to Suvorov. Intensified preparations for the assault began.

In an effort to avoid bloodshed, Suvorov sent an ultimatum to the commandant of Izmail to surrender the fortress:

“To Seraskir, the elders and the whole society. I arrived here with the troops. 24 hours to think about surrender - and the will; My first shots are already bondage. Assault is death. Which I leave to you to consider.”

In response, the Turks sent a long, flowery answer, the meaning of which boiled down to a request for another 10 days to think about it.

Phrase: “It is sooner that the sky will fall to the ground and the Danube will flow upward than Ishmael will surrender,” was told to Suvorov after the assault, but was not expressed as an official response to the ultimatum.

Suvorov gave the Turks another day to think and continued to prepare the troops for the assault.

(11) On December 22, 1790, Russian troops in nine columns from different directions moved to storm the fortress.

The river flotilla approached the shore and, under the cover of artillery fire, landed troops. The skillful leadership of Suvorov and his comrades, the courage of soldiers and officers decided the outcome of the battle, which lasted 9 hours - the Turks defended stubbornly, but Izmail was taken.

The enemy lost 26 thousand killed and 9 thousand captured. 265 guns, 42 ships, 345 banners were captured.

Suvorov indicated in his report that the Russian army lost 1,815 people killed and 2,455 wounded. It is noteworthy that Izmail was taken by an army that was inferior in number to the garrison of the fortress. The case is extremely rare in the history of military art.

Suvorov gave the city to the army for three days to plunder. Many soldiers' families became rich after this. The soldiers recalled for a long time the assault on Ishmael and the wealth of its population. Those who did not regret parting with their property and showed resistance were mercilessly killed. Suvorov himself did not take anything, not even the stallion that was very persistently given to him.

Success was ensured by the thoroughness and secrecy of the preparations, the surprise of the actions and the simultaneous impact of all columns, and the clear and precise setting of goals.

The basis of Calend.ru, paintings - Internet

At sunrise on December 10, artillery preparation began, which continued all day, especially intensifying from 12 o'clock at night. The Russians fired 607 guns (40 field guns and 567 naval guns). The Turks responded with fire from 300 guns. Gradually the firing from the fortress began to weaken and finally stopped. The fire from Russian guns caused losses to the fortress garrison and suppressed Turkish artillery.

At 3 a.m. on December 11, 1790, the first signal racket went up in the darkness of the night. At this signal, Russian troops moved from their starting position to the places designated by order of Suvorov. The rifle and work teams approached the ditch. At 4 o'clock the second rocket took off, which meant that it was time to form columns and teams in the battle formation established for the assault and begin moving towards the walls of the fortress. At 5 o'clock. 30 min. In the morning, the third rocket rose, with the appearance of which the Russian troops moved to attack the fortress.

In darkness and fog, Russian assault columns quickly approached the walls of Izmail. At this time, Russian artillery began firing at the fortress with blank shells, which masked the approach of the assault columns.

The Turks did not fire until the Russians had approached within 400 steps. When the first ranks of Russian fighters reached this distance, Turkish artillery fired grapeshot at the approaching columns. Despite the fire, Russian soldiers, running up to the ditch, skillfully threw fascines at it or bravely forded it, although the water reached their shoulders. In front of the columns were riflemen and sappers with axes and shovels, and reserves moved behind.

Russian soldiers attached ladders that were up to 10 meters long to the walls of the fortress. However, in some places the walls were even higher. We had to connect two 10-meter ladders. Often the shaky ladders fell, but the Russian soldiers climbed up, helping each other. The soldiers climbed along sheer walls and a steep rampart, sticking bayonets and blades into it. Those who climbed the walls of the fortress lowered ropes from them and fought hand-to-hand fights with the Turks, who shot at point-blank range, pushed away ladders, and threw hand bombs.

The best Russian shooters at that time stood on the edge of the ditch and, seizing the moment of the flash of gun shots, accurately shot at the Turks who were on the walls of the fortress.

Already at 6 o'clock. on the morning of December 11, the fighters of the second column of Major General Lassi, in front of which Major L. Ya. Neklyudov walked with arrows, climbed the rampart and took possession of the lunette to the left of the Tabia redoubt.

Leading his riflemen to the assault, Second Major L. Ya. Neklyudov showed an example of courage by personal example. Ahead of the fighters, L. Ya. Neklyudov was the first to cross the ditch and the first to climb the ramparts. Throwing himself at the Turks standing on the wall, L. Ya. Neklyudov began the battle on the fortifications of Izmail and was seriously wounded. The soldiers saved L. Ya. Neklyudov, one of the bravest participants in the assault on Izmail, who was the first to enter the wall of the fortress.

