“We will die, but we will not surrender!”
Defense of the Petropavlovsk Port. Painting by A. P. Bogolyubov, 1896.
prehistory
The British Empire sought to achieve dominance over the world's oceans, including the Pacific Ocean. To do this, it was necessary to deal a serious blow to Russia, which, owning the Russian Far East, Kamchatka and Alaska (Russian America), had serious potential for expanding its sphere of influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Therefore, during the Eastern (Crimean) War, the British tried to push the Russians back not only from the Baltic and Black Sea, but also from the Pacific Ocean. Having easily defeated China in the First Opium War of 1840–1842, the British believed that now it was time to “put Russia in its place” in order to achieve complete British supremacy in the Asia-Pacific region.
The most far-sighted figures in Russia, already from the 1840s, began to worry about the future of the Russian Pacific possessions. They were especially afraid for Kamchatka. It was suspicious that from the mid-1840s, foreign whalers began to frequent the port; they behaved disgustingly, like their owners, and began to commit various outrages. English ships began to arrive in Petropavlovsk, often under a foreign flag. It was obvious that the enemy was conducting reconnaissance.
In 1848, Count Nikolai Nikolaevich Muravyov, who since 1847 became the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, drew attention to the growing threat of attack by foreigners, primarily the British, on Kamchatka and the Amur region.
It must be said that Nikolai Muravyov (Muravyov-Amursky) played an outstanding role in stories Russian Far East, annexing the mouth of the Amur to Russia. With his support, new Russian settlements were founded, and at the beginning of 1854, he obtained permission from Emperor Nicholas I to raft troops down the Amur River. In May 1854, the first rafting of troops took place, a year later the second, the first Russian settlers arrived at the mouth of the Amur with the soldiers. The Russian presence in the Far East was significantly strengthened.
In 1848, Muravyov decided to start building military fortifications in Petropavlovsk. In the summer of 1849, Muravyov arrived at the port of Petropavlovsk on the Irtysh transport. The Governor-General inspected the area and outlined the sites for the construction of new batteries. Thus, Muravyov proposed building batteries on Signal Cape, on the Peter and Paul Spit and near Lake Kultushnoye.
Muravyov, in a letter to the Minister of Internal Affairs Perovsky, warned that Avachinskaya Bay must be strengthened, since without this it could be captured by the smallest enemy squadron. The location was very convenient, and it was obvious that during the war the enemy would try to capture it.
The Governor of Eastern Siberia appointed a new governor of Kamchatka. He became an energetic administrator, Major General of the Admiralty Vasily Stepanovich Zavoiko. The future hero of the defense of Petropavlovsk served in the Black Sea and Baltic fleets, distinguished himself in the Battle of Navarino - for distinction in battle and personal bravery he was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 3rd degree. He made a round-the-world trip, served in the Russian-American Company, explored eastern lands, founded the Ayan port and was its chief.
In February 1850, Zavoiko was appointed corrective to the post of Kamchatka military governor and commander of the Petropavlovsk port in Kamchatka. The governor organized the construction of the schooner Anadyr and the boats Aleut and Kamchadal. In the summer of 1853, Zavoiko received the rank of major general and was confirmed in his position as governor of the Kamchatka region.
Vasily Stepanovich Zavoiko (July 15 (27), 1812 - February 16 (28, 1898) - admiral (01.01.1874/XNUMX/XNUMX) of the Russian Imperial Navy, circumnavigator and explorer, one of the pioneers of the development of the Pacific coast, the first military governor of Kamchatka, head of the defense of Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky.
Preparation of defense
In March 1854, Zavoiko received a letter from the King of the Hawaiian Islands, Kamehameha III, who was friendly towards Russia and informed about a possible attack on Petropavlovsk by the British and French in the summer.
At the end of May, official news of the start of the war was received from the Russian Consul General in the United States. Zavoiko immediately addressed the entire population of Kamchatka and warned people about a possible enemy attack. The port of Peter and Paul had to be prepared for defense, and its inhabitants were ready “to resist the enemy without sparing their lives and cause him possible harm.” Women and children had to be taken to safety.
