August
29
Sunrise was at about 6:05 am
Suleiman
awoke early on his lucky day in anticipation of the great assault and a
glorious victory that would be spoken of for many generations. He thought of the
three weeks that he has spent here at Siget and was bewildered by how a small
handful of soldiers defied his force, the army of the most powerful ruler in
the world, and the great sacrifices with which every assault was paid. He could not understand how Zrinski was able
to refuse his offer of all of Croatia if he surrendered. If surrender did not
come from his generous offers then by a mighty conquest the fortress will be
his. He also thought of how happy he
will be to leave.
In
the morning Suleyman prayed[1],
bent over, asking Allah for his blessing and victory. After that he spoke to his viziers and ordered
them into battle. The aged ruler, still weak and ill,
who rarely showed himself to his soldiers, mounted his favorite horse and
walked amongst the Janissaries and the army, in order to rouse and encourage
them. He spoke to the troops about the
past victories and how future generations will speak of the heroism and
victory, on this day here at Siget. On August 29th, on the anniversary of the fall of Belgrade,
Mohacs and Buda, Siget will finally fall. His troops cheered
enthusiastically for the fiercest
assault yet.
To his
commanders he may have said, "Win or die!"
"We will
not turn from Siget even if I have to die with the whole army."
Everyone was certain of victory; that today they would quickly break the strong resistance of the few defenders left. The soldiers were enthusiastic for
the assault. The artillery and engineers
made many prepartions over the previous days.
Continuous cannon-fire damaged the walls and
bastions. The causeways were finished
and went to the walls. The lake/swamp
bed had dried in many areas allowing soldiers to walk across it. All evidence pointed to Ottoman success.
Soldiers from the entire army were assigned
to the general assault. Janissaries, Sipahi, Timariots, Officers, soldiers and volunteers all had great hope for victory
and all wanted to be a part of this historic assault[2]. Feridun-bey records
that the Grand vizier was so confident of victory that he ordered Feridun to go
to the battle to record events as they happened. The Grand Vizier said to Feridun-bey;
"If Almighty Allah, who spreads favors (may his
glory be exalted), gives us grace and grants us conquest and victory, you must
be present at the gabions and trenches with your writing board and your reed
(quill, pen) so you may record everything in great detail and
report as soon as possible the events as they happened at the foot of the
throne of our master and of the great happiness of the sultan."
From the front lines Sokolovic gave the
orders and the artillery, in the Linden Forest west of the swamp, began to fire
at the west wall - not so much as to do damage but to keep down the heads of
the defenders. The sound of the cannons
gave the Ottoman troops comfort. The entire army, the Asian and
European elements and an endless multitude of all types of soldiers prepared
for the attack on the fortress as the Janissary mehter band began to play once
again. The Janissaries were uplifted
and emboldened for battle when they heard the band playing the battle songs.
Zrinski and his
troops were wide-awake and ready for the assault. This was not the first time Zrinski heard the
martial music of mehter band and never did develop an appreciation for the
foreign "Janissary music" that sounded like racket with no merriment
in it. While the Ottomans
prepared to charge, the defenders positioned their cannons pointing at the weak
spots in the bastions in anticipation of the attacks. Gunpowder and cannonballs positioned by all
the cannons, especially on the large artillery hill by the south wall of the
outer fortress overlooking all the paths of approach to the southern bastions. The musketeers prepared their defensive
positions from behind which they could shoot to support the men on the front
lines.
Sokolovic gave the next order, the large kös
drum (ruler's drum) of the mehter began to beat and the army charged. The assault started from three directions
targeting three points of the outer fortress; the western wall and the
southeast and southwest bastions that had already been significantly damaged by
prolonged cannon fire. The Ottoman strategy was based on overwhelming the defenders
with massive numerical superiority.
Assaults from three directions on three targets were designed to divide
the defenders into smaller groups and thereby weaken them.
The Janissaries were the first to charge at
the southwest bastion. The Anatolians,
Sipahi and volunteers were tasked to make the next attack at the western wall but
because the area was steep and rugged[3]
the Anatolians were hesitant to launch the assault. To motivate the Anatolians
Sokolovic rode to the west side and spent time on the front lines with the
commanders and troops encouraging or commanding them into action[4].
While Sokolovic
was on the front lines the defenders fired cannons at the Anatolians and one of
the cannonballs almost hit the Grand Vizier.
