Battle of Khotin 1769

Carronade 2025

Introduction
This game is based on the first significant battle of the Russo-Ottoman War, 1768-74. The war was part of a Russian colonial drive to the Black Sea coast in Crimea and Ukraine, which started under Peter the Great and was pursued by his successors. In this case, Catherine the Great. It, therefore, has a certain topicality, as Khotin (Khotyn) is in modern Ukraine.

Scenario
The town and fortress of Khotin was on the Dniester River near the Polish border, where the Russians had been fighting the Polish Confederates in the War of the Bar Confederation. It was one of a string of Ottoman forts defending the river line.

The Russian First Army, commanded by Prince Golitsyn, was tasked with capturing Khotin. His army had around 40,000 effectives, built around 26 line infantry and three grenadier regiments. His cavalry included cuirassiers, hussars, carabiniers (dragoons) and Cossacks. The Ottoman garrison was around 20,000 strong, commanded by Hussein Pasha. Nearby detachments of around 50,000 men could support him, and the 80,000-strong Tatar army was down the river at Bender. The main Ottoman field army commanded by the Grand Vizier was moving slowly towards the theatre of war.

The battle had three phases. The Ottomans had built a trench line in front of the fortress, which, after defeating a sortie from the garrison, was captured by the Russians. However, the suburbs were set on fire, halting the planned storming. As the Russians had no siege guns and were running short of supplies, they retreated over the river. Golitsyn tried again, this time crossing the river north of Khotin. He formed his army into a large square and fought off repeated Ottoman cavalry attacks. However, after reaching the fortress, he ran short of supplies again and withdrew over the river.

Catherine replaced Golitsyn with Rumiantsev, but the Ottomans built a bridge over the river before he could arrive and attacked the Russian camp. A cavalry attack was defeated, but the janissaries and other infantry pushed back the Russians before a flank attack from a detachment in the woods threw them back to Khotin. The Ottoman bridge collapsed in heavy rain, and the Grand Vizier, with his army demoralised and short of food, abandoned the fortress on 7 September. 

The game is a compacted representation of the final battle in 28mm. The rules are adapted from Dan Mersey’s Rebels and Patriots. The figures come from several sources, including Foundry, Claymore Castings, Old Glory, Dixon, and Redoubt. 

You are very welcome to join in and play a turn or more.

Ottoman Janissaries (Old Glory)

The fortress today.

Don Cossacks

Russian Line Infantry (Claymore Castings)