Zavoiko noted:
“I am firmly determined, no matter how numerous the enemy, to do to protect the port and the honor of the Russian weapons all that is possible in human power, and fight to the last drop of blood; I am convinced that the flag of the port of Petropavlovsk will in any case be a witness to feats of honor and Russian valor! ”
Zavoiko had extremely weak means of defense: the garrison was only 231 people, and the artillery armament consisted of only six 6-pounder cannons and one horse-drawn 3-pounder field gun. However, the major general managed to complete the bulk of the work on creating the main fortifications of the Peter and Paul port before the arrival of the enemy squadron. The batteries were built in the hope of receiving the guns requested from the command. Also, rifle and fire brigades were formed from hunters (volunteers).
Frigate "Aurora". Artist P. T. Borispolets, 1844
Arrival of the Aurora and Dvina
Fortunately, for the defenders of Petropavlovsk, unexpected help came in July 1854. On July 1, 1854, the 58-gun frigate Aurora under the command of Lieutenant Commander Ivan Nikolaevich Izylmetyev entered the port, having completed a semi-circumnavigation of the world. "Aurora" left Kronstadt for the Far East on August 21, 1853, and moved along the route Copenhagen - Christiansand - Portsmouth - Rio de Janeiro - Cape Horn - Callao - De Castri Bay.
The frigate was sailing to strengthen the Pacific squadron under the command of Vice Admiral E.V. Putyatin. But due to a lack of fresh water and scurvy, which affected 2/3 of the crew (there was practically not a single healthy person on the ship), Izylmetyev decided to make a stop in Petropavlovsk. Having received a report on the state of affairs, the lieutenant commander agreed to Zavoiko’s request to stay in Petropavlovsk and help repel the attack of the Anglo-French squadron.
The Aurora was almost intercepted by the enemy. The hike was difficult. For almost twenty days, headwinds of storms prevented the ship from entering the Pacific Ocean. Many people were sick: 8 sailors died, 35 were in serious condition. The ship needed urgent repairs: the deck grooves were leaking, the rigging was weakened, and provisions were running out. Only on March 13, the frigate passed the ship cemetery - Cape Horn.
The ship made a stop in the Peruvian port of Callao. Here the Russian ship was surrounded by the Anglo-French squadron. In the bay were the British frigates President and Pike under the flag of Rear Admiral David Price, the French frigates Fort and Eurydice under the flag of Rear Admiral Febrier de Pointe, and the French brig Obligado. The news of the start of the war had not yet been received, but it was expected. The Russian frigate fell into a trap.
French frigate "Fort"
Outwardly, things were as usual. The Russian captain-lieutenant Izylmetyev and both admirals exchanged the usual peacetime courtesy calls. Izylmetyev, trying not to show it, accelerated the repair work. On April 14 (26), 1854, the Russian frigate was able to escape from the trap. Taking advantage of the thick fog, seven ten-oared boats were launched from the Aurora. The ship raised the anchor, did not raise the sails, and the boats towed the Aurora into the open sea. There they raised the sails and disappeared into the ocean before the foreigners could organize a pursuit. A week later, news arrived about the start of the war.
The hike to Petropavlovsk was very difficult. The ship found itself in a zone of fierce winds with continuous squalls, and the Aurora took on a lot of water. Diseases struck down almost the entire crew. 13 people died. Izylmetyev himself also fell ill and handed over command to Captain-Lieutenant Mikhail Tirol. After the frigate arrived in Petropavlovsk, 196 people were taken ashore and sent for treatment to hot springs in the village of Paratunka (19 could not be saved).
The arrival of the Aurora significantly strengthened the defense of Petropavlovsk: part of the crew was transferred to the shore as a garrison reserve, the starboard guns were removed and transferred to coastal batteries, strengthening the artillery defense system.
Also on July 24 (August 5), 1854, the military transport (brigantine) Dvina arrived. He delivered 350 soldiers of the Siberian Line Battalion under the command of Captain A.P. Arbuzov (he was appointed assistant to the military governor), 2 two-pound caliber bomb guns and 14 36-pound caliber guns. A military engineer, Lieutenant Konstantin Mrovinsky, arrived on the Dvina and headed the construction of coastal fortifications.
