April 26, 1854 began for the British and French ships stationed in the port of Callao with an annoying surprise. The Russian frigate Aurora, which had arrived in the Peruvian harbor a few days before, suddenly weighed anchor and left in an unknown direction. Moreover, the ship, which was almost constantly monitored, did so, despite all the attempts of the British and the French who joined them to block the Aurora in a neutral port. At night, the crew of the frigate with the help of lifeboats towed the ship into the open sea, where he raised the sails and disappeared.
Such an incident, had it happened under different circumstances, would have been perceived with bewilderment, but Russia's relations with England and France at that time were hostile. The crisis in the Middle East, the epicenter of which was the Ottoman Empire, was gaining momentum. In February 1854, the governments of the two Western countries severed diplomatic relations with Russia, and it became abundantly clear what was coming soon. Neither Queen Victoria, who was preparing to knit socks for her soldiers, nor Napoleon III, expressively waving her uncle's saber, felt the slightest desire to conduct a "constructive dialogue" with the "barbarian nation." The air smelled distinctly of gunpowder, and Rear Admiral David Powell Price, the commander of the British Pacific squadron, dispatched his paddle steamer Virago to Panama ahead of time for instructions.
The unexpected departure of the Aurora puzzled both Price and the French Rear Admiral Auguste Depointe, who was in fact subordinate to him. Perhaps something was already happening in Europe, but the details were not known to both commanders. On May 7, 1854, when the sudden disappearance of the Russian "Aurora" ceased to be the main topic in the wardrooms and cockpits, the "Virago" finally rushed in full steam to Callao with the news that since March 23, England and France are in a state wars with Russia. The Russian frigate, thanks to the skill of its crew under the command of Lieutenant Commander Ivan Nikolaevich Izilmetyev, left literally from under the nose of the allied squadron, which was several orders of magnitude superior to it. This fact, annoying for the fleets of their majesties, led to a whole chain of events,the main one of which will become for Russia "an instant faint glimpse on the then gloomy horizon."
Pacific Ocean in the plans of the parties
The Crimean War was a conflict between states with vast territorial possessions. In the Pacific region, these included Russia and the British Empire. The interests of St. Petersburg in Siberia and the Far East in the 30-40s. XIX centuries continued to expand - consolidating their positions on the Pacific borders gave significant advantages in the form of expanding trade with Asian countries and America, strengthened ties with Russian possessions on the North American continent. The North Pacific was also rich in whaling. At the same time, the still few Russian outposts in such a remote region were very vulnerable to the impact of a serious and well-organized military force. Great Britain acted as such without any alternative. Russian and British interests have already clashed in tough confrontation in Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Asia. Many high-ranking officials in the Russian leadership were confident that the Pacific Ocean would soon become the arena of acute confrontation between the two empires.
Among the most authoritative was the opinion of Nikolai Nikolaevich Muravyov, who since 1847 served as Governor-General of Siberia. Relations with the Western powers were clearly covered in frost, and the prospect of war became more and more obvious. Muravyov pointed out the paucity of forces that Russia has in the Far East, the weakness and inadequacy of defensive capabilities, the growth of which was directly related to overcoming the huge distances between the central regions of the empire and the Far East. The most important goal, according to Muravyov, was the all-round protection of Petropavlovsk - a small town located in Kamchatka, which at that time was a strategically important harbor.
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Vasily Stepanovich Zavoiko
On December 2, 1849, at the suggestion of the active Muravyov, the emperor established a special Kamchatka region under the control of a military governor. On February 15, Captain 1st Rank Vasily Stepanovich Zavoiko was appointed to this position. The only thing left to do was to bring the defense capability of this area to an acceptable level. And this was not so easy due to geographical remoteness. The most convenient way to deliver reinforcements and necessary materials to Petropavlovsk was to transport them to the Pacific Ocean across the Amur River.
On January 11, 1854, Emperor Nicholas I ordered Governor-General Muravyov to settle the controversial issues that remained until then on the delimitation of the water border along the Amur with the Chinese authorities. At the same time, it was supposed to get loyalty from them in the matter of transporting troops and other military cargo along this river. A responsible assignment was successfully completed by Muravyov, and the first transportation of troops to Kamchatka took place in the spring of 1854: a thousand people were transported from Transbaikalia down the Amur along with supplies.
