Valentine Baker's Heroic Stand At Tashkessen 1877 by Frank Jastrzembski

Author:Frank Jastrzembski
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2017-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Baker’s Spartan Stand at Tashkessen

To have witnessed the battle of Tash-Kessan is one of the proudest recollections of my life, and one that I never recall without some glow of the old enthusiasm that animated us on that day recurring to me.

Francis Francis of The Times, in his book

War, Waves, and Wanderings, a Cruise in the Lancashire Witch.

28 December 1877: The First Encounter

The defensive arrangement made on the three knolls by Baker was a daunting obstacle. The Touzla battalion and the two mountain guns occupied the rocky knoll to the right of the village (B), the Uskub battalion the centre knoll (C), and the Prizrend battalion the left knoll (D). The Prizrend and Uskub battalions busied themselves by burrowing into the frozen ground with their shovels and pickaxes to build a line of entrenchments. The Touzla battalion was unable to excavate due to protruding rocky boulders projecting from the ground, so instead they piled fragmented stones chest high for protection.

The three squadrons of Arab cavalry gathered on a range of low hills a mile in front of Tashkessen to monitor the Russian advance (I). The two field guns unlimbered on a little hill to the left of the Sofia road (N). The wellbuilt road would allow the guns to move quickly to redeploy or withdraw if needed. The Edirne battalion (300 men), whom Baker had left behind at the Kamarli line, was sent by Shakir as his first promised reinforcements and arrived at the front. After a few cursing words, he placed the Edirne battalion on the centre knoll in reserve, where it could do the least damage.

An hour after sunrise on 28 December 1877, Baker peered through his field glasses and observed four densely packed Russian infantry squares streaming over the hills in the distance headed in his direction. Clusters of mounted Cossacks fanned out to protect the flanks of the squares. The forest green Russian uniforms and grey greatcoats radiated off the white slopes, inspiring Baker to comment that ‘it was impossible to imagine a more beautiful scene of war.’ As the snake-like column of squares drew nearer to his main position, Baker calculated it to be made up of sixteen Imperial Guard battalions, identified by their distinct furashka caps. The four squares were headed in the direction of the village of Daoudkoi, but the men on the three knolls diverted their attention.

Baker intended to conceal his true strength to the advancing Russian squares. He ordered his two mountain guns to unleash a salvo upon the advancing Cossack patrols at the extreme range of 5,550 yards, and ordered the two field guns to do the same when within range. He hoped this liberal use of artillery fire would give the impression that his position was held by a plethora of guns; a force stockpiled with surplus ammunition, and a large quantity of guns, would only be bold enough to encourage fire at such an extreme range. He ordered clusters of soldiers to ostentatiously march back and forth

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.