Battle of Uzynagash

Did You Know?

• In the early 1850s, local Kazakhs began to en masse serve the Kokand Khanate due to Russian advances into Semirechye.
• The Kokand army gathered forces to re-invade the region after a failure in 1853.
• Russian forces were dispersed throughout the regions, with several hundred Cossacks flocking to the picket of Uzun-Agach.

Battle

Several Kokand soldiers directly attacked the Russian picket without waiting for reinforcements, but grapeshot artillery fire and musket fire inflicted heavy losses and forced them to retreat. The Russian army used the M1856 six-line rifle musket, which had longer range and increased accuracy, outclassing Kokand firearms and artillery and providing superior firepower to the outnumbered Russians. Small detachments of Russian reinforcements arrived throughout the day; one detachment of 60 Cossacks broke through enemy encirclement to reach Uzunagash with only three wounded.

On the morning of 20 October, the Kokand army received reinforcements and attempted another attack, but was repelled by artillery grapeshot and rifle fire, after which they resorted to exchanging fire from a distance. At noon, lieutenant colonel Gerasim Kolpakovsky received news of the attack and moved out with 250 men, 5 cannons, and 2 rocket launchers, arriving by evening. The Kokand army retreated westward and camped on a hill 5–6 km from Uzunagash.

During the night, Kolpakovsky organized an attack, leaving 75 infantry, 25 Cossacks, and one cannon to guard the picket, and decided to strike at the dominant heights from the northern flank.

Aftermath

The Russian victory at Uzynagash, against a larger Kokand force, led to many promotions and awards for soldiers and officers. Tsar Alexander II promoted Gerasim Kolpakovsky to colonel and gave him the 4th Class Order of Saint George. This battle happened during a risky time in the Russian conquest, when the army had few troops in the area, no railroads or telegraphs, and used muzzleloading rifles instead of the breechloading models adopted later. A loss at Uzynagash might have cost Russia the whole region. Instead, the win secured the Semirechye and Almaty areas for the empire, which became bases for later campaigns.