When these events developed to the left of the Tabiya redoubt, the first column of Major General Lvov, due to the impossibility of a frontal attack, bypassed the Tabiya stone redoubt with right side, but due to the brutal fire of the Turkish batteries she could not take it. The Turks, meanwhile, launched a strong counterattack on the second column, during which Major General Lassi was wounded. Suvorov’s favorites, the Phanagorian grenadiers under the command of Colonel Zolotukhin, fought especially successfully in this sector; The grenadiers managed to break open the Brossky and Khotynsky gates, let the reserve inside the fortress and connect with the Lassi column. Replacing the wounded Lassi, Colonel Zolotukhin took command of the second column. Meanwhile, Lvov's first column, continuing to aggressively attack, captured several Turkish batteries and broke into the fortress, where it united with the second column.

The column of Major General Meknob found itself in a difficult situation, which, instead of the curtain at the Khotyn Gate indicated to it by order of Suvorov, attacked the large bastion in the northwestern corner of the fortress, as well as the adjacent bastion and the curtain between them. Here the fortress rampart had the smallest height, and therefore this area was defended by the commandant of the fortress Aidozli-Mehmet Pasha himself with selected Janissaries. At the very beginning of the assault, Major General Meknob was wounded. He was replaced by Colonel Khvostov, who stood at the head of the soldiers going on the attack; Breaking the fierce resistance of the Turks, Russian soldiers overcame the rampart and pushed the Turks into the depths of the fortress.

From the north-eastern side, the Cossack column of Brigadier Orlov acted, which began to climb the rampart, but at that time the Turks made a sortie from the Bendery Gate with significant forces. A.V. Suvorov vigilantly watched the assault. Seeing that the enemy had struck Orlov’s Cossacks on the flank, he sent reinforcements to their aid - an infantry battalion, seven cavalry squadrons and a Cossack regiment. The Turkish counterattack was repulsed, but Orlov’s column was still unable to capture the rampart.

The column of Brigadier Platov, advancing along the ravine, encountered an obstacle - a curtain, which, crossing a stream flowing through the ravine, formed a dam with a depth above the waist. The Cossacks forded the dam. The Turks counterattacked Platov's column, cut it in two and threw it into the ditch. But thanks to the infantry battalion sent by Suvorov to help, Platov soon took possession of the curtain. Following this, part of Platov’s troops moved to support Orlov’s column, and the other part entered into cooperation with Arsenyev’s landing brigade advancing from the south.

From the eastern side, Russian troops stormed the most powerful fortification of Izmail - the New Fortress. Here the Turks met the sixth column going to attack with a hail of bullets and grapeshot. It was commanded by Major General M. I. Kutuzov. The soldiers of the column, led by Kutuzov, managed to climb the wall of the New Fortress. However, the Turks did not allow the initial success to develop. Attacking from all sides, not allowing the Russian soldiers to spread along the wall and penetrate deep into the eastern bastion, they immediately counterattacked with a 10,000-strong detachment. The Turks suppressed the Cossacks from Kutuzov's column with their numerical superiority and pushed them into a ditch filled with water. To help the Cossacks, who were armed only with short wooden faces that could not withstand the blows of Turkish scimitars, Kutuzov sent a battalion of Bug rangers. Having arrived in time to help, the rangers held back the Turkish hordes with a mighty bayonet strike, and then began to push back. Kutuzov himself, with a saber in his hands, fought in the first row of the attackers. Under the blows of Russian soldiers, the Turks retreated.

Developing this success, Kutuzov took from the reserve another battalion of Bug rangers, which continued to push back the Turks and expanded the captured sections of the fortress wall. The Turks fought like suicide bombers - they remembered the Sultan’s order to put to death every surviving warrior in the event of the surrender of the fortress. In the darkness, a bloody hand-to-hand battle took place on the rampart, near the bridge and near the ditch. New reinforcements were constantly arriving to the Turks. Concentrating fresh forces in numbers that far exceeded Kutuzov’s detachment, the Turks repeated a powerful counterattack.

Twice Kutuzov climbed the rampart, dragging the troops with him to the assault, and twice the enemy threw them back. Suffering heavy losses, Kutuzov asked Suvorov for support, but received the answer that a report about the capture of Izmail had already been sent to Russia, and he appointed Kutuzov himself as commandant of the fortress. Then Kutuzov gathered the Bug rangers, took his last reserve (two battalions of the Kherson Grenadier Regiment) and led the troops on an attack for the third time. Unfurling the regimental banner, riddled with bullets and buckshot, Kutuzov ran forward and was the first to rush towards the Turks, raising the heavy staff high with both hands. Seeing their commander and the battle flag flying above him, the Bug rangers, grenadiers and Cossacks loudly shouted “Hurray!” followed Kutuzov. Once again, the sixth column with a bayonet attack scattered the advancing Turks, threw them into the ditch, then captured two bastions and the Kiliya Gate, connecting through the middle rampart with Platov’s column and ensuring a brilliant victory for the left wing of the Russian troops.

