Caucasian War, Assault on Akhulgo - Surkhaev Tower

Storming of Akhulgo 

https://reveal.world/story/kavkazskaya-vojna-shturm-ahul-go

Above Akhulgo rose a rock — Shulatlulgo (translated from Avar as "Fortress Mountain"). The summit of Shulatlulgo is an almost flat platform, no more than one hundred square meters in area, on which Shamil’s companion — a master named Surkhay — built several saklyas, one of which towered above the others and resembled something like a tower. Therefore, Shulatlulgo also came to be called Surkhay’s Tower. This peculiar fort, due to its position, stretched the blockade line of the Russian troops by more than four kilometers. The tower was located on a commanding height, and for this reason, the besieged could keep under fire almost all the areas where the Russian troops were positioned.

After studying the terrain, General Grabbe decided that, first of all, it was necessary to seize Surkhay’s Tower. On June 12, siege works began. Batteries were set up in five places. Due to the lack of earth, the gun platforms were filled with stones. Moreover, delivering the cannons to one place or another was an incredible challenge. In some places, the road had to be carved directly into the rocks. At first, the Russian troops acted cautiously, as they did not know the terrain.

First Assault

At dawn on June 29, 1839, the Russian batteries conducted artillery preparation, opened fire on the tower, and by 9:00 a.m., battalions of the Apsheron and Kurinsky regiments approached the foot of the mountain from three sides and began to climb up. The steepness of the ascent the attackers climbed exceeded 45 degrees. The defenders of the tower unleashed a hail of bullets and stones on the attackers. Despite this, the Russian soldiers reached the very summit. The fierce battle lasted several hours until finally, around 4:00 p.m., by order of Grabbe, Major General Labyntsev personally led the Kabardian regiment battalion in an assault. The attackers’ efforts were in vain — Surkhay’s Tower withstood their onslaught. At nightfall, the troops received orders to retreat from the cliff literally soaked in blood and littered with corpses. By the end of the day, Shamil had lost a significant part of his warriors, including Ali-bek, whose arm was torn off by a cannonball.

Second Assault. The Fall of Surkhay’s Tower

On July 4 at 2:00 p.m., another bombardment of the tower began. At times, the fortification was completely hidden in dust, and significant debris flew off its walls. At this time, Russian soldiers gathered at the foot of the mountain, waiting for the signal to storm. The soldiers were equipped with wooden shields padded with felt to protect their heads and chests from stones thrown by the mountaineers. Around 5:00 p.m., the attack signal sounded, and the Russian soldiers began to climb up. At this moment, the tower, which had been silent until then, came alive. Logs and stones flew down on the heads of the attackers, and rifle fire was opened. General Grabbe ordered the troops to withdraw to their starting positions. Russian artillery opened fire again. The remaining murids perished under its fire. By nightfall, cannonballs and grenades had created a rubble slope in the tower walls, even resembling a gentle ascent. The Russian soldiers climbed up, but this time no one prevented them from ascending. All defenders were dead or buried alive under the debris. Surkhay’s Tower fell.

This circumstance was decisive in the course of the siege of Akhulgo. Now General Grabbe could shorten the length of the blockade line along the right bank of the Koisu and concentrate all efforts on storming Akhulgo. The capture of Surkhay’s Tower allowed the artillery batteries to be advanced significantly forward, which increased the effectiveness of the Russian cannon fire.

The fall of Surkhay’s Tower greatly worsened the situation of the besieged.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_Akhulgo#Surkhay's_Tower