Siege of Lemnos (1770)

For other uses, see Siege of Lemnos.

Siege of Lemnos (1770)
Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774)
Map of Lemnos, c. 1750s–1770s
Date July – 9 October 1770 Location Limni, Ottoman Empire 39°55′N 25°15′E Result Ottoman victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Alexei Orlov John Elphinstone Samuel Greig Grigory Spiridov
Strength
350 17 cannons	4,000 20 ships
Casualties and losses
Hundreds	Hundreds
class=notpageimage| Location within Europe Siege of Lemnos (1770) (Greece)

The Siege of Lemnos was a three months-long military siege undertaken by Russia between July and 9 October 1770 against the Ottoman island of Lemnos (Turkish: Limni). The siege was part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), and was followed by a battle; both of which ended in an Ottoman victory.

Prelude

After unsuccessfully besieging the town of Modon, Count Alexei Orlov withdrew to the Aegean Sea on 1 June 1770 to meet with John Elphinstone's navy. Thus, the three-months-long campaign of the Russian Empire in the Morea came to an "ignominious" end as their only important success in this expedition was at the battle of Chesma. Once Orlov had met with Elphinstone, the latter suggested to blockade the Dardanelles or bombard Istanbul with the aim of forcing the Ottoman Empire into a peace treaty. However, Russian commanders disagreed with Elphinstone's advice as they viewed the venture as too dangerous. Orlov in particular objected the most since he worried that Elphinstone would take all the credit for a mission that he believed he could not lead himself. The justification he gave for rejecting the blockading of the Dardanelles was that his orders mandated him to assist the Greeks, but did not empower him to negotiate for peace. As a result, he felt he could not justify risking the imperial fleet for such a risky venture.

18th-century portrait of John Elphinstone

10 days were spent arguing over the next course of action. Meanwhile, fortifications along the Dardanelles were being reinforced by François Baron de Tott, a French baron in Ottoman service, and Moldovancı Ali Pasha. Older fortresses were repainted in white to give the appearance that they were newly built or repaired. Baron de Tott stationed four more artillery batteries in Çanakkale; two on the European and two on the Asian sides, so that any Russian ships wanting to pass would be under crossfire from two continents. This proved effective as an attempt by Elphinstone to attack one of the fortresses on 29 July with nine ships failed.

Dardanelles, c. 1750

Siege

First days

The garrison of Lemnos numbered no more than 350, and was equipped with 17 (mostly old and damaged) cannons. Russian troops landed in July and captured many settlements of the island since the local Greek populace collaborated with them. Once they had reached the main citadel, Kastro, Orlov requested that the Ottoman garrison surrendered within 24 hours in exchange for a safe withdrawal; those who wanted to stay had to pay one gold as taxes. He threatened that if they refused, he would attack them with 24,000 soldiers, dig trenches, attack by land and sea with cannons and mortars, and inflict wrath on those above six years old. Believing that aid would come, the defenders replied by stating that they had enough supplies and troops to defend the fortress if necessary, asking for three to five days to evualuate his offer. Orlov responded "what you call a fortress is a ruin like a dairy farm. You have no soldiers, no cannons, no ammunition, no water, and no one to help you. You know that. If you are waiting for help, that is impossible because we have completely surrounded the island so that not even a bird flies". He demands once again that the garrison surrenders within a day.

Alexei and Grigory Orlov, c. 1770s

Orlov further proposed to transport all those who surrender to wherever they wished. Within five days, the Turkish population of the island had fled into the citadel of Kastro. Many of them came from farms and villages without their goods; a lot were killed or captured by the Russians on their way to the fortress. Orlov's offer had different interpretations among the population. Some were in favor of surrendering, and some in favor of defence. In the end, those in favor of defending the island were more numerous.

Conflicts

The Russians were made aware of the lack of supplies and ammunition in the fortress, and began to besiege it. In late July, they attacked it from sea and land. Artillery fire had damaged a tower, killing 50 and injuring 45. The Russians then approached the fortress with smaller boats stored in their ships and tried to climb the walls by using ladders, though they were unsuccessful. On the 27th day of the siege, Kastro was under significant cannonfire. The inhabitants of the castle threw stones, cups, and glasses filled with gunpowder and ignited candle wicks at the Russians from all sides. In response, the Russians responded by shooting with rifles and pistols; though after losing 150 men, they halted the offensive. Ladders used by the Russians to scale the fortress were dragged up and into the castle with ropes. There were also Russians and locals who came up to the castle walls and harassed the women by calling them by name. Due to the fear caused by this, there were those who preferred death rather than falling into enemy hands. While some jumped from the walls, some chose to end their lives by going to where enemy shells frequently fell.