The column of M.I. Kutuzov with bayonets made its way to the center of the fortress to connect with the rest of the assault columns.

Already 45 minutes after the start of the assault, the fortress fence of Izmail was captured by Russian troops.

Dawn was beginning. The screams of the combatants, the cries of “Hurray!” and “Alla!” were heard around all the steppes of Izmail. The Turks fought with desperate courage. A large detachment of Turkish cavalry made a dashing sortie through the Bendery Gate, but was taken on pikes and checkers by Russian mounted Cossacks and destroyed. Two squadrons of Voronezh hussars then rushed through the open Bendery gates, broke into the fortress, where they successfully attacked the Turkish cavalry and assisted the rangers of the Bug corps in capturing the gates.

Simultaneously with the attack by ground forces, Izmail was attacked by landing units from the Danube. Russian ships with a landing force of marines and Black Sea Cossacks in 130 boats moved towards the fortress in the first line. In the second line, supporting the landing with artillery fire, sailed brigantines, lances, double boats and floating batteries. The Russian fleet advanced so quickly and skillfully that the Turks were forced to abandon their surviving ships and retreat behind the walls of the fortress. The fire of 99 heavy cannons, mortars, and howitzers met the attacking Russian ships. Despite the brutal grapeshot fire, the Russian landing at 7 o'clock. In the morning he landed on the shore near the fortress wall. Up to 10 thousand Turks defended the riverside side of Izmail. At the same time, on the western side of Izmail, the detachments of General Lvov and Colonel Zolotukhin, who had managed to unite, made their way along the rampart through crowds of desperately fighting Turks towards the detachment of Colonel Khvostov. Through the joint efforts of all three columns, the entire western rampart was completely cleared of the Turkish garrison. Kutuzov's attack from the eastern side, which helped the detachments of Orlov and Platov, advancing from the northeast, finally predetermined the capture of Izmail, for the fallen New Fortress was the most impregnable section of the Turkish defense.

At 8 o'clock. In the morning, Russian troops and sailors captured all the fortress walls and the main rampart of the Turkish defense. The attack was over. The assault columns that attacked Izmail united, closing the front of the encirclement. The Turks retreated to the city, preparing to defend the numerous stone buildings adapted for defense.

The complete unification of all Russian columns occurred at about 10 o'clock. morning.

A.V. Suvorov announced a short rest in order to put the troops participating in the night assault in order. He ordered the attack of the city to begin from all sides simultaneously with all forces. Russian artillery prepared to assist the attack. The reserves moved closer so that, joining the advancing troops, they could strengthen the blow in the depths of the fortress city.

After some time, to the music of orchestras, in orderly rows from different sides, Suvorov’s miracle heroes rushed into a Russian bayonet attack, terrible for the enemy. A bloody battle ensued. Until 11 o'clock in the afternoon, a fierce battle continued on the outskirts of the city. The Turks did not give up and did not retreat. Each house had to be taken in battle. But the ring of attacking troops was closing ever closer.

The battle broke down into many small hand-to-hand fights that took place in the streets, squares, alleys, courtyards and gardens, inside various buildings.

The Turks settled in stone buildings of palaces, mosques, hotels and houses. The stone cavalier (casemate battery), behind the thick walls of which selected Janissaries defended, had not yet been taken.

By order of A.V. Suvorov, 20 light cannons were brought through the gate at a rapid pace to accompany the Russian infantry advancing inside the fortress. From these cannons the artillerymen fired rapid fire with grapeshot along the streets. The offensive of the Russian artillery inside the fortress city was of great importance, since by this time the Turks had already lost almost all of their artillery located on the fortress walls, and they had no mobile guns for street combat at all. During the first half of the day on December 11, the battle continued in the city, either subsiding or flaring up with renewed vigor. The surviving part of the garrison, in groups of two to three thousand people with individual guns, tried to continue resistance in strong and tall stone buildings. The Turks greeted the Russian fighters approaching these buildings with volleys, poured boiling tar on them, and brought down stones and logs on them. Small fortresses like these were taken by storm, using ladders to overcome the heights and smashing the gates with artillery fire.