Feridun-bey, following the Grand Vizier to record the historic battle,
noticed the incoming cannonball and pushed Sokolovic out of the way (maybe to
the ground) and saved his life. While
Sokolovic was safe a number of soldiers were hit and killed. For this Sokolovic
was very grateful[5].
The cavalry and
volunteers charged from the Linden Forest and ran across the somewhat dried up
lake bottom towards the western wall. Other units attacked across the causeway
on the eastern side towards the southeast bastion. All three assaults merged into one large
attack at the fortress with the soldiers charging like hungry wolves running
after sheep.
Maybe: During the assault the wooden foundation of
one of the causeways bent/twisted due to the number of soldiers on it. Since the ground under the causeways was
still wet and muddy the wooden foundation of the causeway moved. As the causeway bent to the side many
soldiers lost their footing and fell into the wet mud (or maybe still swampy
land).
The defenders, experienced soldiers, knew
what they had to do and they stood their ground in control and not falling into
chaos and confusion. When the
Janissaries entered through the southwest bastion they met Zrinski in the
middle, fighting like a wild man, slashing at soldiers climbing up the rubble
of the bastion and cutting off hands and arms of those reaching the top and
then falling down into the moat. Zrinski
energized the rest of his soldiers into a battle frenzy. More Janissaries began to attack but the
defenders repulsed 3 assaults. The
Janissaries made a raid and planted three banners on the bastion but the
defenders fired on them.
While most defenders fought with swords,
pikes and axes against the Ottomans the defender artillerymen fired the various
anti-personnel cannons at the soldiers at the walls and shot mortars with
fireballs that set fire to Ottoman wooden siege structures (gun platforms). Ottomans record that the defenders threw
“kumbara” grenades[6].
As the sipahi cavalry approached the walls they were shot by muskets and
cannons. As they charged through the breaches they were killed with spears and
swords.
From his tent Suleiman watched the
battle. He could hear the sounds of the
cannons, saw the smoke and heard the sounds of battle almost 4 km away. In the afternoon reports came in and he grew impatient
with waiting and angry at the unsuccessful attacks. He thought back to the glorious day in 1526
when Louis II of Hungary died at the Battle of Mohacs and almost the entire
Hungarian Royal army was destroyed (massacred). Suleiman hoped that today would
be another glorious day.
When Suleiman heard from his spies in the the army that
his Grand Vizier was on the front lines coordinating the assaults he got
furious and sent a message to him telling him to return the the camp and
forbade him from returning to the front lines.
Suleiman wrote;
"Your
place is not on the front lines. Your
place is in headquarters where your duty is to take care of the affairs of the
faith and state - ensuring good order in the proper functioning of the
sultanate."
The defenders had no desire to
surrender. They also had no hope for
Maximilian's army coming to their aid that day to lift the siege. Their only option was to fight like true men
and hold out as long as possible. The small band of defenders fought off
wave after wave of Ottomans climbing the walls and trying to enter through the
breaches.
They fought for their own lives, for an honorable
death
and for vengeance for all the comrades they lost so far.
and for vengeance for all the comrades they lost so far.
This unit and that unit charged into the fight but the
defenders did not give up. The Ottomans attacking the fortress were pushed back
with great slaughter.
So many Ottomans died and their bodies filled the breaches that waves
that followed had difficulty getting to the breaches and through them into the
fortress. Many Ottoman soldiers that were
unfortunate in battle fell off the walls and into sections of the moat that still
had water in it and many died.
The fierce and chaotic battle went too and
fro from dawn to dusk. At times it seemed that the Ottoman waves would overcome
the defenders but then the defenders fought back and with superhuman skill and endurance,
even as exhaustion grew, forced
wave after wave to retreat.
Imagine:
Sword fighting is a very strenuous activity.
The defenders fought all day with no mention of a pause to rest or
eat. In the late August heat the
temperatures must have been high. If they fought in armor, even light armor, it
must have been hot. What did they drink?
How did they fight for so long without passing out from exhaustion?
Question: Did
the Ottoman army stop for the mid-day Duhur prayer?
The spirit of the
defenders could not be overpowered. By dusk the heroic
defenders were still repelling all assaults from. Slowly
and unbelievably the defenders began to deplete the strength of the Ottoman
attackers. The Janissary Ali-aga was
captured by the defenders and on Zrinski's order, in the heat of battle, was
impaled on the spot. Seeing their
commander dying a painful death was a great and demoralizing horror to the
Janissaries.
