Second Assault on Grivița(1877)
Background
Carol I had been appointed joint commander of the besieging force. Romanian success at Grivița was essential to demonstrate military worth and secure favorable peace terms.
Campaign: Siege of Plevna 1877
Forces Engaged
The Battle
Assault on the adjacent Grivița 2 redoubt defeated by crossfire from Ottoman interior lines.
|Diorama illustrating the Siege of Plevna at the National Military Museum The Siege of Plevna was one of the major battles of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at Sviștov, it began advancing toward the center of modern-day Bulgaria, aiming to cross the Balkan Mountains toward Istanbul while avoiding the fortified Turkish cities along the Black Sea coast. The Ottoman army, led by Osman Pasha, which had returned from Serbia after a conflict with that country, was massed in the fortified city of Plevna, a strongly reinforced town surrounded by numerous redoubts located at an important road junction. After two unsuccessful assaults in which valuable forces were lost, the commander of the Russian forces on the Balkan front, Grand Duke Nicolai, urgently requested (via a telegram dated July 19) the assistance of his Romanian ally, Carol I.
Casualties & Outcome
~900 killed and wounded (Romanian); ~300 killed and wounded (Ottoman)
Ottoman Empire achieved victory over Romania.
Romanian forces held Grivița 1 but could not take Grivița 2. The failure shifted strategy from assault to systematic encirclement under Todleben.
Historical Record
Significance & Legacy
Failure ended frontal assaults at Plevna, forcing transition to systematic siege.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When was the Second Assault on Grivița?
- The Second Assault on Grivița took place in 1877. Sep 18, 1877.
- Who won the Second Assault on Grivița?
- The Ottoman Empire were victorious against the Romania.
- What was the significance of the Second Assault on Grivița?
- Failure ended frontal assaults at Plevna, forcing transition to systematic siege.