L.V. Suvorov, who was among the fighting Russian soldiers, immediately indicated on the ground what needed to be done, how to use artillery, how to get around the enemy from the rear, how to interact with the various units mixed up during the battle, etc. On his orders, Sentinels were immediately assigned to captured powder magazines and weapons depots. Suvorov strictly forbade lighting anything on fire, since a fire on the streets of the city could rather hamper the offensive of the Russian troops than the defense of the Turks.

Next to the stone cavalier stood a very solid building. Seraskir Aidozli Mehmet Pasha defended it with 2 thousand of the best Janissaries, who had several cannons. The battalion of the Phanagorian Grenadier Regiment with artillery began the assault on this citadel. The battle lasted for almost two hours. First, Russian artillerymen smashed the gates with cannonballs, then the grenadiers burst into the building, where a fierce hand-to-hand fight took place. The Janissaries did not give up and defended themselves until last person. Russian soldiers bayoneted the entire garrison of the citadel. Among the killed enemies was Izmail’s commandant Aidozli Mehmet Pasha.

The Turks stubbornly resisted under the command of Mahmut Girey Sultan in the building of the Armenian monastery, which had high and thick walls. The Russians smashed the gates of the monastery with cannonballs and destroyed its defenders in hand-to-hand combat.

About 5 thousand Turkish Janissaries and Crimean Tatars led by Kaplan-Girey, gathered in the city square, to the sounds of their music, fiercely attacked a detachment of Black Sea Cossacks and even took away two cannons. Two naval grenadier battalions and a battalion of rangers rushed to the rescue, crushing the enemies with a bayonet attack and killing them. The stone cavalier with a garrison of several thousand Janissaries, led by the megafis (governor) of Ishmael, held out the longest. Marine Corps, the rangers and Cossacks took this stronghold by storm.

By one o'clock in the afternoon, Russian ground forces and sailors of the flotilla, fighting to clear the streets and buildings of Izmail from the enemy, reached the middle of the city, where the Turks still continued to stubbornly defend themselves, using the slightest opportunity for resistance. The incredible bitterness of both sides in the battle was explained simply: for the Russians, the capture of Izmail meant the speedy end of the war with Turkey and a blow to the emerging hostile coalition of Western European powers; For the entire Turkish garrison, the defense of the fortress was a matter of life and death, for the Sultan ordered the execution of anyone who survived the surrender of Ishmael.

Watching the progress of the battle vigilantly, Suvorov decided to deal the final blow to the enemy. He ordered the cavalry in reserve - four squadrons of carabinieri, four squadrons of hussars and two Cossack regiments - to simultaneously attack from the flanks the remnants of the Turkish garrison, still defending inside the city, through the Brossky and Bendery gates. Operating on horseback, hussars, Cossacks and carabinieri cut into the crowds of Turks. Clearing the streets and alleys of the enemy, Russian cavalrymen at times dismounted to fight against enemy ambushes. Skillfully interacting, the infantry, artillery and cavalry successfully defeated the Turks in street combat. Cossack patrols, scattered throughout the city, looked for hidden enemies.

By 4 o'clock. Day Russian ground forces and sailors completely captured the fortress and the city of Izmail. The assault was over. However, throughout the night from December 11 to 12, gunfire continued. Separate groups of Turks, holed up in mosques, houses, cellars and barns, suddenly fired at Russian soldiers.

No one escaped from the Ishmael garrison, with the exception of one Turk, who was slightly wounded and fell from the fortress wall into the Danube, and then swam across it on a log. This only surviving Turk brought the first news of the assault on Izmail to the Grand Vizier.

Suvorov immediately reported to the commander-in-chief Field Marshal Potemkin about the capture of the fortress city of Izmail and the destruction of the Turkish army in it in such expressive words. " Russian flag- on the walls of Ishmael."

Turkish losses were: 33,000 killed and seriously wounded, 10,000 prisoners. Among those killed, in addition to the commandant Izmail Aydozli-Mehmet Pasha, there were 12 more pashas (generals) and 51 senior officers - unit commanders.

The trophies of the Russian troops amounted to: 265 (according to other sources 300) guns, 345 banners, 42 warships, 3 thousand pounds of gunpowder, 20 thousand cannonballs, 10 thousand horses, 10 million piastres worth of gold, silver, pearls and precious stones and a six-month supply of food for the entire garrison and population of Izmail.

The Russians lost: 1,830 people killed and 2,933 people wounded. 2 generals and 65 officers were killed, 2 generals and 220 officers were wounded.