However, in the outbreak of the war with Turkey and the Western powers, the fleet was also to play its role in protecting the Pacific borders. In 1852, Admiral-General Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich expressed support for the long-cherished plan of establishing diplomatic relations with Japan, proposed and formulated by Vice Admiral Yevfimiy Vasilyevich Putyatin. The international situation worsened, information was received from America that a military-diplomatic mission of Commodore Matthew Perry was being prepared, the purpose of which was to establish friendly trade relations with the Japanese with the help of 10 warships and a detachment of marines.
Russia chose a different path, and Putyatin set off for the Far East on the frigate Pallada without instructions of an ultimatum and bloodthirsty Cossacks hidden in the hold to intimidate the Japanese. Arriving in Japan a month after Perry, in August 1853, Putyatin found out that negotiations with the agitated and frightened Japanese authorities would be difficult and protracted. The courteous Perry delicately departed, promising to return in a year with reinforced arguments for dialogue. Other ships were sent to help Putyatin, since the break with the Western powers seemed quite obvious.
At the end of August 1853, the 50-gun Aurora set off for a long campaign from Kronstadt, which will be responsible for a swift departure from Callao and take part in the defense of Petropavlovsk. The Aurora was to, having overcome the Atlantic, bypass Cape Horn, and then, crossing the Pacific Ocean, arrive at De-Kastri Bay. In autumn 1853 the newest frigate Diana left Arkhangelsk.
In the coming war, the Allies assigned the Pacific theater a purely auxiliary role. On the North American mainland, in early 1854, the Russian-American company, engaged in the development of Alaska and the fur trade, signed an agreement with the English Hudson Bay Company on neutrality in the event of war. In accordance with this agreement, the British command sent out an order to the commanders of their ships not to commit hostile actions against the Russian settlements in North America.
There remained the hunt for rare merchant ships and even fewer Russian warships in the Pacific Ocean. On February 24, 1854, almost a month before the official declaration of war, the British Admiralty sent instructions to the commanders of overseas bases on the subject of interaction with the French allies. The available forces of the Royal Navy in the Pacific were brought together in a squadron under the command of Rear Admiral David Price, whose ships were stationed in the Peruvian port of Callao. After the outbreak of hostilities, all French ships in the region, commanded by Rear Admiral Depute, were also at his disposal.
Parties are getting ready
By the time the war began, the Russian naval forces in the Pacific were not only small in number, but also fragmented. Vice-Admiral Putyatin kept his flag on the Pallada frigate in De-Kastri Bay, whose technical condition after the ocean crossing and sailing in Japanese waters was poor. The frigates Aurora and Diana were in different places in the Pacific Ocean at the final stage of their transitions. In addition, the corvette "Olivutsa", the schooner "Vostok" and military transports "Dvina" and "Prince Menshikov" stayed in the Far Eastern waters.
Such a modest quantitative composition of the Russian Imperial Navy nevertheless caused serious concern not only among the British Admiralty, but also among the leadership of the numerous British colonies located in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. According to the latter, with the outbreak of war, "Russian pirates" will rush not only to destroy the sacred English sea trade, but also coastal cities. The public, represented by influential colonial and trade circles, put pressure on the Admiralty, which, in turn, haunted Rear Admiral Price.
This naval commander, whose combat experience was limited to the already distant era of the Napoleonic wars, spent half of his career on the coast, being on half salary. The impending crisis in relations with Russia has called for many officers and admirals to the navy. On August 17, 1853, Price was appointed commander of the British forces in the Pacific with the rank of Rear Admiral. The year 1854 found him and the squadron entrusted to him in Callao. When the "Aurora" arrived there, the allies began to fix various small dirty tricks on the Russian ship. As a disciplined person, but not proactive, Price was waiting for additional instructions from above. For this, the steamer "Virago" was sent to Panama.