After
ten futile attempts at a breakthrough four thousand soldiers of the invincible army lay dead at the walls
and in the moats. With so many lives lost, including
officers, the Ottomans began to lose coordination and moral and when they could
do no more they began a shameful retreat. Many Ottomans returned to their camp lucky to
be alive but wounded.
Maybe: Some accounts say that the Ottomans continued
to send more waves of soldiers and the fight raged through the night into the
next day but the defenders did not give up.
When the bloody day finally came to an end
the fortress still stood in the hands of the defenders. Even though the defenders suffered losses,
including János Novakovics, one of the bravest fighters that day, as well as
many other defenders they celebrated their victory. Zrinski approved lighting bonfires and
feasting to replenish the energy of the soldiers that fought and endured the
whole day. That night as his men
celebrated as they could and mourned the loss of their comrades. Zrinski hoped
that one of Maximilian's observers had seen the heroic defense and would tell
the emperor about the situation at the fortress and that Maximilian would
quickly send a rescue army. Zrinski knew
that they had won an unbelievable victory but in this war of attrition he only
had enough soldiers for a few more heroic battles.
Speculative - what may have happened based on stitching together letters and reports.
That night in the Divan tent
Suleiman feels: Suleiman’s soul must have become sick
(crying in shame and anger), on this black day for the Ottomans, seeing his
best Janissaries flee and especially because he lost the Janissary commander
Ali-aga, who he valued much, losing his life to the man who enraged him like
few others - Zrinski.
Suleiman says: My
lucky day has become the unluckiest day of the siege. While Zrinski lights the
night sky with his bonfires, the smell of his kitchen barbecue fills the air and
his music assaults my ears here I sit with commanders that bring me nothing but
bloody failure and embarrassing retreat.
My whole army brought to shame by fewer than 1,000 heathen soldiers.
Due to his weakness Suleiman may or may no have been
at the debriefing.
After action debriefing
Suleiman's commanders met that night to
discuss the assault but there were no answers for the defeat. They were confounded by the failure of such a
large force resulting in such an incredible loss of so many soldiers. Some
wondered if the only way to take Siget is by totally destroying it.
It was mentioned that Zrinski's men were
very disciplined and did not panic as we expected them to. While the defenders had few cannons they used
them effectively, being frugal with their ammunition, taking time to aim and
shoot selectively rather than fire haphazardly and indiscriminately. Yet again wooden shrapnel caused by
cannonballs hitting wooden structures caused many casualties.
Some wondered if they will take Siget before
they have to return to Constantinople for winter. The idea that Pertev-pasha should abandon the
siege of Gyula and come to Siget and unite forces to ensure a victory for
Suleiman. This did not happen.
While many of our soldiers though were not
fighting at full potential. The army is
ill from dysentery and while the Janissaries and Sipahi are fed the others are
hungry. I do not know how they survived fighting the whole day in the hot sun
with no food or water - it was truly a superhuman feat.
An observation was made that the ground of
the swamp had dried enough that it might be possible to dig a mine into one of
the bastions. Digging a mine is the
preferred way of destroying a wall or a bastion. Now that the ground is dry we can try to do
that. Once a large breach is created
then an overwhelming force of soldiers can be sent into the fortress to
overpower the defenders and finally take the fortress. Suleiman approved the recommendation for the
mine.
Suleiman reminded his commanders that they
must take this fortress soon because without a doubt Maximilian must be
prepared to send a rescue army[7]
and that he is surprised the rescue army is not already on its way!
Suleiman ordered that extraordinary prayers
be said in the mosques of Constantinople asking Allah to help them take the
fortress of Siget.
Question: What
happened to the person that made the prophecy?
[2] Maybe that was Ottoman spin from Ottoman chroniclers. Maybe the soldiers actually suffered from low
morale and sick from dysentery soldiers were forced into it the assault.
[5] Feridun Ahmed-bey was promoted to müteferrika (member corps of imperial
guards) at the end of August and received a ziamet (lad grant) with revenues of
100,000 akçes. Eventually he became secretary
of state (1570) and chancellor or nişancı (1573). He died in 1583.
[7] Some accounts say that Suleiman was not expecting such cowardice from
the Christian army and he was quite certain that Maximilian would attack him
any day.
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