As a result, by the end of July, according to Zavoiko’s report, the garrison of Petropavlovsk amounted to 988 people (349 people on ships, 368 in artillery batteries and 271 people in rifle parties). Taking into account several dozen volunteer shooters, the garrison amounted to more than 1 thousand people.
British frigate "Peak" on the Spithead roadstead, 1836.
"Fight to the last extremity"
Soon after the Dvina arrived, all the teams gathered on the square. They were informed about the declaration of war, then the governor's order. Zavoiko himself asked everyone to “fight to the last extreme, and if the enemy force is irresistible, then die without thinking about retreat. Everyone expressed their readiness to die rather than retreat.”
Day and night, for almost two months (taking advantage of the enemy’s slowness), the defenders of Petropavlovsk erected fortifications. Work was underway on the construction of seven coastal batteries and the installation of guns. Platforms for guns were cut into the rocks, inaccessible to the enemy, guns were transported from ships, and they were installed. Almost the entire population of the city and its environs (about 1 people) participated in the work.
The starboard guns were removed from the frigate "Aurora" and the military transport "Dvina", strengthening the coastal batteries with them. The ships were anchored with their left sides facing the exit from the harbor in order to meet with fire a possible enemy breakthrough. The entrance to the harbor was closed with a boom. To repel the enemy landing, three rifle detachments were formed.
Artillery batteries covered the port of Petropavlovsk like a horseshoe. At its right end, in the rocks of Cape Signalny, battery No. 1 was located. The “signal” battery covered the entrance to the internal roadstead and was armed with three 36-pound guns, two bomb cannons, its garrison was 64 people. Also on the right side, on the isthmus between Signalnaya Sopka and Nikolskaya Sopka, another battery was placed.
The Isthmus Battery (No. 3) was armed with five 24-pounder guns and had a garrison of 51 men. Battery No. 7 was placed at the northern end of the Nikolskaya Sopka on the very shore. It was intended to prevent enemy troops from landing in the rear and attempting to capture the port from the northern direction. The battery was armed with five 24-pounder guns and was defended by 49 men.
Another battery was located on the bend of an imaginary horseshoe, near Lake Kultushnoye. The “Lake” battery (No. 6) was armed with six 6-pounder guns, four 18-pounder guns, and had a garrison of 34 people. The “Lake” battery reinforced the defense of battery No. 7 and was supposed to keep the defile and the road between Nikolskaya Sopka and Kultushny Lake under fire.
Then came the “Port” and “Cemetery” batteries (batteries No. 5 and 4). Battery No. 5 was armed with five 3-pounder guns that were practically unusable for combat. No. 4 Battery was armed with three 24-pounder guns and had a garrison of 24 men. On the Koshka sand spit was the main battery No. 2. The “Cat” battery was armed with nine 36-pounder guns and one 24-pounder gun, and had a garrison of 127 people.
Model of Maksutov's Lethal Battery. Located between Nikolskaya and Signalnaya hills in the center of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Forces of the enemy
On May 7, 1854, Rear Admirals David Price and Febrier de Pointe received news of the outbreak of war. Only on May 17, two frigates (one English, the other French), accompanied by two steamships, entered the Pacific Ocean in the hope of discovering the Aurora. They did not overtake the Russian frigate. First they stood at the Marquesas Islands, and then moved to the Sandwich Islands, where they learned that 18 days ago there was another Russian ship, the Dvina. And here the allies hesitated, only on July 25 they left the Sandwich Islands and moved to Kamchatka.
On the evening of August 16 (28), distant Zavoiko lighthouses reported that a squadron had appeared on the horizon. The allied squadron included: the English 52-gun frigate "President", the 44-gun frigate "Pike", the steamer "Virago", armed with 6 bomb guns; French 60-gun frigate "Fort", 32-gun frigate "Eurydice", 18-gun brig "Obligado". The squadron's personnel numbered 2,7 thousand people (2,2 thousand people were ship crews, 500 people were marines).
The allied squadron approached its destination under unfavorable weather conditions and very slowly. The steamship Virago was sent for reconnaissance, which covered itself with the flag of the United States and sailed into Avacha Bay. The Russians very soon noticed the steamer Virago and sent a boat. The ship's commander did not wait for him, hastily separated the couples and left.
