The Battle of Tura was fought around the village of Tura by the cavalry of the IX. and the X. corps of the Hungarian revolutionary army led by General Mór Perczel and the Russian cavalry detachment led by Lieutenant General Aleksandr Petrovich Tolstoy and the 1. brigade of the 5. infantry division led by Lieutenant General Ivan Mikhaylovich Labintsov. The Hungarians advanced towards the north in order to relieve the Russian pressure over General Artúr Görgei's Army of the Upper Danube, which after the second battle of Vác from 15 to 17 July was heading towards the Hungarian armies meeting point around Szeged. The battle started between the Hungarian cavalry units under Perczel and the Russian cavalry under Tolstoy. The Hungarians pushed back the Russian cavalry, but when the Russian infantry led by Labintsov arrived, Perczel retreated. The Russians did not pursued his troops. Although the Russians remained the masters of the battlefield, Perczel's objective to ease the Russian pressure over Görgei's troops succeeded, helping in this way the latter to succeed in his march to southern Hungary.
Background After the relieving of General Artúr Görgei from the high commandment of the Hungarian army, his place was taken by Lieutenant General Lázár Mészáros.. Although as the former ministry of war he was an excellent organizer, who created from nothing the Hungarian army which, starting with 11 September 1848, successfully withstood against the attack of the Habsburg empire, then entering in a counter offensive, managed to liberate most of the country, he himself recognized the fact that as army commander was not good. Mészáros tried to concentrate enough troops around Szeged, but knowing that Görgei's Army of the Upper Danube will not arrive there soon, accepted General Józef Wysocki's plan to send the former Army of Northern Hungary (the IX. corps and the Polish Legion) together with the Reserve Corps, organized by General Mór Perczel to the Transtisza region to fight with the Russian army. The Governor-President of Hungary Lajos Kossuth, who did not trusted either in Mészáros's, nor in Lieutenant General Henryk Dembiński's military skills, chose as commander of this army Perczel, who, indeed had some great military victories in his past.Bánlaky József: A délvidéki események; Perczel Mór támadó műveletei a Bácskában. 1849. március elejétől április közepéig. A magyar nemzet hadtörténete XXI Arcanum Adatbázis Kft. 2001 These troops, named the Army of the Tisza had 26,500 soldiers and 49 guns. Kossuth put under Perczel's disposal also the 2,500 men and 7 cannons strong brigade, led by Károly Knezić which defended the Tisza's line, and the 7,100 men and 30 cannons strong division led by Colonel Lajos Kazinczy. Perczel argued with Dembiński, Mészáros's Chief of staff about the direction on which the Army of the Tisza should operate. Perczel's superior, Dembiński, who in his whole career was a defensive-type general, and maybe he was already thinking about leaving Hungary in the Ottoman Empire, wanted to march towards southern Hungary, although after the Hungarian victory at Kishegyes over the army of Josip Jelačić, there was no need for that any more, while Perczel, a general who loved the attack, wanted to attack the Russians.. The argument was interrupted by the news that on 15 July Görgei fought with the Russians at Vác, and they agreed to send the cavalry division of the army to do a reconnaissance and a demonstration in the direction of Nagykáta. This was carried out with success, while the division of Colonel Károly Lenkey advanced to Újszász. On 18 July evening Mészáros ordered a reconnaissance towards Jászfényszaru. On 19 July arrived to the Hungarian general headquarters from Nagykáta General Gusztáv Pikéthy, and he told to Mészáros and Perczel that on 15–17 July Görgei fought with the Russians at Vác, and because he could not break through them, he headed towards Balassagyarmat.. In the war council held after this, Perczel proposed to attack with all their army through Jászberény towards Kápolna, while Dembiński and Mészáros decided that Károly Lenkey's division will cross the Tisza at Szolnok, followed by the rest of the infantry. The army had to advance to Tiszafüred, hoping that with this they will ease the junction with them of Görgei's army, and also the Kazinczy division which was isolated in northeastern Hungary.. Mészáros hoped that in case of a success the army resulted of the junction of Görgei's troops will have around 65,000 soldiers, and with them they could defeat Haynau's forces at Szeged. He wrote to Kossuth that they need 10 days for completing with success this mission, so the Hungarian forces from Szeged must defend themselves, relying only on Antal Vetter's troops and the forces of the Militia units in a case of an enemy attack
This plan was audacious, but it still was more reasonable than Perczel's, because if they followed his plan, the Russian army could easily surprise them, attacking them from flank, which could have caused a disaster to the Hungarians. But the plan faced a problem which was impossible to overcome: neither Görgei's army nor Kazinczy's division was too close to be able to meet with the Army of the Tisza at Tiszafüred around 25–26 July, as it was designated. Görgei's Army of the Upper Danube on 20 July was still at Rimaszombat, arriving around Miskolc on 22–23, while Kazinczy's division was at Huszt and he only promised that on 19 July he would be at Munkács. There it still was a hope of the meeting of the three armies at Tiszafüred, but only in the case if none of them was halted, or their routs were not cut by enemy troops. If only one of them suffered a delay, the plan was doomed, being also very risky for these troops to be attacked by the enemy, because they were not fully trained and many of the units had deficiences regarding their weapons and equipment. In order to cover and to mislead the enemy, the cavalry division led by Major General Arisztid Dessewffy was ordered to advance to Jászfényszaru and also to gather information about the Russians. This Hungarian military unit was the only one which entered in battle with the Russians.
