War in the East: A Military History of the Russo-Turkish War 1877-78

From Musket To Maxim 1815-1914

by Quintin Barry

When Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire in April 1877, it was the fifth time during the nineteenth century that hostilities had broken out between the two empires. On this occasion the other Great Powers had done all they could to prevent it, although public opinion in the West had been shocked by Turkey's brutal repression of the Bulgarian uprising. The war was to be fought in two distinct theatres. In Europe, as on previous occasions, the Russian objective was to cross first the Danube and then the formidable Balkan Mountains before striking for Constantinople. In Asia, over territory also contested many times before, the Russians aimed to seize Kars and then Erzerum.At first all went well for the invaders, the Turks making no serious attempt to hold the line of the Danube, while a thrust south by General Gourko succeeded in crossing the Balkans by a pass not previously considered practicable. At Plevna, however, the Russian advance stalled in the face of the determined defense of the place by the redoubtable Osman Pasha. In Asia, meanwhile, after initial success, the Russian advance was halted by defeat at Zevin. Poor strategic judgment on the part of the Turks led to their failure to take advantage of the opportunity provided by Osman, even after the Russians had suffered three bloody defeats at Plevna. Eventually, after the town was closely invested, it fell to the besiegers.In Asia, the Turks suffered a major defeat in the battle of God's Mountain, and were driven back to Erzerum, while Kars fell to a brilliant assault by the Russian forces. These defeats marked the beginning of the end for the Turks. By January 1878 the Russians were over the Balkans in force, and the last viable Turkish army was surrounded and captured at Shenovo. Armistice negotiations led to a suspension of hostilities and to the treaty of San Stefano. The other Great Powers had watched the conflict with mounting anxiety and were determined to moderate the terms of San Stefano which had imposed harsh conditions on the Ottoman Empire. This, following tortuous diplomatic negotiations, they succeeded in doing at the Congress of Berlin in July 1878. This book, the first military history of the war in English for over a century, traces the course of the campaigns, examining the many occasions on which the outcome of a battle might have gone the other way, and the performance of the combatants, both leaders and led. The book considers the extent to which the parties applied the lessons of recent wars, as well as the conclusions that could be drawn from the experience of combat with the latest weapons. It also explores the complicated motives of the Great Powers in general, and Britain in particular, in bringing about a final settlement, which postponed the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The author's detailed text is accompanied by an extensive number of black and white illustrations and newly commissioned color battle maps. Orders of battle are also provided. This is the latest title in Helion's groundbreaking series of 19th Century studies, and will again appear in hardback as a strictly limited edition printing of 750 copies, each individually numbered and signed by the author on a decorative title page.

451 pages narrative, 534 pages in total

Genres: Military History, History, Russia, Russian History, European History, Nonfiction, World History

534 pages, Hardcover

First published May 19, 2012

About the author

Quintin Barry is a solicitor and a retired Employment Judge. He has also held a variety of offices in both the public and private sector, including the NHS and local radio. He is presently Secretary General of an international group of law firms. Following a lifelong interest in history & naval history, he is the author of a number of books on military history.

Reviews

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

War in the East by Quintin Barry is an excellent account of the Russo-Turkish War that was fought between 1877 and 1878. The book is primary a military history and covers the campaigns in detail with some background information on the reasons why the war occurred, the diplomatic manoeuvring between the great powers, and the conclusion of the conflict with the treaty of San Stefano and then later the Congress of Berlin.

The author provides an easy to read account of the Russian strike to cross the Balkan Mountains and menace Constantinople before the Turkish forces can react and close the passes through this formidable mountain range. In the theatre across the Black Sea, in the Transcaucasus, we read about the Russian campaign to seize the Turkish fortresses at Kars and Erzerum and many other places in between.

The many battles for Plevna are covered in detail as is most other battles, sieges and movements in this conflict between the Russians, their allies and the Turks. There are numerous maps provided although they are all within one section of the book and are maps taken from the period, which at times can be hard to read, but they provide enough detail to follow the campaign.

One very pleasant surprise was the numerous colour pages within the book containing reproductions of paintings by Vereshchagin, and other artists. These were great to look at and I continually flicked back to the paintings whilst reading the book. There are also numerous black & white drawings liberally scattered throughout the narrative, which provide some great detail to the story.

The only real problem I found with this book were a number of annoying typographic errors which seems to be a common problem now publishing houses have done away with the services of editors. Overall this was an excellent military history of this mostly forgotten war and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about little known battles and wars.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are very few modern English language accounts of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877. That makes it all the more important that this book exists and is as detailed as it is on that struggle which was of such import to the fate of the Balkans and thus to one of the major factors in the outbreak of World War I. Though it is worth noting that the book does not go into the postwar ramifications and largely keeps itself as a straight up military and occasionally diplomatic history.

[Eric J. Hartsfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few books about the war written available to an English audience

I have always had an interest in late 19th conflicts in Europe and I found this to fit the bill perfectly. While much has been done about the Franco - Prussian War
( Howard, Wawro, Moltke ) this is a conflict that little has been written about recently. This may be to the fact that the Franco Prussian War had a much greater impact on European international relations and lead
to the outbreak of WW 1.

[Александър Стоянов · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone who studies the War of 1877-78

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on the Russo-Turkish war.