Battle of Stavuchany
The Battle of Stavuchany was fought between the [Imperial Imperial Russian Army|Russian Army|Russian] and Ottoman armies, which took place on August 28 of 1739 during the Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739. The Russians emerged victorious.
Prelude
Stavuchany is a small Moldavian village some southwest of Khotyn. The Russian army under the command of Field Marshal Burkhard Christoph von Münnich approached Stavuchany, where the Ottoman army under the leadership of Serasker Veli Pasha was concentrated. The army consisted of 30–40,000 Turks and Crimean Tatars, with 70 guns. The main Turks' force blocked the way to Khotyn, while some 10,000 Turks and the Tatars surrounded the Russian army from the flanks and rear respectively and threatened its wagon train. By the evening of August 27, Münnich's army was surrounded in the lowlands, but repulsed all the attacks of the Turkish cavalry under Iliaș Colceag and Genj Ali Pasha and 50,000-strong Tatar cavalry under İslâm Geray. The main forces of the Turks with artillery occupied the commanding heights beyond the Shulanets River, on the road to Khotyn, and fortified there.Battle
On the morning of August 28, Munnich moved a strong detachment under the command of Gustav Biron across the river. This detachment stood for several hours under Turkish artillery fire, and then retreated back across the river. The Turks decided that the offensive of the Russian army was repulsed, and Veli Pasha even sent a corresponding report to Khotyn. However, at this time, the Russians built a large number of bridges across the Shulanets River on their right flank and with their entire army rushed there, bypassing the fortified positions of the Turks from the east. The Turks launched several attacks trying to stop this advance, but were completely defeated and fled, leaving their fortified camp, which was captured by the Russian army. The Russian army captured some 50 cannons and other trophies.Aftermath
According to Russian data, the Ottoman army left more than 1,000 people killed on the battlefield. In the official report of Münnich, the losses of the Russian army were indicated in only 13 killed and 54 wounded. However, these data are completely unreliable. So, for the Semenovsky Regiment, losses are indicated as 1 wounded person. Actually in the fighting on August 27–28, the regiment lost 43 men killed and 102 wounded. Other estimates of Russian casualties indicate a total of 1,800–2,000 killed and wounded and Ottoman losses are also estimated at between 2,000 and 15,000 killed or wounded.As a result of the Battle of Stavuchany, the Ottoman fortress of Khotyn was captured by Russians on August 30, Soon after that, Münnich entered Iași on September 14, and occupied most of the Principality of Moldavia. Despite those victories, the Russian court decided to accept French mediation, that resulted in the Treaty of Niš by which Russia had to return almost all captured territories, including those gained in Moldavia.