Battle of the Valerik River
| Battle of the Valerik River | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Caucasian War | |||||||
Battle of the River Valerik by Mikhail Lermontov | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Russian Empire | Caucasian Imamate | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Apollon Galafeyev Alexander Pullo Mikhail Lermontov |
Ahberdila Muhammad Isa of Gendergen | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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6 battalions 14 guns 1500 Cossacks | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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~66 killed 265 wounded and shell-shocked 8 missing ~1,400 soldiers and 45 officers according to De la Chapelle |
Unknown ~150 left on the battlefield ~600 left on the battlefield according to Lermontov | ||||||
The Battle of the Valerik River on 11 July 1840 was fought as part of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus. It occurred about 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the fortress of Groznaya (now Grozny) between forces of the Imperial Russian Army and North Caucasian mountaineers led by the naib (viceroy) Ahberdila Muhammad. It remains famous because of the poem "Valerik" by Mikhail Lermontov, a participant.