Steamer "Virago"
The commander of the Aurora, Lieutenant Commander Izilmetyev, was also disciplined, but incomparably more proactive, courageous and resolute commander. As a result, the "Aurora" on April 26, 1854 flew away from Callao, leaving the allies with a nose. Even when "Virago" brought the news of the beginning of the war with Russia, which was more than a month late, the Anglo-French squadron only on May 17, leisurely left Callao.
The "clearing" of the Pacific Ocean took place at the pace of a mad turtle: only on July 14, the Anglo-French fleet concentrated in Honolulu. There were 50-gun frigate "President" under the flag of Rear Admiral Price, 44-gun frigate "Peak", 24-gun frigate "Amphitrite" and 6-gun steamer "Virago", whose weak armament was compensated by the presence of a 120-strong steam engine … The French detachment, which was subordinate to Price, consisted of the 60-gun frigate "Fort" under the flag of Rear Admiral Auguste Depointe, the 30-gun frigate "Artemis", the 24-gun corvette "Eurydice" and the 16-gun brig "Obligado".
This, by the standards of the Pacific theater of war, the armada stood idle for some time, since there was no intelligible news about the "Russian pirates". Then Rear Admiral Price became the owner of two news items at once. According to the first, some merchants in San Francisco are equipping privateer ships to help the Russians - against the background of traditional anti-British sentiments in America, this could well be true. The second piece of news came from an agent of the Hudson Bay Company, who told the allies that two Russian warships were at once in the port of Petropavlovsk: the Aurora, which had escaped Price, and the Dvina, a 12-gun military transport. It was a very tempting goal, in addition, the instructions of the Admiralty clearly stated about clearing the Pacific Ocean of Russian ships.
Having left Hawaii at the end of July, the squadron headed towards Kamchatka. From its composition, Price singled out the frigates Amphitrite and Artemiz and sent them, just in case, to the shores of California to protect merchant shipping from privateers supposedly preparing to leave San Francisco. The allies did not yet suspect that they were awaited in Petropavlovsk for a long time. The military governor, by that time already a major general, Vasily Stepanovich Zavoiko, back in March 1854, had initial information about the planned attack. An American whaling ship that came from the Hawaiian Islands brought a letter from King Kamehamea III, who is friendly to Russia, stating that in the event of war this summer there is a high probability of an attack on Petropavlovsk from the Anglo-French squadron. At the end of May of the same year, the news of the impending attack was duplicated by the US Consul General. Started ahead of timemeasures to prepare Petropavlovsk for defense were accelerated.
By the beginning of the Crimean War, this town had 1593 inhabitants, most of whom were military. The garrison in Petropavlovsk was 231 men with six 6-pounders and one 3-pounder horse-drawn. This was outrageously small.
On July 1, the frigate Aurora arrived in Petropavlovsk. His call was a forced measure - two-thirds of the crew suffered from scurvy, and the ship's commander, Lieutenant Commander Izilmetyev, was also ill. Fresh water was running out, so before diving to the final point of the voyage, De-Kastri Bay, the frigate entered Petropavlovsk to replenish supplies and rest the crew. The active Zavoiko introduced the commander of the Aurora to the course of local events and asked for his assistance in repelling a possible enemy attack.
On July 24, 1854, the garrison of the city received reinforcements. 350 soldiers of the Siberian line battalion under the command of the new commander of the 47th crew and assistant to the governor, captain 1st rank Alexander Pavlovich Arbuzov, 2 two-pound mortars and 14 guns were delivered from the De-Kastri Bay on the Dvina transport. Together with them, a military engineer, Lieutenant Konstantin Mrovinsky, arrived in Kamchatka, under whose leadership coastal batteries and fortifications were built. In addition to the much-needed reinforcements, Dvina brought with it official information about the declaration of war between Russia and the Western allies.
The total number of the garrison now numbered more than 900 people, including armed local residents. Construction began on 7 coastal batteries - the guns of the frigate "Aurora" and the transport "Dvina" were used. Almost all residents of the city took part in the work. To repel the enemy landing, special rifle parties were formed, which even included armed Kamchadal hunters. They were given a horse-drawn field gun as a mobile firearm.
