The second siege of Szenttamás (now Srbobran, in the South Bačka District, Vojvodina, Serbia) was an attempt of siege during the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848-1849, as a part of the Serb uprising of 1848–49, on 19 August 1848, carried out by the Hungarian Army under the command of Lieutenant General Fülöp Bechtold against the Serbian fortified encampment in Szenttamás and Turia held by the Serb insurgents led by Captain Petar Biga. The Hungarians did not keep in secret their plan to attack, so the Serbs prepared the defense. The second cause of the failure of the siege was the errors in communication between the commandment and the leaders of the brigades, and the wrong placement of the troops. This victory gave morale to the Serbians to continue and widen their revolt.
Background Lieutenant General Bechtold's reports about the failure at the first siege of Szenttamás from 14 July 1848, prompted the government to do everything possible to resolve all the problems, which they thought were preventing the crushing of the Serb uprising from Southern Hungary. Thus, in early August, the government ordered all the troops it could spare to the camp at Óbecse, and in order to enable the taking of all the necessary measures for achieving the victory, the Minister of War, Lázár Mészáros visited the camp in person.Bánlaky József: A szerbek mozgalma. A magyar nemzet hadtörténete XXI Arcanum Adatbázis Kft. 2001
In August the Hungarian troops were stationed in Óbecse, Verbász, Kiskér, Ókér, Járek and Temerin.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 46 On 17 August, Lieutenant-General Philip Bechtold moved his headquarters from Óbecse to Verbász. To stop the Serbs' attacks, he sent Hungarian battalions, infantry, and cavalry companies, equipped with one battery and sometimes with one or two guns, from one place to another, to help the Hungarian villages and town threatened by the sudden Serbian attacks.
Following the experience of the siege of Szenttamás from 14 July, the Hungarian command sought to deploy the majority of its troops to the west and south of Szenttamás.
By mid-August, the following Hungarian forces had been gathered in the Bácska region. In Verbász: one battalion from each of the Gyulay, Prussian King, Wasa, Schwarzenberg, and the Székely border regiments, 3 battalions from each of the Imperial, Alexander, and Honvéd regiments, making in total 11 infantry battalions in all, 9 companies in all from the Imperial, Ferdinand, and Württemberg Hussars: 2 twelve-pounder, 3 six-pounder, 1 cavalry batteries and 2 mortars. At Temerin: one Wasa, one Este, one Honvéd infantry battalions, 4 Imperial Hussar companies, and 1 1/2 six-pounder batteries. In Óbecse: 1 Franz-Karl, 1 Wasa, 2 Honvéd, and 1 Pest volunteer battalions, 4 Ferdinand Hussar companies, and a six-pounder battery. In total, there were 19 infantry battalions, 17 cavalry companies, 8 1/2 batteries, and 2 mortars at the three stations, with about 15,000 soldiers. In addition to these regular troops, there were at least the same number of national guardsmen at each station, so the total number of the Hungarian troops in Bácska must have been at least 30,000-35,000, which in any case represented a considerable force, and so the government was indeed justified in urging Bechtold to launch a decisive and forceful attack.
The Serbs did not stand idly either when the Hungarians were gathering forces, they even surpassed the Hungarians in the increasing of their forces, but especially in the proactive training of their troops. While the offensive preparations were being made, the Serbian commander-in-chief, Đorđe Stratimirović, with his troops transported with light carts, made large-scale raids on Verbász on 1 and 3 August, but both were unsuccessful and the attack against Járek on 10 August ended in a similar manner.
At Szenttamás and Turia, the defensive earthworks were augmented, the garrison was increased to 6,000-7,000 men, and small and large cannons were placed in the entrenchments. In the large Roman ramparts there were 15,000 men, and in reserve at Karlóca, Cserevics, and Kameniec were 10,000 men. They had no cavalry, but they were amply supplied with artillery. In total, the Serbs had 26,000-32,000 armed men in Bácska.
Prelude At the urging of the Hungarian government, Lieutenant General Bechtold set the siege of Szenttamás for August 19; but in the same way as before the siege of 14 July, this time also they did not keep secret of it, and naturally, the Serbs were informed of it.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 47
Opposing forces
On August 18, the distant troops of the 2nd Battalion of the Pétervárad Border Guard Regiment, under the command of Captain Petar Biga, entered Szenttamás. Biga took over the command from Lieutenant Teodor Bosnić and divided the troops for the defense as it follows:
The Pétervárad bridgehead: there were 1 company of Pétervárad border guards under the command of Gavrilo Živanović, 250 armed inhabitants of Szenttamás, 2 guns. According to historian Mihály Horváth, the Polish Pan-Slavist Wnorowski defended it with about 1,500 troops, several hundred Servians (volunteers from the Principality of Serbia), and 4 cannons. A part of these troops, which could not fit in the bridgehead, remained in reserve across the waters of the Ferenc Canal on the outskirts of the town and at the entrances to certain streets.
The Verbász main trenches: under the command of Captain Petar Biga there were 2 1/2 companies of the Pétervárad border guard regiment, 400 armed inhabitants of Szenttamás, and 5 guns.
On the Bácsfeketehegy bridge, under National Guards Captain Novak Dunđerski there were 1/2 company of Pétervárad border guards, 150 armed inhabitants of Szenttamás, and 5 guns.