The steamer commander reported to Admiral Price that he had seen several ships and coastal batteries in the bay (they found three batteries). He also noted that the entrance to the narrow strait, which connects the ocean with the bay, is not protected by anything, although the Russians are trying to strengthen it. The city of Petropavlovsk itself was located on the eastern side of the large Avacha Bay, deep in the mouth, which was connected to the Avacha Bay "throat". This lip and defended "Aurora" and "Dvina".
The Allies realized that the surprise attack had failed, which seriously complicated the position of the Anglo-French squadron, which did not have the ability to fight a serious defense. Thus, the English ships were mainly armed with short-barreled guns, poorly suited to combat enemy coastal fortifications.
Military steamer "Virago" in 1867–1871.
The beginning of the fighting. Wreckage Price
18 (30) August 1854, the Anglo-French squadron entered Avacha Bay and fired several shots, but soon ceased shooting. Russian batteries also made several shots. A decisive attack was waited the next day, but it did not follow. The Russian defenders of Petropavlovsk did not know then that an unforeseen event caused the enemy command to postpone the attack.
The combined squadron was led by the Englishman Rear Admiral David Price. He was an experienced commander who took part in the first battle back in 1801 (the Battle of Copenhagen between the English and Danish fleets) and went a long way from a cabin boy to a rear admiral and commander of the Pacific squadron. Price personally went on the steamship Virago to inspect the lip and Russian fortifications. According to reviews from those around him, the inspection made a depressing impression on the admiral.
Price was already disappointed that he had missed the Aurora, and his disappointment increased when, on the Sandwich Islands, he learned that the allied squadron had missed the Dvina. Now, having seen two Russian ships in the port of Petropavlovsk in full combat readiness, Price was very worried, realizing the danger of the upcoming attack. It also became obvious that the Russian port was armed and protected much better than expected. The Russians are ready for battle.
On the evening of August 18, a council of war met, chaired by Price. A disposition was worked out for the next day. According to the original plan, the Allies wanted to destroy batteries No. 1 and 4 with naval fire, then enter the harbor and suppress the resistance of Battery No. 2, Aurora and Dvina. After this, they planned to launch a landing party, which, with the support of naval fire, was supposed to capture the city.
On August 19 (31), 1854, in the morning, the ships of the allied squadron began to occupy the places allocated for them according to the plan, but suddenly the movement stopped and the ships returned to their places at the anchorage at the entrance to Avacha Bay. As it turned out later, on the night of August 18-19, Admiral Price died under mysterious circumstances.
The subsequent failure of the allied squadron and its retreat made it convenient to believe that the British admiral committed suicide. Allegedly, he became worried, fearing for the outcome of the operation, and shot himself.
However, this version was already unconvincing at that time. Governor General of Eastern Siberia Muravyov, in a letter to Admiral General of the Russian Fleet, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, noted that the British admiral would not kill himself before a battle he hoped to win. Price could not have shot himself “accidentally with his pistol,” since there was no need to pick it up while on a frigate a mile from Russian positions.
It is doubtful that Price was afraid of the assault on Petropavlovsk. This was a combat commander who more than once looked death in the face. He was noted as a skillful and brave officer who was wounded more than once in battles, was captured, and participated in boardings and hand-to-hand combat. Such a person would prefer to die in battle if he could not complete the task.
Therefore, there is a version that the British admiral was killed, and the crew was informed of suicide, so as not to cause controversy. The reason for the murder is shrouded in darkness. The mysterious death of Price became a kind of fatal omen for the entire allied squadron.
David Powell Price (1790, Killicum - August 18 (30), 1854, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) - British naval commander, rear admiral (November 6, 1850)
The first assault on Petropavlovsk
High command after Price's death passed to the French Rear Admiral Febrier de Pointe. He did not change anything in the original disposition. After some hesitation, on August 19 (31), 1854, the allied fleet moved to Petropavlovsk and conducted reconnaissance in force. The ships began shelling two batteries (No. 1 and 2). The firefight between ships and coastal batteries ended in the evening. The frigates and the steamer fired through battery No. 1, the isthmus, Signalnaya and Nikolskaya mountains, but were not successful. The frigate "President" was damaged.