A total of 44 guns were placed on the batteries. The strongest were batteries # 2 and # 6, where 11 and 10 guns were placed, respectively. The weakest were # 4 and # 5, where there were 3 and 5 old copper cannons with understaffed servants. "Aurora" and "Dvina" were anchored on their port sides to the exit from the harbor. The starboard guns were brought ashore and placed on the batteries. The entrance to the bay was blocked off with a boom.
Preparations for the defense of Petropavlovsk were nearing completion, when on the evening of August 29, 1854, from the coastal observation posts, they reported the discovery of a squadron of ships at sea. Without any doubt, it could be argued that this was the enemy.
Enemy by the Shore
Seen by vigilant observers, the ships actually turned out to be an allied squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Price. From the British side, it consisted of the flagship 50-gun frigate President, the 44-gun frigate Pik and the 6-gun steamer Virago. The French unit consisted of the 60-gun frigate "Fort" under the flag of Rear Admiral Depuant, the 24-gun corvette "Eurydice" and the 16-gun brig "Obligado". On their decks were more than 200 guns, the personnel consisted of 2,200 people - crew members and about 500 soldiers of the landing parties.
Before the start of the operation, Price decided to conduct a reconnaissance of the enemy harbor, the defensive capabilities of which the Allies had the most general idea. On the morning of August 30, the steamer Virago, together with the squadron commander and staff officers on board, raised the American flag and approached Avacha Bay. This not too sophisticated trick was easily exposed by the Russians, and a whaleboat on duty came out to meet the "American". Realizing that the deception was revealed, "Virago" turned around and left. From it, the enemy noticed the erected coastal batteries and the Aurora and Dvina stationed in the bay. The behavior of the Russians indicated that they were aware of the intentions of the enemy, and it was not possible to achieve surprise.
The bombing of Petropavlovsk by the British-French fleet
At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon on August 30, the Anglo-French squadron approached a shot range and exchanged several ineffective volleys with the coastal batteries, after which the exchange of fire subsided. In the evening, a council of war was assembled on the flagship "President", which was attended by Rear Admiral Depuant and the commanders of the ships. A plan of attack was developed, which was to take place the next day. However, there was an unexpected pause in the actions of the allies, caused by a very unpleasant event for them. On the morning of August 31, 1854, at about 11 o'clock, when the Virago, using the power of its vehicle, towed the President and the Fort to their assigned positions, Rear Admiral Depointe was reported that his commander, Rear Admiral Price, had fired pistol to his chest in his own cabin. Three hours later, he died, and the command in seniority passed to Depointe.
The incident that occurred just before the start of the operation had a depressing effect on the officers and sailors of the allied squadron. Eyewitnesses later asserted that Price was first affected by the fact that he had omitted the Aurora, and then by the fact that Petropavlovsk was quite ready for defense. Perhaps the long stay on the shore made the admiral doubt his abilities and led to suicide. The Russian side found out about this later, so it was somewhat surprised that the attack that had begun was stopped. The assault on Petropavlovsk was postponed to August 31.
First Allied Attack
On the morning of September 1, the steamer "Virago", again taking the frigates "Fort", "President" and "Pik" in tow, began towing them to the entrance to the harbor. Allied ships opened heavy fire, concentrating it on batteries # 1 and # 2. At the same time, the corvette "Eurydice" and the brig "Obligado" fired at battery No. 3, diverting the attention of the defenders. These ships also fired outboard fire across Nikolskaya Sopka in an attempt to inflict damage on the anchored Aurora and Dvina. Battery No. 1, which the three most powerful enemy frigates were bombarded with concentrated bombardment from 9 o'clock in the morning, was forced to shut up by 11 o'clock - the personnel were withdrawn from it.
Defense scheme of Petropavlovsk (Marine Atlas)
Encouraged by the success, the enemy landed an assault force in order to occupy the most distant battery - three-gun No. 4. About 600 Frenchmen landed on 14 rowing ships. The commander of battery No. 4, warrant officer Popov, who had previously inflicted damage on the enemy with well-aimed fire, riveted the guns, hid gunpowder in a specially prepared place and retreated with his people towards the city. By a lucky coincidence, there were no casualties among the personnel of this battery. The allies raised the French flag over the occupied position, but their joy was short-lived.