On 16 July Marshal Ivan Paskevich received informations about Perczel's corps advancement in the around Szolnok, on the back of the Russian troops, while on the other day he heard that the Hungarian units appeared around Gyöngyös and Hatvan. After the battle of Vác from 15 to 17 July Paskevich wanted to march towards Hatvan, sending the Wagon train of his troops towards Aszód, and for this he created a detachment led by Lieutenant General Alexander Petrovich Tolstoy, to cover the waon train and to gather information about Perczel's troops. On 18 July he sent also an infantry brigade after Tolstoy.
Tolstoy with his troops arrived to Aszód on 18 July, and on 20 the Muslim cavalry regiment under his commande, the infantry brigade and a Sapper platoon marched to Hatvan. The other units under Tolstoy's command (13 Hussar companies, two Cossack companies and 14 cannons) headed from Aszód to Zsámbok to cover the main troops from the right.
Prelude On 20 July mourning Tolstoy was informed by the commander of the Uhlan battalion stationed around Jászfényszaru and Zsámbok that important Hungarian forces are advancing from Szolnok, and their 4,000-5,000 strong vanguard already occupied Tóalmás.. Tolstoy at 5 a.m. departed from Aszód, sending ahead the two Cossack companies. Arriving to Tura, he received the uhlans report that they retreated before the superior enemy.
The Hungarian troops advanced in two columns. Major General Dessewffy with two cavalry brigades advanced on the Nagykáta-Szentmártonkáta-Tóalmás-Jászfényszaru route, while the brigade of General Perczel marched through Nagykáta-Jászfelsőszentgyörgy-Szentlőrinckáta-Jászfényszaru. Parallel with them three infantry brigades under General Wysocki marched to Tápiószele. Lieutenant General Lázár Mészáros and Lieutenant General Henryk Dembiński joined the column led by Dessewffy. The order was that the Hungarians should not advance to northwest from Jászfényszaru, but to retreat to Jászberény, marching towards the east and then the south.
During their advance, the Károlyi hussars under Dessewffy captured three uhlans in Tóalmás. Arriving in Jászfényszaru, they did not found any enemies there, but spotted two companies of enemy cavalry towards Tura. So Dessewffy decided to advance progressively with his two brigades, in order to push the enemy back, or to force them to take battle formation. Soon the most advanced cossack patrols discovered the approaching enemy, in front of whom the division of Kharkov Lancers retreated.Aleksandr Voronov: The Olga Hussars. A Battle Between Russian and Hungarian Hussars, 8(20) July 1849. Цейхгауз. 13, 1/2001
Being informed about the Hungarians approach, Lieutenant General Tolstoy deployed his troops behind Tura. Their first line was formed by eight companies of Yelizavetgrad Hussar regiment (called also Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna's Hussar Regiment) and the eight cannons of the 2. Don reserve battery, in the second line were the five companies of the Lubny Hussar regiment (called also His Majesty the King of Hannover's Hussar Regiment) and 12 cannons of the 4. light battery. In front of the two lines Tolstoy positioned the two companies of Cossacks and the two Harkov uhlan companies which retreated earlier from Jászfényszaru, in order to slow down the Hungarians advance, and to mask the battery from the first hussar line. At the same time Tolstoy was informed by Lieutenant General Labintsov that he is on his way towards Tura with the 1. brigade of the 5. infantry division.
Around 11 a.m. the Russian troops approached to within a cannon shot of the Hungarians and halted. Tolstoy did not want to begin the attack before the arrival of Labintsov's infantry. But Labintsov at this time was only around Aszód. Noticing the presence of Tolstoy's troops, Dessewffy, Mészáros and Dembiński, instead of attacking, also decided to wait for Perczel's brigade to arrive, and only then to start the battle. Arriving to Jászfényszaru, Perczel learned from the three captive Russian uhlans that in Tura, Bag and Hévízgyörk there are stationed 8000–10,000 Russian troops and 32 guns. Then he received also Dessewffy's report that they chased the Russian units from Jászfényszaru to Tura, where they found important Russian troops, and now they are waiting for him to come to help them. Perczel replied to them reprovingly that this was not according to their initial plan, but he is on his way to join them in the battle. During his march towards Tura his troops had to cross the Zagyva river on three bridges, and his troops had to pull manually the cannons over one of them. Passing the command to his chief of staff, lieutenant colonel Szodtfriedt, Perczel rushed to the future battlefield, to Tura. At 1 p.m. Perczel's brigade arrived on the battlefield
On the right flank, the Hungarians positioned the four Polish uhlan companies under Major Władysław Poniński and Dembiński, supported by a half three-pounder battery. On the center were the five companies of Hussars under Dessewffy and Mészáros, supported by a Congreve rocket battery. The left flank was made by six companies of Hussars under General Perczel, the reserve is represented by two companies of the Attila Hussars. Both the Hungarian wings were relying on cornfields.Bánlaky József: A turai ütközet. 1849. július 20-án. A magyar nemzet hadtörténete XXI Arcanum Adatbázis Kft. 2001
At the beginning of the battle, the balance of forces was equal, excepting the fact that none of the Hungarian cavalries units had more than a half of year's experience, and only the Polish uhlans participated previously in an important battle at Szolnok on 5 March..