The next morning, December 12, 1790, from all the Russian artillery in the troops and on the ships of the Danube flotilla, as well as from all the captured cannons, mortars and howitzers located on the walls and in the bastions of the Izmail fortress and on the captured Turkish ships, fire was fired - salute in honor of the Russian troops and navy who took this mighty stronghold. A parade of troops and navy took place, at which A.V. Suvorov thanked the soldiers, sailors and Cossacks for their heroic actions in the battle. One of the battalions of the Phanagorian Grenadier Regiment, which was on guard, could not attend the parade. Suvorov went to the soldiers of the battalion and thanked each of them separately for their participation in the assault.

Russian troops fought with great skill and great heroism. During the assault, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov especially distinguished himself, leading the attack against the most powerful and main sector of the enemy’s defense - the New Fortress. In a report on December 21, 1790, reporting on the assault on Izmail to G. A. Potemkin, A. V. Suvorov wrote about Kutuzov:

“Major General and Cavalier Golenishchev-Kutuzov showed new experiments in his art and courage, overcoming all difficulties under strong enemy fire, climbed the rampart, captured the bastion and, when the excellent enemy forced him to stop, he, serving as an example of courage, held the place, overcame strong enemy, established himself in the fortress and then continued to defeat the enemies.”

The great commander A.V. Suvorov had exceptional confidence in M.I. Kutuzov. He said: “Order one, give a hint to another, but Kutuzov doesn’t need to say anything - he understands everything himself.”

Subsequently, Kutuzov asked Suvorov what his appointment as commandant of Izmail at the time of the assault meant.

“Nothing,” he answered. “Kutuzov knows Suvorov, and Suvorov knows Kutuzov.” If Izmail had not been taken, Suvorov would have died by his walls, and Kutuzov too.”

After the assault, M.I. Kutuzov wrote to his wife: “I won’t see such a thing for a century. The hair stands on end. A terrible city is in our hands." For Izmail Kutuzov was awarded the order and promoted to lieutenant general. From that time on, he acted as a well-known military leader, who was entrusted with increasingly responsible assignments.

The true pinnacle of military glory of the Russian army at the end of the 18th century was the assault on the strongest Turkish fortress Izmail on December 11 (22), 1790. She was always considered unapproachable. French and German engineers worked hard to strengthen it. There was no other such fortress in Turkey.

The Izmail fortress was an irregular triangle adjacent to the bank of the Danube. On three sides - northern, western and eastern - it was surrounded by a rampart 6 km long, 6 - 8 m high with earthen and stone bastions. In front of the rampart, a ditch was dug 12 m wide and 6 - 10 m deep, in some places filled with water to a depth of 1 m. There were four gates in the rampart. WITH south side Ishmael hid behind the Danube. Inside the city there were many stone buildings that contributed to a stubborn defense. Its garrison numbered 35 thousand people with 265 fortress guns.

Under the Izmail walls stood a large Turkish Danube military flotilla, which took refuge here from the Russian rowing flotilla after a series of battles lost on the river.

In November, the Russian army of 31 thousand people (including 28.5 thousand infantry and 2.5 thousand cavalry) and over 500 guns besieged Izmail from land. The weakness of the infantry, which had to go on the assault, was that almost half of it were Cossacks, who had lost horses in the war. Their shortened pikes and sabers could not replace guns with baguettes in hand-to-hand combat, which the Cossacks did not have, as well as the training of the infantrymen. In addition, the Russians, unlike the Turks, had almost no large-caliber guns from which siege breach batteries were formed. The artillery of the military flotillas was distinguished by small calibers and could fire only from close ranges.

River flotilla under the command of General O.M. de Ribas blocked the fortress from the Danube side, destroying almost the entire Turkish river flotilla with artillery fire. Two attempts by Russian troops to take Izmail by storm ended in failure. Combat operations were limited to artillery shelling. With the onset of autumn bad weather, mass diseases spread in the army. The morale of the troops was falling. The generals who led the siege, believing that it was impossible to capture Izmail, decided at a military council to withdraw the troops from under the fortress and place them in winter quarters.

On November 25 (December 6), A.V. was appointed commander of the troops concentrated near Izmail. Suvorov. He was given the right to act at his own discretion: either to launch an assault, or to end the siege and withdraw the troops.

Suvorov arrived at Izmail on December 2 (13), when the withdrawal of troops from the fortress had already begun. Quickly assessing the situation, he decided to storm the fortress. Wasting no time, Suvorov began preparing for the assault, which lasted nine days. In order to use the surprise factor, this preparation was carried out secretly, at night. To create the appearance of preparation for a long siege, he ordered the laying of four batteries, while at the same time the troops prepared assault ladders, fascines, and accumulated entrenching tools.

