Battle of Grahovac

The Battle of Grahovac took place in the eponymous village of Grahovac from 29 April to 1 May 1858, when Montenegrin Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš led the army of Principality of Montenegro against the Ottomans, ending in a decisive Montenegrin victory. After the victory, the demarcation of the border between Montenegro and the Ottoman Bosnia Eyalet was finalised.[3] A considerable arsenal of war trophies was captured following the retreat of the Ottoman army.

Battle of Grahovac
Date 28 April-1 May 1858 Location Grahovac, Montenegro Result Montenegrin victory
Belligerents
Montenegro	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Mirko Petrović-Njegoš	Hüseyin Avni Pasha
Strength
4,000 [1]	7,000-13,000 [1][2]
Casualties and losses
1,000 [3]	5,000 [3]

Background

On 28 April 1858 Ottoman commander Hussein Pasha captured the villages of Vilusi and Grahovo and continued his advance towards Grahovac, a small village located on a plateau elevated slightly above the captured area. The core of Montenegrin resistance was in Grahovac, which was the main bastion of Montenegrin defence according to military plans.

Battle

The fighting itself started on 29 April, early in the morning. The Ottomans attacked Grahovac while Montenegrins were stubbornly defending, determined not to retreat at any cost. Most of 3,000 Ottoman and 1,000 Montenegrin casualties were made on that day. On 30 April, Hussein Pasha offered a truce to Montenegrin commander-in-chief Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, but he refused it, although he did allow the Ottomans time to bury their dead. He also refused to send men to disrupt the Ottomans supply of water. Although this would have given him a tactical advantage, he considered it a dishonourable move.

On 1 May, the fighting started again as the Ottomans got military support from Bosnia. But this time, Montenegrins took charge and attacked the Ottomans, forcing them into a successive retreat. The biggest problem for Montenegrins was a well-armed Ottoman artillery, which was constantly bombarding their positions with cannons. Eventually, Montenegrins decided to charge across the battlefield and take over the cannons. After they saw two of the commanders, Serdar (Count) Đuro Kusovac and priest Luka Jovović, being killed while charging, the rest of the Montenegrin troops, including the guardsmen, began a rapid advance with a shout: "Forward, to avenge our commanders". The offensive was successful, and by capturing Ottoman cannons, Montenegrins had officially won the battle.

Aftermath

This major victory had had even more diplomatic significance. The glory of Montenegrin weapons was soon immortalised in the songs and literature of all the South Slavs, in particular the Serbs in Vojvodina, then part of Austria-Hungary. This Montenegrin victory forced the Great Powers to officially demarcate the borders between Montenegro and Ottoman Empire, de facto recognizing Montenegro's centuries-long independence. Montenegro gained Grahovo, Rudine, Nikšići, more than half of Drobnjaci, Tušina, Uskoci, Lipovo, Upper Vasojevići, and part of Kuči and Dodoši.

Prince Danilo granted all of the battle survivors the "Grahovo medal", and Mirko Petrović-Njegoš was proclaimed "Grand Duke of Grahovo". In 1864 King Nicholas I built the Church of the Ascension on the site of Hussein Pasha's headquarters,[2] and in 2008, the Montenegrin government revealed an obelisk which honours the battle and its participants. Both on the church and the obelisk read the same inscription: "The monument to your bravery is Montenegro and its freedom."

Gallery

• 
  Flag used by the Montenegrin army in the Battle of Grahovac
• 
  A rail guard of the Vlah Church in Cetinje was built of captured Ottoman rifle barrels in the Battle of Grahovac
• 
  Veterans of the Battle of Grahovac photographed at the celebration of its 50th anniversary (1908)

References

1. Batrićević 2010.
2. Pavićević 1990.
3. Pavićević 2007.

Sources

• Pavićević, Branko (1990). Danilo I Petrović Njegoš, knjaz crnogorski i brdski, 1851-1860 [Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš, the prince of Montenegro and the Highlands]. Književne novine.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Pavićević, Branko (2007). Sazdanje crnogorske nacionalne države: 1796-1878 [The Creation of Montenegrin nation state: 1796-1878]. CID.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Batrićević, Đuro (2010). Obavještajna služba u Grahovačkoj bici [Intelligence in the Battle of Grahovac]. Montenegrina.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)