Battle of Zerabulak
Decisive Russian victory over Bukhara at Zerabulak heights.
The Battle of Zerabulak was the decisive engagement of the Russian army under General Kaufman against the army of the Bukhara emir Muzaffar, fought in June 1868 on the slopes of the Zera-tau mountain range. It ended with the defeat of the Bukhara army and the Bukhara Emirate's transition to vassal dependence on the Russian Empire. The battle is notable as the first action in which the Carle rifle was used.
Quick Facts
- Part of
- the Russo-Bukharan War
- Date
- 14 June 1868
- Location
- Zera-tau ridge, Bukhara (now Uzbekistan)
- Result
- Russian victory
- Territory
- Bukhara becomes Russian vassal
Facts from the source article.
Battle
After capturing Samarkand in May 1868, General Kaufman undertook a campaign toward Bukhara to finally defeat the Bukharians. Intelligence reported a large Bukhara army of about 30,000 gathering at the Zerabulak heights, roughly halfway from Samarkand to Bukhara. Leaving a small garrison in Samarkand, Kaufman advanced with his main forces. On the night of June 14, 1868, the Russian detachment reached the heights.
The Bukhara infantry stood at the foot, with 14 guns and a mass of cavalry on a hill behind them. The battle began at 4 am. Colonel Alexander Pistolkors, commanding the vanguard, led an attack on the enemy's left flank. The Cossacks moved forward, and Russian artillery fired buckshot at the Bukhara infantry.
Surprised by the pressure, the Bukharians wavered and fled. The Cossacks pursued, but the Bukhara infantry, once out of canister range, re-formed and retreated in order, firing back. The hollow along their retreat was covered with bodies. On the right flank, a battalion of 280 Russian infantrymen engaged in hand-to-hand combat and was surrounded by Bukhara infantry and cavalry.
Unable to receive help, the Russians launched a bayonet attack, broke the encirclement, and lost only 17 wounded. The entire Bukhara army gradually retreated, at first orderly, then discarding weapons and ammunition. By 10 am the heights were cleared. Kaufman's detachment captured one artillery gun and 40 pack boxes with shells.
More in 19th-century Military History of the Russian Empire
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