The night was restless. On the shore noted some kind of movement on enemy ships. Boats went from ship to ship, made measurements of the depths, the lights were burning. The garrison of Petropavlovsk prepared for battle and advanced several times to the guns.
On the morning of August 20 (September 1), 1854, the allied ships set out for a decisive assault on the Russian port. English ships and the French frigate Fort fired at batteries No. 1, 2, 4 and at Russian ships. The remaining French ships fired at battery No. 3, trying to divert the attention of the defenders of the Peter and Paul port to themselves. At the same time, the frigate "Eurydice" and the brig "Obligado" fired over the Nikolskaya Sopka, hoping to hit the "Aurora" and "Dvina".
Battery No. 1, located on Signal Point and closest to the enemy, withstood the most brutal attack. Governor Zavoiko was also at the Signal battery. The battle was difficult - 8 guns of the “Signal” and “Cemetery” batteries were forced to duel with 80 guns on the left sides of three enemy frigates.
After a long battle, the main forces of the allied squadron were able to suppress Russian batteries No. 1 and 4. Despite the heroic efforts of the gun personnel and the examples of fearlessness shown by the commanders (Lieutenant Gavrilov, wounded in the head and leg, did not leave the fighting place and continued to encourage the people), the guns had to be abandoned. The platforms were covered with earth above the wheels, the machines and hoists were broken. It was impossible to move the guns and return fire to fire in this position. Midshipman Popov, who commanded battery No. 4, riveted the guns and left, taking the ammunition. He linked up with the 1st rifle party of midshipman Mikhailov and led his men to battery No. 2.
The first task was accomplished - the Allies shot down the “outer castle” of Petropavlovsk. However, they could not destroy the “Cat” battery (No. 2). The enemy failed to inflict serious damage on the Aurora and Dvina. The crossfire of the French ships did not bring any success.
After this, the Allies on rowing ships landed a landing force of 600 soldiers at Battery No. 4. The “Cat” Battery tried to disrupt the landing, but without much success. The French raised their flag amidst enthusiastic shouts. However, almost immediately their mood was spoiled by the British. The French came under friendly fire - a bomb from an English steamer, hitting the very middle of the battery, caused terrible confusion in the French detachment. Then the frigate Aurora and the transport Dvina opened fire on the French.
Defenders counterattack
By order of Zavoiko, everyone they could was thrown into a counterattack - sailors from the Aurora and volunteers from the rifle detachments. The attack was led by midshipmen Fesun, Mikhailov, Popov and Lieutenant Gubarev. In total, the Russian detachment consisted of about a company - 130 people. The Russians rushed into a bayonet attack, but the French paratroopers did not accept the battle, boarded boats and fled to the ships. The entire battalion escaped without a fight.
As midshipman Nikolai Fesun, who served on the frigate Aurora, noted, the enemy retreated “at a run and with such speed that before we got to the battery he occupied, he was already in the boats and out of range, so that, despite the most ardent desire , this time it was not possible to treat him even with rifle shots.”
Meanwhile, the duel of the “Cat” battery (No. 2) under the command of Lieutenant Prince Dmitry Petrovich Maksutov with three enemy frigates continued. The enemy, having two 2-pound bomb guns on each side of his frigates, fired mainly from them. Enemy cannonballs reached the Russian battery and, hitting the fascines, did not cause much harm. The Russian 36-pounder guns could respond only when the enemy got carried away and came closer to fire a broadside salvo.
Maksutov was an excellent commander, he waited calmly, did not get excited, did not waste gunpowder, fired only when he was sure that the shots would not go to waste. Almost the entire time while the three enemy frigates were firing, the Russian battery was silent and only answered accurately from time to time.
This battle was an excellent example of the cold rage of Russian soldiers: enemy frigates continuously fire (the enemy fired more than 250 shots in half an hour), cannonballs plow the parapet in all directions, bombs explode in the air, from time to time carrying away the wounded and dead, and Russian artillerymen are cold and silent, calmly smoking pipes or joking cheerfully. And then the commander’s ringing voice is heard, Russian guns send deadly gifts to the enemy, and again the wait.
