The Siege of Silistra
The great interest which, at the present time, naturally attaches itself to all that relates to the remote countries of Eastern Europe and Asia, render everything which can extend our acquaintance with those parts peculiarly interesting. Insignificant towns and villages on the Lower Danube and Black Sea, with little commerce, or whose maritime fame has long sank into decay, have during the last year risen into importance and notoriety. Nicopolis, Matschin, Rustchuck, Brailow, Rassova, Silistria, and a score of other places, hitherto scarcely ever heard of, have found a local habitation in the newspapers and publications of our time, and a name of interest among the the Western nations of Europe.
It is not that the cities of the East are more flourishing, or that a regenerated existence dawning upon the lands of the Mosque and the Crescent, has raised the towns of the Lower Danube into such sudden importance - it is that a fearful war, the issue of which must solve the great question of despotism or constitutional liberty, has here fixed the scene of her operations, and to these parts of the world the anxious solicitude of the Western nations is directed as the place from whence they must hear of the success of tho good cause, or the triumph of tyranny and oppression.
The area of the battle-field of nations must always possess matter of peculiar interest to the world; but none, perhaps, ever combined such important features as that which now attaches to the countries on the banks of the Lower Danube Heretofore, war has raged in those regions, as in the majority of cases in other portions of the earth, between princes who governed by the instrumentality of the sword—pachas, boyars, and chiefs whose sport was war - and thé result of which could only overthrow one absolute ruler to uprear another. But with the present contest effects far higher than those which the mere struggle for physical superiority and territorial power could produce, are associated. Civilization and social advancement will accompany the English standards and French eagles - as with the Romans of old - into lands sunk into semi-barbarism and degradation.
Of the many fortified cities which rear their massive bastions and turrets, their cupolas and minarets, along the banks of the Danube, perhaps Silistria, as the spot on which the operations of the war have concentrated, and from the gallant defence of the Turkish garrison against the overwhelming hordes of Nicholas, is the most important at the present time. “Silistria,” says Captain Spencer, who travelled in those parts in the year 1835 and again in 1851, “ may be termed, from the great extent and strength of its fortifications, the citadel of the Danube, forming as it does, with Rustchuck and Shuma, a connected triangle, which must be broken before any enemy attempt the passage of the Balkan in this direction with safety.
Silistria was taken in 1829 by the Russians,[1]after a protracted siege of nine months; and truly we cannot too highly appreciate the valour of the 12,000 gallant Turks that held it so long against an overwhelming force of 50,000 men, when we remember that at this time the fortifications merely consisted of long weak curtains, with a few miserable bastions badly planned and worse built. Since 1835 the town has been strongly fortified, and now, with its castle bristling with cannon, it offers a bold front against an invading army: it has spacious well-built barracks, and a population of about 20,000, and appears altogether to be one of the most prosperous and commercial places on the Danube, if we might judge from the neatness of the houses, the well-supplied markets, and the number of vessels loading and unloading their cargoes in the harbour.”
Whatever course of commercial prosperity was opening to the city of Silistria in 1851, however, it was soon doomed to be impeded and, at least for a time, extinguished by the scourge of war invoked by the Emperor of Russia - and the striving and opulent town was soon to become the theatre of fierce struggles, enduring all the miseries and ruthless destruction which ever accompanies a siege. The importance to the Russians of the surrender of Silistria as opening to them the passes and defiles of the Balkan, and the road to Constantinople, cannot be over estimated, and the greatest efforts have, during the present war, been made to effect its capture, The Russians, it seems, supposed it possible at first to take the place by storm, and accordingly for some days continued to send large detachments of their army across the river, to attempt this most difficult and perilous service. A galling and well-directed cannonade was kept up by the defenders of the city; ”but the battalions and squadrons,” says a correspondent from the seat of war, “ are driven into the fire by their officers as if their bodies were proof against lead and iron.” ‘two striking instances of this occurred during the progress of the siege :—
“A large body of Russians with artillery, were sent across the river during the night in a number of small boats to Murlan, a miserable village above Rassova. At the same time two battalions and a squadron of lancers advanced from Chernavoda, and a quantity of gunboats from Galatz against Rassova. A combined attack was to have been made on the little place, but the Turks received them with such a murderous fire from behind their breast-works, that the Russians could not send in one full discharge. The discomforted Russians advanced from Murlan towards Rassova, but when they attempted to retreat not a man could reach the Danube, as the irregulars either cut them down or drove them into the morass, where they perished miserably. The second case occurred on the 12th, at Tatoritza, which is just above Silistria, 600 of the Russians were landed, and advancing about two English miles into the interior, began to entrench themselves preparatory to a combined attack on the fortress. ”The Arnauts, however, who are most expert riflemen, attacked them on one side, and some artillery, from the south-western redoubt of Silistria on the other, so that half of them were killed in the endeavour to return to the river side.”