The Óbecse entrenchments (Srbobran): under the command of Büyük Pasha, Toma, and Stanko, 500 Servians, 300 armed inhabitants of Mohol and Óbecse, and 2 guns.
Eastern exit (Praedium Tuk): under Hadžić Senior 300 armed inhabitants of Szenttamás and 2 guns.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 48
In Turia: under the command of Lieutenant General Petar Jovanović, 200 border guard infantry troops of Pétervárad, 30 Servians, 600 armed inhabitants of Turia, and 4 3-pounder guns.
In the "Na Sirigu" (Szőreg Manor) entrenchment, National Guard officer Marko Nikolić was in command. The artillery was provided by the Šajkaši. Thus the total defensive garrison was around 3,530 men and 20 guns. Other figures put the Serbian garrison at 6-7,000 men.
On 18 August, Lieutenant-General Bechtold sent General Wollenhofer with 4 infantry battalions, Lenkey's Würtenberg's Hussars company, and the two 12-pound batteries to Kiskér with the aim of marching from there the following day against the Pétervárad bridgehead.
On 19 August the Hungarian attacking columns were composed as follows:
The Bakonyi brigade - marched from Verbász. It was composed of 2 battalions of the Alexander (formerly Bakonyi) infantry regiment, 1 battalion of the Gyula (33rd Infantry Regiment) regiment, 1 battalion of the King of Prussia infantry regiment, and 2 battalions of the Pest National Guards. The cavalry was composed of the Imperial Hussars, while the artillery of a half 6-pound battery with 3 guns, and a half 12-pound battery with 3 guns as well.
The Wollenhofer Brigade - marched out from Kiskér: It was composed of 1 battalion of the Alexander infantry Regiment, 1 infantry battalion of the Székely border guard regiment, 2 battalions of Honvéd infantry, 1 infantry battalion of the Veszprém national guards, 1 battalion of the Pest volunteer infantry, 1 company of Würtemberg hussars, a half 6-pounder battery with 3 guns, one and a half 12-pounder batteries with 9 guns, two 30-pounder mortars.
Colonel Fack's group: 2 battalions of the Kunság National Guards, 1 battalion of the Bácska National Guard, 3 companies of the Kunság cavalry.
Kollowrat (Castiglione) brigade - it departed from Temerin and Óbecse. It was composed of 1 battalion of the Schwarzenberg infantry regiment, 2nd battalion of the Wasa infantry regiment, 1 battalion of the Honvéd infantry, 1 battalion Pest volunteer infantry, 1 squadron of the Ferdinand hussars, and two 6-pound cavalry batteries with 12 guns.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 48-49
To keep an eye on the Bácsfeletehegy road and Srbobran, 1 battalion of Tolna National Guard infantry and 1 squadron (Ferdinand or Imperial?) of hussars were assigned.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 49
Thus, the number of attacking Hungarian troops was 7 Hungarian Line regimental battalions of 150 men in each company, a total of around 5000 soldiers, 3 Honvéd battalions of circa 200 men in each company, a total of around 3000 soldiers, 8 Hungarian National Guard battalions of 200 men in each company, a total of around 5,000 men, altogether 16,000 men.
A Hussar company numbered around 100 cavalrymen, the National Guard cavalry companies 120, but the number of cavalry companies present at the siege is not known. The artillery carried 5 batteries with 30 guns and 2 mortars.
In order to maintain communication with Pétervárad and to keep an eye on the Serbian troops stationed in the Roman entrenchments, some of the line and national guard troops were left at Óbecse, Temerin, and Futak.
Deployment of the Hungarian troops for the battle Sending the National Guards from the troops assigned to Szenttamás to assault entrenchments was a difficult task. Because they were not fully trained soldiers, they could not be counted on in the siege. Surely, they would have been better used in garrison service behind entrenchments. The cavalry was only suitable for reconnaissance service, for charging and pursuing the enemy in the open field.
Consequently, only infantry troops and artillery from the line regiments and the Honvéds could take part in siege operations.
Each brigade as an assault column left its station early in the morning of the 19th of August. The Bakony brigade started from Óverbász and moved along the left bank of the Ferenc Canal, against the Verbász main trenches (called like this because they were in the direction of Verbász). The Wollenhofer brigade was directed from Verbász to Kiskér at 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 18th, where it arrived at 7 o'clock in the evening; from Kiskér it departed towards Szenttamás at 12 o'clock in the night to attack the Pétervárad bridgehead and on the way it had to fight many difficulties, passing through wet and boggy ground until it reached its destination. The Ferdinand hussars and probably the Tolna National Guardsmen were sent from Óbecse to Szenttamás to watch Srbobran (the battlements of Óbecse) and the road to Bácsfeketehegy.
The southern group of the Kollowrat Brigade under the command of Colonel Castiglione (1 battalion of the Schwarzenberg infantry regiment, 1 battalion of the Wasa infantry, 1 squadron of the Ferdinand Hussar Regiment, and 2 cavalry batteries) left Temerin on 18 August.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 49-50 They spent the night at the Szöreg farm, while the Serbs from the "Na Sirigu" redoubt had retreated earlier. At dawn on the 19th, they continued their way to Turia.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 50 At the same time, 1 Honvéd battalion and 1 battalion of volunteers from Pest were sent to Turia from Óbecs.
Each of the three brigades, when they arrived at their destination after they deployed their artillery, immediately started firing against the entrenchments.