Battle of Jizzakh

The Battle of Jizzakh was a decisive military engagement fought between the forces of Russia under the command of General Nikolai Kryzhanovsky, and the Emirate of Bukhara.

During the spring campaign of 1866, Russian infantries defeated the Bukharan emir at the Battle of Irjar, however did not continue to Bukhara, and in May besieged and annexed the Kokand fortification of Khujand.

Although the Bukhara emir, aware of the improbability of continuing the further struggle with Russia, expressed obedience, but, however, he continued to arm himself and behaved aggressively towards the Russians during the summer of that year. Therefore, following numerous warnings, the militant Russian authorities, on the initiative of General Dmitry Romanovsky and in accordance to his plan, came to the consensus to mobilize further into Central Asia during the fall, and planning to annex the territory located between the then Russian and Bukhara-Kokand possessions; this vicinity of territory was the concluding stronghold for the Emir of Bukhara to the side of the possessions, fortified by two fortifications - Ura-Tube and Jizak. On 2 October, during the offensive, the Russians annexed Ur-Tuba. Succeeding General Romanovsky's annexation of the fortification of Ura-Tube, only one point remained within the occupation of the Emir of Bukhara by the fall of 1866 within the valley of the Syrdarya Djizak River.^[3]

The Djizak fortification was heavily defended and armed, and therefore was considered the primary fortress in those vicinities. The Djizak bey, whom became the recipient of reinforcements from ten thousand selected servicemen from the Bukhara emir during the conclusion of the summer, with 53 large-caliber firearms, prepared to give a rebuff.

On 6 October, a militant column was mobilized on the way to the small fortification of Zaamin, located halfway from Ura-Tube. Bukhara servicemen evacuated and the fortification was annexed void of an offensive. On 10 October, the rest of the Russian servicemen approached Jizak. Russian servicemen consisting of 16.5 companies, five hundred Cossacks with 20 guns approached the fortress on 12 October. On 13 October, General Romanovsky conducted reconnaissance, and then siege operations were initiated. On 14 October, 2.5-3 thousand Bukhara cavalries advanced to the Jalan-Uta gorge, in opposition to the guard detachment remaining. Two rifle companies and Cossacks sent to the gorge overturned and threw back the offensive. Simultaneously, the Bukharians from the fortification made a strong sortie in opposition to three companies occupying the sakli in front of the fortress walls, but were repulsed. By this time it turned out that the emir had sent heavy reinforcements from Samarkand to Jizak, as a result of which a consensus was reached to accelerate the operations and annex the fortress by storm. On 15 October, the arming of two militant batteries (10 guns and 4 mortars) built in opposition to the Ur-Tyubin and Samarkand gates were initiated. The garrison established two sorties, but void of success, and on the morning of the 16th the batteries initiated combat. On 17–18 October, the Russians conducted artillery shelling of the fortification.^[4]

On 18 October, at 12 o'clock, the general offensive on the fortification was initiated. The Bukharans, who were awaiting for the offensive at dawn, came to the consensus that it was postponed to the succeeding day, and were not prepared adequately for the offensive. Columns of Captain Mikhailovsky and Lieutenant Colonel Grigoriev (a total of 8 infantry companies, with 10 guns and 4 mortars) went on the offensive. The opposition, who did not expect an offensive adequately, was void of sufficient time to meet them with fire in time and rushed to defend the collapses, but the established resistance could not be long. The good "hurray" soon required the defenders to retreat, and then go into a desperate, disorderly evacuation, which concluded in approximately half an hour with the defeat of the garrison. The stormers, having successfully initiated the breach, partitioned into several columns, headed partly along the walls and partly to the citadel. Following the advanced columns, partitions of the reserves also entered. The Bukharians evacuated, having suffered about 6,000 people killed. 16 banners, 12 copper and 41 cast iron guns were looted from the fortification. Of the 18 beks, 16 were killed, and 12 of them died in close-quarters hand-to-hand combat.

By four o'clock in the afternoon, General Kryzhanovsky entered the fortification with the primary reserve. The victory was established. A column of 2,500 people with 18 guns, which appeared five versts away, newly sent by the emir from Bukhara, sensing the fire directed at it, and learning about the fate of Jizak, ran away, evacuating from the reserves that were on it.

The Russians took over 3,000 prisoners, many banners, guns, pikes, and pistols.

General Romanovsky's campaign of 1866 was crushing. On 8 May, he disestablished the Bukhara troops at Irjar, on the 24th he annexed Khojent, on 20 July he took Ura-Tube with an offensive, and on 18 October he annexed Jizak with a sudden offensive. In these three offensives, the Russian servicemen, having lost 500 people, put 12,000 Asians in their place. Near Irjar, 1,000 Bukharians were killed and 6 guns were looted. During the offensive of Khogent, 3,500 were killed. with Russian losses of 137 servicemen. At Ura-Tuba, 2,000 were broken, 4 banners, 32 guns were taken, and Russian losses were 227 people. Finally, in the bloodiest case, under Jizak, out of 11,000 Bukhara, 6,000 fell, out of 2,000 Russians only 98 were eliminated. 11 banners and 43 guns were taken.^[5]

Having lost Jizak, the Bukharans evacuated to Samarkand and hurried to enter into peace negotiations. 1867 passed in fruitless negotiations. The Bukharans deliberately continued them, attempting to buy time and recruit a new military mass. For the annexiation of Djizak, General Kryzhanovsky was awarded the Order of St. George 3rd degree No. 511 as a reward.