Before the assault special attention applied for training and training of troops. To the side of the fortress, Suvorov ordered to dig a ditch and build a rampart that would resemble those of Izmail, and on them the troops trained in overcoming these fortifications. At the same time, much attention was paid to the moral training of troops. Suvorov convened a military council, at which he made an inspired speech, after which everyone agreed that an assault was necessary.

On December 7 (18), Suvorov sent an ultimatum to the commandant of Izmail to surrender the fortress. The Turks refused to capitulate and responded by saying that “the Danube would sooner stop flowing and the sky would fall to the ground than Ishmael would surrender.” This answer, on the orders of Suvorov, was read out in each company to inspire the soldiers.

The idea of ​​the assault was a sudden night concentric attack by the forces of the ground forces and the river flotilla. At the same time, the main efforts were concentrated along the less protected riverine part of the fortress. The troops were divided into three detachments of three columns each. The column included five battalions. Six columns operated from land and three from the Danube.

A detachment under the command of General P.S. Potemkin, numbering 7,500 people, was supposed to attack the western front of the fortress, a detachment under the command of General A.N. Samoilov numbering 12 thousand people - the north-eastern front of the fortress and the detachment of General O.M. de Ribas, numbering 9 thousand people, was supposed to attack the riverine front of the fortress from the Danube. The general reserve, numbering about 2,500 people, was divided into four groups and positioned opposite each of the fortress gates.

In front of each column, teams of riflemen (120 - 150 people) and 50 workers with entrenching tools were supposed to move in loose formation, then three battalions with fascines and ladders would advance, and the reserve would bring up the rear of the columns.

All day and night on December 10 (21), Russian artillery from land and ships fired continuously, preparing the assault. At 5:30 a.m. on December 11 (22), following a signal from a rocket, the columns moved toward the fortress walls. The river flotilla landed troops. The besieged met the Russian attack with brutal artillery and rifle fire. With counterattacks they threw the attacking battalions from the walls of the fortress. The battle to capture the rampart lasted eight hours. The responsible role in the assault on Izmail belonged to M.I. Kutuzov, whose column, having broken the enemy’s resistance, was the first to break into the city.

At dawn the struggle began inside the fortress. Bloody street battles continued until 17:00. We had to fight for every street, every house. Assault columns, as a rule, were dismembered and acted in battalions and squadrons. The rangers, in cooperation with the artillery, ensured the advance of the columns, covered their flanks and repelled enemy counterattacks. The actions of the assault troops were increased by private and general reserves, which were introduced simultaneously in several areas. The Izmail stronghold fell by 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Thus ended the battle for the Izmail fortress, the victory in which glorified Russian weapons and immortalized the name of commander A.V. Suvorov-Rymniksky.

The Turks lost more than 26 thousand people killed and 9 thousand prisoners during the assault. Russian trophies included 400 banners, 265 guns, the remains of a river flotilla, large reserves of ammunition and many other trophies. The Russians lost 1815 thousand people killed and 2445 thousand wounded.

By losses warring parties during the assault on Izmail, its ferocity and bloodshed, this battle of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787 - 1791 has no equal in world military history.

On the same day, December 11, Chief General A.V. Suvorov reported on the capture of the enemy fortress to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in the South of Russia, Field Marshal General of the Civil Aviation. Potemkin-Tauride: “There is no stronger fortress, no more desperate defense, like Ishmael, who fell before the highest throne of Her Imperial Majesty with a bloody assault! My deepest congratulations to your lordship! General Count Suvorov-Rymniksky."

The success of the assault was ensured by surprise of actions, careful and comprehensive preparation, skillful formation of battle order, well-organized interaction between the advancing units and subunits, strict adherence to the assault plan, combined with the widespread manifestation of reasonable initiative by commanders, decisiveness of actions and perseverance in achieving the goal, concentration of forces in the direction the main attack, the massive use of artillery, the interaction of the ground army and the river flotilla.

The capture of Izmail meant a major contribution to the development of Russian military art. The assault on Izmail showed that the methods of capturing fortresses through a long siege, which then existed in the West, had long since become obsolete. Relying on the high fighting qualities of the Russian army, Suvorov put forward and brilliantly implemented the idea of ​​​​capturing the fortress by the method of open assault, combined with skillful engineering preparation. New method allowed to take fortresses in more short terms and with fewer losses for troops than during long sieges. During the assault on Izmail, the tactics of columns and scattered formations were further developed. The troops stormed in columns, ahead of which riflemen acted in loose formation. This battle formation made extensive use of fire and maneuver. On the streets of the city, troops fought in loose formation. The victory was achieved not only thanks to the military leadership of Suvorov, but also to the high moral qualities of the Russian soldiers. (In memory of this event, the Day of Military Glory was established - December 24.)

