Battle of Oltenița
| Battle of Oltenița | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Crimean War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Ottoman Empire | Russian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Omer Pasha | Peter Dannenberg | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
5 companies of infantry, 150 cavalrymen, 6 guns Russian estimate: 8,000 with 20 guns |
8 battalions of infantry, 9 squadrons of cavalry In total, about 6,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
30 dead 150 wounded |
600–700 killed 3,000–4,000 wounded 90 to 236 dead 718 to 725 wounded | ||||||
The battle of Oltenița (or Oltenitza) was fought on 4 November 1853 and was the first engagement of the Crimean War. In this battle an Ottoman army under the command of Omar Pasha was defending its fortified positions from the Russian forces led by General Peter Dannenberg, until the Russians were ordered to withdraw. The Russian attack was called off just when they reached the Ottoman fortifications, and they retreated in good order, but suffered heavy losses. The Turks held their positions, but did not pursue the enemy, and later retreated to the other side of Danube.