On the 13th May, a large body of the Turks in barges and gun-boats, put off in order to attack the enemy, who had been engaged in the construction of pontoons. The bridges were abandoned on the approach of the Turks, and the Russians began to make for the opposite bank of the river, keeping up a galling fire of musketry as they retreated. On reaching the east end of the island, the Turkish gun-boats opened a heavy fire against the bridge, and in less than an hour and a half the pontoons were separated and knocked to pieces. While this was going on at one end of the island, a Turkish detachment was landed at the other, A fierce engagement ensued, and the adventurous Turks drove their enemies at the point of the bayonet from the place. The object of destroying the bridges as well as inflicting severe castigation on the Russians was gallantly achieved by the Turks; but their progress had been marked by a long train of dead and wounded. The Russians sustained great loss—abandoning nearly 300 military waggons, and 700 or 800 wounded, which were soon afterwards sent to Oltenitza. A series of attacks were made by the Russians for several days afterwards, but in every case, though immense bodies of troops, well provided with artillery, were at last got to bear on the defences of the city, the enemy was forced to retire without producing any effect except that of thinning the ranks of his own army. It is impossible at present to ascertain the number of killed and wounded in these contests ; but the amount altogether is very great. Amongst those left on the field, was the son of Count Orloff, the minister of Nicholas. (See Illustration.)
After having fruitlessly bombarded Silistria during five weeks, Prince Paskiewitsch has convinced himself that the fortress cannot possibly be taken by storm without a sacrifice of 20,000 or 25,000 men. Could this number of troops be spared there is no doubt that the Russian commander would not hesitate to make the sacrifice; but the policy of such an act must be submitted to the Emperor, who will decide whether that number of men are to be slaughtered. In the meantime the besiegers are occupied in the work of undermining the fortress, with the intention, if possible, of destroying it by subterranean explosion.
Every contrivance to raise the enthusiasm of the Russian soldiers has been resorted to by the commanders during the seige. Innumerable priests of the Greek church, carrying the symbols of their religion, accompany the camp, and even move forward with the detachments to the very walls of the fortress. The Czar and his officers have used every expedient to propagate the idea among the troops, that they are fighting for the defence of their national religion, menaced by a powerful league against the orthodox faith. An instance of this unhallowed juggling with religion occurred before one of the last assaults on the city. Previous to moving forward to the attack, the Russian commander ordered the Greek priests to administer the sacrament to all the soldiers! Two non-commissioned officers, born in Poland, being catholics, begged to be excused from receiving the communion from the hands of the Greek priests, which they said they could not do without committing sacrilege. The officers of the Christian and orthodox Emperor becoming acquainted with these conscientious scruples, ordered the two men to be shot, which fearful sentence was immediately carried into effect.
No language can adequately describe the state of misery in which the inhabitants of the city are sunk in consequence of the siege. “At the very commencement of the firing” says an eye-witness, “numbers of the enemy’s shells fell and burst among the streets and houses of the town, and the whole place was soon a scene of painful excitement—scared women and children rushing wildly about seeking for shelter, the terrified inhabitants collecting their goods and hurrying to the subterraneous rooms which they had constructed in anticipation of the event. My friend and I were on horseback, and on our way down to the battery on the Schengal bastion, we found the whole of the streets silent and deserted.” Huddled together in the burrows which they had dug in the earth, the poor townspeople had now only to reflect on the sad alternatives of fate which awaited them. Death by starvation, pestilence, the sword of the enemy, or by the explosion of some secret mine beneath them, seemed inevitable.
Again and again before Silistria, a Turkish army of about 15,000 has proved victorious over hordes amounting probably to 100,000, In St. Petersburg these defeats will create consternation. The lesson which the Russians have received at the hands of the gallant defenders of the town, we trust will not be lost on the Czar. The heroism which has so long held the city with such unequal force, will not be likely to succumb to the enemy in the open field; and Nicholas must begin to feel convinced that even if the Turks were destitute of the sympathy and assistance of Europe, their subjugation would not be easily effected.
- ↑ General Diebitsch in his bulletin to the Emperor Nicholas in 182:
thus announces the surrender of Silistria in that year:—
“On the 18th of June, a mine was sprung which had been opened near the curtain of the flank works, and the explosion of which produced a breach within the body of the fortress. On the following morning two more mines were prepared, which were carried under the same curtain and under the right flank of the bastion on the right of the polygon, against which the attack was directed. Finally, two mines formed in the very ditch of the fortress, and the experience which the enemy had had of the unwearied zeal and firmness of the besiegers, shook the obstinacy of the Pachas who commanded in Silistria, and at ten in the morning they sent a flag of truce to Lieutenant: General Krassovski, and, Major-General Prince Gortschakov. Licutenant-General Krassovski granted only some unimportant conditions, and to them I have given, my full consent. On the 19th of June at seven in the evening, five battalions, with eight pieces of light artillery, under the command of Major-General Frolov, marched in parade order, with flying colours, through two breaches, into the fortress, and took possession of the bastions, the gates, and the whole town. There are 1,000 wounded, and, as far as can be ascertained, the loss of the enemy in killed, during the siege, exceeds 5,000 men. Thus have our troops succeeded, notwithstanding the obstinate resistance of the besieged, in overcoming a numerous garrizon, driven to despair. During the whole of the siege we have lost only 1,200 men in killed and wounded; and more than one-half of the latter are in astate which promises a speedy convalescence. (Signed)
AJjutant-Gen, Count Diebitseh. In the camp before Shumla, June 2,”
