The fourth siege of Szenttamás (now Srbobran, in the South Bačka District, Vojvodina, Serbia) was a siege during the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848-1849, as a part of the Serb uprising of 1848–49, on 3 April 1849, carried out by the Hungarian Army under the command of General Mór Perczel against the Serbian fortified encampment in Szenttamás and Turia held by the Serb insurgents led by Captain Jovan Stefanović Vilovski. The Serbian fortified camp of Szenttamás was considered impregnable by the Hungarians, as in the Summer and Fall of 1848 they failed three times to capture it. But with the start of the Hungarian Spring Campaign of 1849, General Perczel began to score victories after victories against the Serbs, and on 3 April, he managed to capture also Szenttamás, after a heroic Serbian resistance. After this victory, Perczel's troops continued to advance toward the Hungarian fortress of Pétervárad, and relieve it after half of year of Serbian and Austrian blockade.
Background In mid-March 1849, after the winter defensive battles on the Maros line against the Serbs, the Hungarian troops stationed in and around Szeged prepared to launch an offensive against them, to liberate the Bácska and Bánát regions.. Their new commander, General Mór Perczel, considered the most important task to be the relieving of the besieged fortress of Pétervárad. On 22–23 March his troops broke through the Serb positions around Szeged, on 28–29 March they relieved the northern part of the Pétervárad fortress from the besieging troops, and after the failed attack on the fortifications at Kamanc on 29 March, Perczel marched against Verbász on 31 March. Here, at the floodgate, a Serbian troop of 500 men and 2 guns attacked Perczel's troops from the direction of Kula, but were defeated and they retreated towards Zombor, leaving one gun behind.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 160 On 1 April Perczel set off for Kula, where under the command of Captain Forget a reinforcement of 2 infantry battalions, 1/2 cavalry company, and 6 guns arrived, sent by Lieutenant Colonel Igmándy from Szeged.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 His army now consisted of 8 infantry battalions, 6 hussar companies and 30 guns. Hearing about this, the Royal-Imperial (K.u.K.) and Serbian forces from Zombor retreated to Bezdán, and there they crossed the Danube. The Hungarians captured a significant stock of grain at Kula. Perczel's next destination was the Serbian fortified camp in Szenttamás.
Prelude
The two armies The dangerous situation of Szenttamás had been clear to the Austrian and Serbian commanders long before April 1849, as they knew that there was no serious obstacle on the way to it and that their defensive force was not too big. Nevertheless, before the fourth siege, two weeks passed with the Serb and Austrian commanders writing to each other about the perilous situation of the Szenttamás fortified camp, but no soldiers were sent to reinforce it. On 31 March, Perczel even did them the favor of sending an ultimatum to the defenders: surrender or be wiped off the face of the earth. But the answer was no.
Finally, on April 3, Mór Perczel's troops appeared before Szenttamás. The defenders numbered 2,000-3,000 men and 9 (according to other sources 14) three-pounder guns, commanded by the K.u.K. Military engineer Captain Jovan Stefanović Vilovski. According to the historian József Bánlaky, the Serbian defense force consisted of 3-4000 Serbian border guard soldiers and 14 cannons. Engineer Captain Stefanović was sent by General Kuzman Todorović to Lieutenant Colonel Nugent on the line of the Ferenc Canal. On 1 April, the latter arrived in Szenttamás via Óbecse, Bácsföldvár, and Turia, and, having been informed of Perczel's intention of attack, remained in Szenttamás and took over command from Bosnić, his junior in rank. Austrian-Serbian sources report two versions of the composition of the Serbian defense force. According to one of them, there were only 2 companies of Pétervárad border guards, 100 Servians, and the armed inhabitants of the city with five 3-pounder guns, while according to another, there were 1 Militia battalion, 2 Šajkaši companies, 4 Pétervárad border guard companies and 200 Servians with 8 three-pounder Šajkaši cannons under Captains Teodor Bosnić and Stefanović formed the defending troops of Szenttamás. The defenders had 100 bullets per rifle, so Stefanović asked for ammunition from the K.u.K. troops, and asked Colonel Lazar Mamula, who was at Kamanc, to demonstrate with a cavalry detachment in the rear of the Hungarians. However, his requests were to no avail due to the late demand. The attackers must have engaged about 7,000-8,000 men and 30 guns.