(cousin favorite). The commander of the river flotilla was junior to them in rank, but did not have the slightest desire to obey the lieutenant generals.

Map of fortifications of the Izmail fortress - 1790 - Plan of fortress Ismail

Izmail was one of the strongest fortresses in Turkey. Since the war of 1768-1774, the Turks, under the leadership of the French engineer De Lafitte-Clove and the German Richter, turned Izmail into a formidable stronghold. The fortress was located on a slope of heights sloping towards the Danube. A wide ravine, stretching from north to south, divided Ishmael into two parts, of which the larger, western, was called the old fortress, and the eastern, the new fortress. The bastion-style fortress fence reached six miles in length and had the shape of a right triangle, with a right angle facing the north and its base facing the Danube. The main shaft reached 8.5 meters in height and was surrounded by a ditch up to 11 meters deep and 13 meters wide. The ditch was filled with water in places. There were four gates in the fence: on the western side - Tsargradsky (Brossky) and Khotinsky, on the north-east - Bendery, on the eastern - Kiliya. The ramparts were defended by 260 guns, of which 85 cannons and 15 mortars were on the river side. City buildings inside the fence were put into a defensive state. It was prepared large number firearms and food supplies. The fortress garrison consisted of 35 thousand people. The garrison was commanded by Aidozli Mahmet Pasha.

Russian troops besieged Izmail and bombarded the fortress. They sent Seraskir an offer to surrender Ishmael, but received a mocking response. The lieutenant generals convened a military council, at which they decided to lift the siege and retreat to winter quarters. The troops began to slowly withdraw, de Ribas's flotilla remained with Ishmael.

Not yet knowing about the resolution of the military council. Potemkin decided to appoint Chief General Suvorov A. as commander of the siege artillery. Suvorov was endowed with very broad powers. On November 29, Potemkin wrote to Suvorov: “ ... I leave it to your Excellency to act here at your best discretion, whether by continuing the enterprises in Izmail or leaving it.”

On December 2, Suvorov arrived at Izmail. Together with him, the Phanagorian regiment and 150 musketeers of the Absheron regiment arrived from his division. By December 7, up to 31 thousand troops and 40 field artillery pieces were concentrated near Izmail. There were about 70 guns in the detachment of Major General de Ribas, located on the island of Chatal opposite Izmail, and another 500 guns on the ships. The guns of de Ribas's detachment did not go into winter quarters, but remained in their previous seven firing positions. From the same positions, de Ribas's artillery fired at the city and the Izmail fortress during the preparation for the assault and during the assault. In addition, by order of Suvorov, on December 6, another battery of 10 guns was laid there. Thus, there were eight batteries on Chatal Island.

Suvorov positioned his troops in a semicircle two miles from the fortress. Their flanks rested on the river,” where de Ribas’s flotilla and the detachment on Chatal completed the encirclement. Reconnaissance was carried out for several days in a row. At the same time, stairs and fascines were prepared. To make it clear to the Turks that the Russians were going to wage a proper siege, on the night of December 7, batteries with 10 guns each, two with west side 340 meters from the fortress, and two on the eastern side, 230 meters from the fence. To train troops to carry out an assault, a ditch was dug to the side and ramparts similar to those of Izmail were poured. On the night of December 8 and 9, Suvorov personally showed the troops the techniques of the escalade and taught them to use the bayonet, with the fascines representing the Turks.

On December 7, at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, Suvorov sent a note to the commandant of Izmail: “To Seraskir, the elders and the whole society: I arrived here with the troops. 24 hours of reflection for surrender and will; My first shots are already in captivity; assault-death. Which I leave for you to consider.” The next day, a response came from the seraskir, who asked permission to send two people to the vizier for command and proposed concluding a truce for 10 days from December 9. Suvorov replied that he could not agree to the seraskir’s request and gave until the morning of December 10. There was no response at the appointed time, which determined the fate of Ishmael. The assault was scheduled for December 11.

On the eve of the assault, on the night of December 10, Suvorov gave the troops an order that inspired them and instilled faith in the upcoming victory: “Brave warriors! Bring to your mind on this day all our victories and prove that nothing can resist the power of Russian weapons. We are not faced with a battle, which it would be your will to postpone, but the inevitable capture of a famous place, which will decide the fate of the campaign, and which the proud Turks consider impregnable. The Russian army besieged Ishmael twice and retreated twice; All that remains for us, for the third time, is either to win or die with glory.” Suvorov's order made a strong impression on the soldiers.