The fire of the Aurora and Dvina cannons and the shooting parties preparing for a counterattack soon forced the paratroopers to return to the ships. In the meantime, three allied frigates transferred fire to 11-gun battery # 2. This battery, displaying exceptional composure and skill, was commanded by Lieutenant Prince Dmitry Petrovich Maksutov. The fire confrontation with almost eighty enemy guns of the three ships lasted until 6 pm, and nevertheless, the allies did not manage to suppress battery number 2. Having received numerous damage, the frigates were forced to retreat. The steamer "Virago" tried several times to come close to the shore in order to use its bombing guns, but was driven away.
The battle on September 1, 1854 ended. It cost the Russian side 6 people killed. 1 officer and 12 lower ranks were wounded. The Russian command was not aware of the enemy's losses on that day, but it was noticed that several whaleboats approached Krasheninnikov Island, where the Allies buried their dead, from the squadron.
Second Allied attack and Russian victory
Immediately after the unsuccessful attack, a meeting was held aboard the now flagship Fort. The atmosphere on it was not entirely allied and very far from partnership. The French blamed the British, and they in turn blamed the French. The disgruntled Rear Admiral Depointe was inclined to cancel the operation altogether and leave for San Francisco. The entire next day, September 2, the ships of the allied squadron spent correcting the damage. In the evening of the same day, the steamer "Virago" set off for Tarinskaya Bay, where the body of Rear Admiral Price was buried under the sound of an artillery salute.
Then an event occurred that forced the allies to change their plans. In the forest, the British caught two American sailors sent here to get firewood from a commercial ship docked in Petropavlovsk. For interrogation, they were taken first to the Virago, and then to the frigate Pik. The Americans spoke in detail about the state of affairs in the city, the state of the Russian fortifications and, most importantly, about the convenient path leading to Petropavlovsk from the rear because of the Nikolskaya Mountain dominating over it. The commander of the "Pike" Nicholson, whom at a recent military council Depointe accused of lack of activity and lack of initiative, suggested that the French admiral re-attack Petropavlovsk, landing troops in the rear of the Russians. The French admiral, who did not want to be seen as a coward, especially in the eyes of the British, agreed after some hesitation.
On the evening of September 4, a regular military council was assembled, at which a plan of attack was developed and approved. It was supposed, after suppressing the Russian battery No. 7 with fire, to land 700 people - 350 people on each side. The vanguard of the landing of 120 British marines and a platoon of French riflemen were to take Mount Nikolskaya. The allies were completely confident of success. Subsequently, examining the abandoned paratrooper equipment, the Russians noted that they had everything they needed to stay on land for several days. Everything was provided: dry rations, first aid kits, blankets, tools for destroying fortifications and riveting guns. In his papers, the commander of the vanguard of the landing, Parker, even noted the need not to forget ten pairs of shackles.
On the Russian side, they saw that on September 4, the Allies had a significant revival, which could only indicate the proximity of the next attack. At half past six in the morning on September 5, 1854, the steamer "Virago" took the "Fort" and "President" in tow. The French frigate took up a position opposite battery no. 6, and the English one against battery no. 3. "Peak", "Eurydice" and "Obligado" fired at batteries No. 1 and No. 4, distracting the defenders and imitating the previous attack. Despite the overwhelming fire advantage, the Allies had to cope with Russian fire with great effort. Particularly distinguished was the battery number 3, due to the weakness of its fortifications, nicknamed "deadly". It was commanded by Lieutenant Prince Alexander Petrovich Maksutov, brother of the commander of battery No. 2 Dmitry Maksutov. His composure and courage were encouraging to the gunners. Several times the lieutenant personally directed the guns at the target and made accurate shots. One of the hits on the "President" brought down its battle flag. The British frigate received other damage in the mast and rigging. In the end, the battery commander was seriously wounded (his left arm was blown off by a cannonball), and he was taken to the infirmary.
