Report of Colonel Wittgenstein on the Battle with the Kyrgyz of the Shairchi Clan
REPORT OF THE COMMANDER OF THE FLYING DETACHMENT COLONEL WITTGENSTEIN TO THE COMMANDER OF THE FORCES OF THE FERGHANA REGION MAJOR GENERAL M. D. SKOBELEV ON THE BATTLE WITH THE KYRGYZ OF THE SHAIRCHI CLAN IN THE MAZAR AREA
September 7, 1876.
I have the honor to report to Your Excellency that on September 7, after spending the night at the Dussman bivouac, I divided the detachment entrusted to me into two parts: one, consisting of the 1st company of the 1st Turkestan Rifle Battalion, the assembled Ural Cossack company of Yesaul Sheludyakov, half a platoon of the 1st half-company of mounted riflemen, and two rocket launchers, under the command of Colonel Dovbyshev, I sent to the Raout area to prevent the rebels from fleeing along the roads leading to the Karatigin region, as the detachment of Prince Dolgorukov was approaching. In addition, this detachment was to participate in the movement towards Karakul, where, according to current information, the most stubborn rebels had concentrated. The remaining detachment (an assembled company from the 1st Siberian company and half a company from the 1st Semirechensk company, under the command of Ataman Kaliteev, the rocket division, and the rest of the half-company of mounted riflemen) set out the same day at 8 a.m. under my personal command to the Zardala area.
At 11 a.m., I, with my duty officers, arrived at the Zardala area and noticed several mounted riders who, upon seeing our approach, fled.
The horsemen sent after them captured one person who indicated that aul supporters of Mulla-Ashir were located 30 versts from Zardala.
Receiving this information, I ordered the assembled company of Ataman Kaliteev to follow me at a rapid pace, based on the directions given by the captured scout.
Upon approaching the Mazar area, I noticed a large number of livestock on the other side of the Sokh River. Despite the terrible speed of the current and the depth of the ford, I made great efforts to cross to the other side of the Sokh.
Noticing that as our detachment approached, many riders galloped away through the gorge, I took two platoons from the company and personally led them into the attack, but as soon as I got close to the steep elevations here, the enemy opened heavy rifle fire on the detachment from behind the rocks and mainly from the mountain ridges, and began to throw large stones at us.
Despite the heavy rifle fire and the masses of stones falling, I charged with the two platoons towards the gathered mounted enemy at the foot of the ascent, intending to attack them with sabers.
At the ascent to the Djura pass, I attacked the enemy with sabers, cutting down all the mounted men present there. Then, dismounting the men, I led them in an attack on the fortified enemy position located at the ascent to the pass.
After a stubborn and fierce battle, the position was taken, and the enemy, unable to flee, was impaled with bayonets.
During this battle, my horse was injured by a stone, and I myself received severe bruises from stones on my shoulder and neck.
Noticing that the enemy continued to fire at the detachment from the mountain tops without punishment and throw stones at us, I directed Captain Tserpitsky and Ataman Baron Drizen to flank the enemy from two sides, ordering them to drive the enemy out.
These officers, with foot teams of Cossacks, under heavy stone fire, with incredible effort, holding on to one another and using rifles which they wedged into the crevices between the stones, crawled up to the enemy hiding behind the stones and impaled him with bayonets.
Having confirmed that the enemy was defeated at all points, leaving in our hands livestock (which I had captured from the very beginning of the affair) and up to 50 yurts (which I ordered to be burned), and also seeing the extreme fatigue of the men due to the strenuous march and the fierce battle that lasted about 4 hours, I chose a convenient place for the bivouac at the beginning of the enemy position and moved the detachment with all the captured livestock to the bivouac site. At that time, the enemy, wishing to possibly hinder our movement, concentrated behind a strong barricade located at the foot of the mountain at the start of their position and began to throw stones heavily from there, thus blocking access to the bivouac. Having placed the detachment in a safe location, not reaching the barricade, I called for hunters from the company, entrusting them to Captain Tserpitsky, and ordered him to capture the barricade at all costs. Captain Tserpitsky, under heavy fire and showered with stones, crawling with great effort, reached the enemy position and attacked it with bayonets, and after a fierce hand-to-hand fight, took it; he himself received bruises from stones on his face, head, chest, and left side; and half of the team of hunters were injured by stones. Thus, by capturing this position, Captain Tserpitsky allowed the detachment to move to the bivouac without losses. Having confirmed the complete defeat of the enemy, I withdrew the company to the bivouac at Mazar, while simultaneously sending orders to the remaining detachment at Zardala (the order) to arrive at the Mazar area, where they arrived at midnight.
During this affair, we suffered the following casualties: 1 staff officer (Prince Wittgenstein), 3 senior officers (Captain Tserpitsky, Yesaul Baytokov, and Ensign Gromchevsky — the last two were injured by stones in the legs), 8 lower ranks were severely wounded and 27 lightly bruised. Among the horsemen of Yesaul Baytokov and Shabdan, 18 men were wounded. On the battlefield, the enemy left 51 bodies.
According to the captured prisoners, the enemy's losses are enormous.
According to gathered information, the Kyrgyz of the Shairchi clan fought against us in this affair, numbering up to 800 men, under the command of Magomed-Bay, Yar-Magomed, Khuday-Nazar, Mad-Karym, Murat-Bay, and Ish Magomed (now killed).
Reporting all of the above to Your Excellency, I consider it my sacred duty to inform you of the exemplary bravery of all those who participated in this affair.
Among the officers, those who distinguished themselves most for their exemplary bravery were: Captain Tserpitsky, Yesaul Baytokov, Ataman Baron Drizen, and Ensign Gromchevsky.
Among the lower ranks, especially distinguished was the volunteer militia cadet Aslan-bek-Bekmurzaev, who, according to Captain Tserpitsky, was his assistant throughout the affair and after receiving severe bruises encouraged the men and greatly contributed to the success of capturing the enemy positions. Among the Cossacks, the following particularly distinguished themselves:
Uryadniks: Stakhey Dayonichev of the 2nd Ural company, Ivan Dikolenko of the 1st Semirechensk company, Gerasim Danilov, Vasily Krasnikov, and Ponkatiy Voropaev of the 1st Siberian company.
Cossacks: Abdurakhmanov of the 1st Ural company, Fyodor Masyakov and Davyd Samartsev of the 2nd Ural company, Stepan Tagiltsev and Konstantin Zheleshchikov of the 1st Siberian company.
The horsemen of Shabdan and he himself were very useful during this affair.
The livestock captured from the enemy, except for what was necessary for the sustenance of the detachment, was handed over by me to the district chief of Chemion, who, at my invitation in Sokh, arrived at the detachment at Mazar the night after the affair.
Tomorrow, September 8, if the Kyrgyz who participated in the affair do not voluntarily surrender, I will move after them to the Karatigin region.
Authentically signed: Commander of the detachment, aide-de-camp Colonel Prince Wittgenstein
Authentically verified: Acting Chief of Staff of the General Staff, Major General [signature]
Checked by: Acting Senior Aide-de-Camp, General Staff, Captain [signature]
CGA KR. F.75. Op.1.D.53.L.26-30. Copy.
Shabdan Baatyr