Preparations for the assault began with artillery fire. On the morning of December 10, about 600 guns opened powerful artillery fire on the fortress and continued until late at night. The Turks responded from the fortress with fire from their 260 guns, but to no avail. The actions of Russian artillery turned out to be very effective. Suffice it to say that by evening the fortress’s artillery was completely suppressed and ceased fire. “...Upon the rising of the sun, from the flotilla, from the island and from four batteries, set up on both wings on the banks of the Danube, a cannonade opened across the fortress and continued continuously until the troops began their attack. That day, the fortress at first responded with cannon fire, but by noon the fire ceased, and by night it stopped altogether, and throughout the whole night there was silence...”

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon on December 11, the first signal flare went up, according to which the troops formed into columns and moved to the designated places, and at 5 o'clock 30 minutes, at the signal of the third flare, all columns began to storm. The Turks allowed the Russians to come within range of a grape shot and opened fire. The 1st and 2nd columns of Lvov and Lassi successfully attacked the Bros Gate and the Tabie redoubt. Under enemy fire, the troops captured the rampart and with bayonets paved the way to the Khotyn Gate, through which cavalry and field artillery entered the fortress. Meknob's 3rd column stopped because in this area the ladders prepared for the assault were not long enough and they had to be tied together in twos. With great effort, the troops managed to climb the rampart, where they met stubborn resistance. The situation was saved by the reserve, which made it possible to overturn the Turks from the ramparts into the city. Orlov's 4th column and Platov's 5th column achieved success after a fierce battle with Turkish infantry, which suddenly made a sortie and hit the tail of the 4th column. Suvorov immediately sent a reserve and forced the Turks to retreat to the fortress. The 5th column was the first to ascend the rampart, followed by the 4th.

The 6th column of Kutuzov, which attacked the new fortress, found itself in the most difficult position. The troops of this column, having reached the rampart, were subjected to a counterattack by Turkish infantry. However, all counterattacks were repulsed, the troops captured the Kiliya Gate, which made it possible to strengthen the advancing artillery. At the same time, “the worthy and brave Major General and Cavalier Golenitsev-Kutuzov was an example to his subordinates with his courage.”

Great successes were achieved by the 7th, 8th and 9th columns of Markov, Chepiga and Arsenyev. Between seven and eight o'clock in the evening they landed at the Izmail fortifications on the Danube. The 7th and 8th columns quickly captured the batteries operating against them on the fortifications. It was more difficult for the 9th column, which was supposed to conduct an assault under fire from the Tabiye redoubt. After a stubborn battle, the 7th and 8th columns linked up with the 1st and 2nd columns and broke into the city.

The content of the second stage was the struggle inside the fortress. By 11 o'clock in the morning, Russian troops captured the Brossky, Khotyn and Bendery gates, through which Suvorov sent reserves into battle. The large Turkish garrison continued to resist. Although the Turks had no opportunity to maneuver, and without the support of artillery their struggle was ineffective, they still stubbornly fought for every street and every house. The Turks “sold their lives dearly, no one asked for mercy, even the women brutally rushed with daggers at the soldiers. The frenzy of the inhabitants increased the ferocity of the troops; neither gender, nor age, nor rank were spared; blood flowed everywhere - let’s close the curtain on the spectacle of horrors.” When they write this in documents, it is not difficult to guess that in fact the population was simply slaughtered.

A well-known innovation was the use of field guns by the Russians in street battles. So, for example, the commandant of the fortress Aidozli-Makhmet Pasha settled in the Khan’s palace with a thousand Janissaries. The Russians carried out unsuccessful attacks for more than two hours. Finally, Major Ostrovsky's guns were delivered, and the gates were destroyed by fire. The Phanagorian grenadiers launched an assault and killed everyone inside the palace. The Armenian monastery and a number of other buildings inside the fortress were destroyed by artillery.

By 4 o'clock in the afternoon the city was completely taken. 26 thousand Turks and Tatars (military personnel) were killed, 9 thousand were captured. It was customary not to mention the losses of civilians in those days. In the fortress, the Russians took 245 guns, including 9 mortars. In addition, another 20 guns were captured on the shore.

Russian losses amounted to 1,879 killed and 3,214 wounded. At that time these were huge losses, but the game was worth the candle. Panic began in Istanbul. The Sultan blamed the Grand Vizier Sharif Hassan Pasha for everything. The head of the unfortunate vizier was put up at the gates of the Sultan's palace.

“No, Your Grace,” Suvorov answered irritably, “I’m not a merchant and I didn’t come to bargain with you. Reward me. Except God and the most merciful empress, no one can!” Potemkin's face changed. He turned and silently entered the hall. Suvorov is behind him. The general-in-chief filed a drill report. Both walked around the hall, unable to squeeze a word out of themselves, bowed and went their separate ways. They never met again.