The brave prince annoyed the “enlightened sailors” so much that his injury was accompanied by loud joyful shouts from the “President”. Soon, both batteries were brought to silence, and the allies were able to finally begin to disembark the troops without hindrance - the rowing ships were up to that moment under the protection of the Virago. About 250 people landed near battery # 3, and the rest of the assault force - at battery # 7. In total, including the rowers of the landing boats, the number of the Anglo-French forces on the shore reached almost 900 people.
Most of the enemy landing rushed to Nikolskaya Mountain, trying to take it and fall from it onto the city. Another part of the attackers had the intention of destroying battery No. 6, entering the path indicated by the American sailors, and attacking Petropavlovsk from the side of Lake Kultushnoye. The situation for the Russian side was almost critical, but Major General Zavoiko was calm and did not lose courage in difficult times. All the available reserves were collected: the calculations of the batteries were weakened, the clerks, musicians and officials were armed. Zavoiko gathered all available forces into a fist for a decisive counterstrike.
Meanwhile, battery No. 6, with the help of the only field gun in the garrison, urgently brought up here with dense buckshot, forced the enemy to retreat to Nikolskaya Mountain. An attempt to break through the path to the allies failed. The very same mountain, initially defended only by a small rifle party of 25 people, was captured by the enemy. Having gathered into a shock fist all available forces - more than 300 people - the Russians launched an attack on Nikolskaya Gora. All the unfavorable factors were obvious: they had to attack an enemy 2.5 times superior in strength, moreover, going up the slope. Eyewitnesses later claimed that the Russians acted calmly, as in an exercise, scattered into a chain. The core of the attackers was made up of military personnel of the 47th crew, experienced in military affairs Siberians. An important role was played by the presence of local - Kamchadal hunters,shooting which was distinguished by exceptional accuracy.
The sailors of the Aurora and Dvina were not inferior to their comrades in courage. Firing intensive fire on the positions of the allies, the defenders of Petropavlovsk, getting close, struck with bayonets. Despite all the stubbornness of the British and French, who can in no way be called cowards, the Allies were soon overturned and began to retreat. Captain Parker, who had taken care of the number of shackles in advance, was stabbed to death with a bayonet and was never able to take advantage of his concern.
Trophy banner of the British Marine Corps, captured by the defenders of Petropavlovsk. Located in the State Hermitage
The retreat soon turned into a stampede. Some of the paratroopers were pushed back to the cliff and were forced to jump from there from a great height, crippling and killing themselves. During a hasty landing on the landing boats, the enemy suffered severely from targeted fire - many boats were rolled off the shore half-empty or filled with corpses. The British and French tried to pick up not only their wounded, but also the dead, slowing down the pace of loading. Bustle and complete chaos reigned on the shore - in such conditions the Russian riflemen inflicted huge damage on the enemy.
By 11:30 the battle was over - the last landing boats left the affected area. The total losses of the allies amounted to about 210 people (59 killed and 151 wounded). Four sailors (two French and two English) were taken prisoner. The trophies of the winners were the banner of the British Marine Corps, 7 officer's sabers, 56 guns and a lot of equipment. The victory went dearly to the defenders of Petropavlovsk: 31 people were killed, two officers and 63 privates were wounded.
For two days, the squadron of the allies corrected the damage and buried the dead, and then on September 7, 1854, left the inhospitable waters of Kamchatka. Subsequently, in Paris and London, the actions of the allied squadron were harshly criticized, and the very fact of the defeat made a heavy impression. As a result, American sailors were named as the main culprits of the defeat, who gave allegedly incorrect information about the city and the fortifications. Russia learned about the victory of a small garrison on the Far Eastern frontier of the empire on November 26, 1854, when Prince Dmitry Petrovich Maksutov, the commander of battery No. 2, arrived in St. Petersburg. For the difference in the defense of Petropavlovsk, Major General Zavoiko was presented to the Order of St. George, 3rd degree. The Crimean War continued, and the shores of Kamchatka will again see enemy flags in the next year, 1855.
Author: Denis Brig