The shooting stopped around 6 hours of the evening. The "cat" battery continued 9 hours to withstand more than 80 enemy guns. She resisted and the next day was ready for a new battle. On this first assault and ended. The Anglo-French squadron returned to its anchorage at the entrance to the bay.
The Russian warriors were preparing the next day to enter into a new battle. They believed that the enemy, having destroyed the advanced batteries, would undoubtedly continue the offensive. Zavoiko visited the Aurora and announced to the sailors that now they should expect a decisive attack of the enemy on the frigate, which was the most serious obstacle on the way to the port. The governor said that he hoped that the Russian sailors would stand up for themselves, to which he received a unanimous reply: “We will die, and not surrender!”
Hood. V. F. Dyakov. Coastal battery No. 2 “Koshechnaya”, view of Avacha Bay, Signalnaya Hill, enemy squadron in the distance
Second storm
Until August 24 (September 5), the Allies were repairing damage to the ships and preparing for a new attack. The victims were buried on Krasheninnikov Island. During the second assault, the main attack of the allied squadron was directed at batteries No. 3 (Isthmus) and No. 7 (at the northern tip of Nikolskaya Sopka). The most powerful ships were here. Russian batteries fired at English ships - the frigate "President", the steamer "Virago" and the French frigate "Fort".
The frigates “Pike”, “Eurydice” and the brig “Obligado” fought with batteries No. 1 and 4. All their guns were restored by Russian gunsmiths. The Allies here imitated the assault on August 20, showing that today the main attack would be in this direction. Later, the frigates Pike and Eurydice joined the main forces.
The Anglo-French squadron, which had first 118 guns in the main direction, and then 194, was divided into two parts. One part of the squadron fired at one Russian battery, the other at the second. In addition, the enemy had powerful bombing weapons. Both Russian batteries were armed with only 10 guns. After a three-hour battle, almost all the Russian guns were damaged, and the servants from the batteries were forced to retreat.
Thus, five guns of the “Isthmus” battery (No. 3) under the command of Lieutenant Prince Alexander Petrovich Maksutov fought a mortal duel with the frigate “Fort”. The salvo of each side was equal to 30 guns. As midshipman Fesun noted, the entire isthmus was completely dug up; there was not an arshin of land where the cannonball would not hit. At the same time, the Russian battery responded successfully at the beginning: the French ship received serious damage. The ship stood at a distance of no more than 4½ cables, and each cannonball that hit caused great damage.
Soon the gun platforms were filled up, the machines were broken, one gun was badly damaged, and the other three were unable to operate. Half of the servants were killed or wounded. However, Maksutov himself aimed the last gun and sank a large boat with an enemy landing party. The French frigate, avenging its own, responded with a whole ship. The prince fell with his hand torn off (Prince Maksutov died of a wound and pneumonia on September 10, 1854), and the last gun was knocked out.
Midshipman Nikolai Fesun, who during the battle supervised the delivery of nuclei to the batteries, and after the wounding of Alexander Maksutov, performed his duties, later wrote in his letter to the head of the Naval Corps, Admiral B. A. Glazenap:
“Battery No. 3... for more than half an hour has withstood the fire of 30 cannons of a superior caliber. The machines were broken, the platforms were covered with earth and debris; one gun with the muzzle torn off, the other three cannot operate; more than half of the servants were wounded and killed; one thing remains - one cannon, the weak remnant of the entire battery; the prince himself directs it, shoots, and the large boat with the enemy landing goes to the bottom; cries of despair are heard from the ships. The French frigate, avenging its own, fires with its whole broadside; a hurricane of cannonballs and bombs rushes over the battery, it is covered in smoke and debris, but its heroic defender does not lose his presence of mind. He loads the gun himself, aims it himself, but here, here fate put an end to his exploits, and with repeated cries of Vivat from enemy ships, he falls with his arm torn off ... "
Maksutov, Alexander Petrovich (1830–1854) – officer of the Russian Imperial Navy, prince, lieutenant, participant in the defense of Petropavlovsk, commander of 5-gun battery No. 3 (“Deadly Battery”). Died from wounds received in battle, awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree (posthumously). An honorary citizen of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a street in the same city was named after him and a monument was erected.