As the Russians attacked the fortress, there was chaos all across the island. The homes of the Turkish community were plundered and then burnt with the help of the local Greek populace. 80,000 sheep and 1,500 donkeys were killed and sent to Russia. Food such as grain were collected and stored at the warehouses and silos of Mudros. There was very little water left in the cisterns of the fortress, and this was only given to the children. Sometimes there was no water for days, and some were in such dire situations that they had been forced to eat slugs. There was no news from the person sent from the castle to request help either. In a last-ditch effort, the inhabitants put the letters they called for help in bottles and threw them into the sea, hoping that someone would come across it.

During the siege, the Russians damaged the fortress by hitting it in eight places with bombs and cannonfire. By the 81st day of the siege, 50 out of 350 soldiers lost their lives, and 45 were wounded. The Russian force numbered 4,000. Around 1,200 cannonballs fell on the fortress daily. Orlov frequently sent messengers to negotiate a surrender. He threatened to level the citadel and turn it into a field if they did not agree to the following terms. All inhabitants were to be searched upon their exit, and their weapons taken. A fee of four gold coins was to be paid to transport them to settlements between Babakale and Kösekale. In return, the Turks asked the Russians for hostages to secure the terms of the agreement, but the Russians refused. The evacuation of the fortress would be carried out within 24 hours. During this time, neither side would engage in hostilities. Eight of the castle's leaders were given as guarantors.

Arrival of Hasan Pasha

While negotiations were underway, Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha, garnered an army of which many were those wanting to restore their reputation after the battle of Chesma. Although some sources give the pasha's force as 4,000, this is an exaggeration as his troops numbered between 1,070 and 1,200. This is because whilst at Seddülbahir, Hasan Pasha waited for 2,000 infantrymen to be sent by Moldovancı Ali Pasha, and 1,070 marines from Cafer Pasha; but this did not happen. Following this, he went to the Bosphorus to meet with Ali Pasha, who promised him for the second time that he would send soldiers. Hasan Pasha returned once again to Seddülbahir, but left after some time as he did not receive aid. His army was armed with only pistols and yatagans.

Hasan Pasha anchored at Setre (Soteri) in the eastern side of Lemnos on 7 October with 23 small vessels escorted by two battleships. After landing, his force rested in the surrounding villages and soon marched towards Kastro. On the way, Hasan Pasha encountered a shephered who he gave a few gold coins to inform Orlov that the pasha was on his way with 12,000 men to relieve the garrison. When the news reached Orlov, he immediately lifted the siege on 9 October and ordered for his men to board their ships. However, as they were departing the island, they were attacked by Hasan Pasha's forces on 10 October. In the ensuing battle, the Russians scrambled to leave Lemnos having suffered very heavy losses as most of them had drowned or were killed in action.

Monument of Hasan Pasha in Istanbul

Aftermath

After the failed siege and the subsequent disastrous battle of Kastro, Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov planned to retire to Naousa, Paros and then to Italy, whilst admirals John Elphinstone and Grigory Spiridov sailed to Thasos. A few days later, Orlov confronted Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha once again at the battle of Mudros. The battle ended in an Ottoman victory, and also resulted in the eight captives from Lemnos given back to the pasha by Orlov. The Russians effectively did nothing in the Mediterranean after these successive failures. Their ships were in need of urgent repairs, and constant fighting and sickness had seriously reduced their naval manpower. For the rest of the war, they mostly attacked small towns to obtain supplies.

Hasan Pasha, on the other hand, was commemorated as a Gazi and was given the role of Kapudan Pasha by Sultan Mustafa III for his services.

References

• Creasy, Edward S. (1856). The Ottoman Turks: From the Beginning of their Empire to the Present Time (PDF). Vol. 2. London: Richard Bentley.
• Emerson, James E. (1830). The History of Modern Greece: From Its Conquest by the Romans B.C. 146, to the Present Time. Vol. 2. London: Richard Bentley & Henry Colburn.
• Finlay, George (1856). The History of Greece Under Othoman and Venetian Domination (PDF). Edinburgh: Blackwood.
• Jane, Fred T. (1899). Imperial Russian Navy: Its Past, Present, and Future (PDF). London: W. Thacker & Co.
• Miller, William (1921). The Turkish Restoration in Greece, 1718–1797 (PDF). London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
• Temelkuran, Tevfik (2000). Gazavât-ı Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Paşa (PDF) (PhD thesis) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Istanbul University.