Enemy troops are running
After the suppression of the Russian batteries, the Allied squadron landed two assault forces: near 250 a man on the isthmus of battery No. 3 (she received the name “Mortal” after this battle, as she was almost not covered by a parapet and there were significant losses on her) 700. A large part of the Allied assault force received the task of climbing the Nikolskaya hill and attacking and seizing the port of Petropavlovsk on the move. Another part of the troop unit, from the group that landed at the battery number 7, received an order to suppress the resistance of the battery number 7 (Ozernaya), to enter the country road and attack the city from the side of Kultushnoye Lake.
However, these plans failed. The “lake” battery, supported by one 3-pound field gun, turned back the enemy landing with several grape shots. The Anglo-French landing retreated to Nikolskaya Sopka. About 1 thousand soldiers were concentrated here.
Enemy paratroopers, firing from their rifles, began to descend down towards the city. Admiral Zavoiko gathered all the reserves and removed everyone he could from the batteries, throwing people into a desperate counterattack. The Russian detachment (it consisted of several separate parties) had to attack up the slope. About 350 soldiers, sailors and citizens took part in the attack. And the Russian people once again performed a miracle. A Russian bayonet attack put the enemy to flight. Moreover, according to Fesun, the flight was “the most chaotic and driven by some special panic fear.”
It was incredible. Lieutenant Angudinov, midshipman Mikhailov, lieutenant Gubarev and other commanders committed an unprecedented act: small groups of Russian soldiers of 30–40 fighters, rising to heights under fierce enemy rifle fire, showered with hand grenades, were able to overthrow the British and French.
Part of the enemy landing force was thrown back to a cliff that faced the sea. Many British and French were killed or injured while jumping from great heights. An attempt to support the landing with naval fire failed. It was ineffective at that distance. The Russians occupied the heights and opened rifle fire, preventing any attempt to launch a counterattack. The remnants of the landing party were evacuated to ships.
It must be said, according to the recollections of the participants in the battle, the British and French showed the highest level of courage in removing their dead and wounded. As Fesun wrote: “If they kill one, two come to take him; they are killed - four more appear; It’s simply incomprehensible.” The sight was terrible. The British and French, under a hail of bullets, walked to the boats, carrying the wounded and dead on their shoulders. Allied landing craft set sail, carrying away piles of dead and wounded.
As a result, the second assault on Petropavlovsk ended in complete defeat of the Anglo-French forces. They could not use success in the first stage of the battle. More numerous, well-armed and occupying an excellent position allied troops suffered defeat from the Russian soldiers. The British and French could not resist the rage and determination of the Russian soldiers.
The Allies lost about 400 people killed, about 150 wounded and 5 prisoners. Russian soldiers captured the enemy banner and dozens of guns.
The Russians lost 34 people in this battle. Total losses are more than 100 people.
Artist V. F. Dyakov. Battle in Avacha Bay
Results
The defense of Petropavlovsk ended in complete victory for the Russian forces. After a two-day lull, the Anglo-French ships sailed. Despite the successful defense of Petropavlovsk, it became clear to the high command that in wartime it would not be possible to reinforce and supply the port garrison with everything necessary. Therefore, it was decided to evacuate the port and the garrison from Kamchatka to Amur.
On March 3, 1855, the courier Yesaul Martynov, having covered 8 thousand versts (8,5 thousand km) in an unprecedentedly short time - three months, brought an order to move the port. Port facilities and houses were dismantled, the most valuable materials were hidden. The Cossacks moved to the village located at the mouth of the Avacha River. The soldiers and sailors cut a passage in the ice for the ships, and they left before the second enemy squadron arrived. The port was transferred to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.
On May 8 (20), 1855, an Anglo-French expedition of five French and nine English ships entered Avacha Bay. But the place was unsuitable for habitation, so the allies left. A few days later, the allied squadron discovered a Russian detachment (6 pennants led by the Aurora) led by Zavoiko, but the Russians were able to elude the enemy.
Memorial to V. S. Zavoiko in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. In the background are Lake Kultuchnoye and Mishennaya Hill.
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