According to one Serbian source (which shows the smallest number of defenders), on 3 April, the defenders were positioned in Szenttamás as follows: In the Verbász Trenches, under the command of Captain Bosnić, there was 1 company of border guards from Pétervárad, troops of the armed residents of Szenttamás, and 3 three-pounder guns. In the Pétervárad bridgehead, under Captain Stefanović there was 1 Pétervárad border guard company, 100 Servians, troops of the armed inhabitants of Szenttamás, and a squad called the Kiskér Guard with 2 three-pounder guns.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 161
On 3 April, before dawn, the Hungarians departed in two columns from Verbász and Kiskér towards Szenttamás. The left column, consisting of the 5th and 8th Honvéd and the 2nd Wasa battalions and 2 six-pounder batteries (12 guns) advanced on the northern bank of the canal, while the other, consisting of the 7th Honvéd battalion, 1 battalion of the Turski Regiment, 4 companies (half a battalion) of the Szeged volunteers and 1 battery (6 guns), approached from Kiskér, i.e. from the south. The left column, commanded by Colonel László Gaál, attacked the Verbász ramparts, while the right column, commanded by Perczel's brother, Lieutenant Colonel Miklós Perczel, attacked the bridgehead of Pétervárad.. The reserve column was distributed on both banks of the Ferenc Canal, and on the left bank 1 National Guard battalion, 1 Hussar company, 1 six-pounder battery, on the right bank 1 National Guard battalion, 5 Hussar companies,1 six-pounder battery. Total 2 infantry battalions, 6 cavalry companies, 12 guns.
The fortified camp of Szenttamás Szenttamás is situated on the left bank of the Ferenc Canal and at that time it had 1,600 houses with 10,000-12,000 inhabitants.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 28 The muddy waters of the Krivaja, making several meanders, protect the northern side of the town and join the Ferenc Canal at Turia. The canal was 100–150 paces wide and 2–3 meters deep at Szenttamás. The Krivaja meanders between banks 3–4 m high, and 30–50 paces wide, the bottom is muddy, and the average depth above this is 1 m. Both waters are sluggish. The bridge over the Ferenc Canal was at the southern entrance to the town. At the same place the road forked towards Verbász, Ókér, Temerin, and Turia. West of this bridge, a lock connects the two banks at the southwest corner of Szenttamás. The bridges over the Krivaja were on the roads leading to Bácsfeketehegy, Óbecse and near Turia.
Due to the natural obstacles, except the bridges mentioned above, Szenttamás can be approached by an army without any technical preparation only from Óverbász, between the Ferenc Canal and Krivaja, in a one-kilometer wide open area. To block Szenttamás from this direction, the Serbs built a defensive wall from the Ferenc Canal to Krivaja, bastioned at several projecting angles, with a wide and deep defensive ramparts, traversed by barriers on the inner side. Their small ammunition depots were built just under the breastworks. The western edge of the city was 80 paces from the breastworks. In the open area behind the breastworks, earth-covered barracks were built for the troops.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 28-29
The bridge of the Ferenc Canal was blocked by a bridgehead on the right bank. As it was built on the road leading to Pétervárad, it was called the Pétervárad bridgehead. The inner side of this bridge was paved with tree trunks. Otherwise, it was built in a similar way to the Verbász ramparts.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 29
On the north-eastern side of the city, the road to Óbecse, which crosses the bending of the Krivaja, was also blocked by ramparts. At the mouth of this bending, a rectangular defensive structure was built with round bastions at the corners. The length of each curtain wall was 50 paces, the thickness of the breastwork was 2 fathoms (3.79 m.) and the depth of the defensive ditch was . This core was surrounded by a lower outer breastwork and defensive ditch. The entrance was made in the shape of an S with a traverse. In this small fortress, food and ammunition for several days were stored. From the southwest and southeast corners of the defensive structure to the west and east branches of the Krivaja bending, a simple straight defensive wall enclosed the interior. This defensive wall was made by the Servians (Volunteers coming from the Principality of Serbia) for themselves and was called "Srbobranu" (Defender of the Serbians).
Around 400 paces to the eastern exit of Szenttamás, next to the lane leading to Turia, a small enclosed defensive structure was also built. However, as it was covered by the defenses of Turia, it was only equipped with a small cannon and was usually occupied by untrained insurgents.
The road to Bácsfeketehegy was not blocked by a separately built rampart. Here the bridge over the Krivaja and the road further on formed a deeper narrow gorge; besides, this and the whole of the foreland could be shot with cannons from behind a wall from the higher edge of the town.
The eastern entrance, over Krivaja, to Szenttamás is closed by the village of Turia. The latter is protected on the north and west sides by the Ferenc Canal, and Turia by the muddy waters of the Krivaja and Bela bara.
As Turia is attackable from the south-east as well as from the south-west, the Serbs have also built small earthworks along the insignificant fence walls. Those who wanted to go to the Roman ramparts from Szenttamás they had to cross Turia.
The Szőreg farm is located on the marshy bank of the Almáska bara. Here is the shortest road from Óbecse to Pétervárad. At the farm, the Serbs built a rectangular enclosed structure, facing Ókér and Temerin, for 200 men and 2 guns, and named it "Na Sirigu".
In this way, Szenttamás, Turia, and the Szőreg major formed a fortified triangle.
Szenttamás was the most easily accessible from the Verbász ramparts.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 29-30 That is why the Serbs made the most efforts to defend this line.Olchváry Ödön: A magyar függetlenségi harc 1848–1849-ben a Délvidéken Budapest, 1902, pp. 30
Between Szenttamás and Turia, the enclosed area between the Krivaja and the Ferenc Canal was a pasture in 1848. North of Szenttamás, the fields beyond the Krivaja were planted with corn, which had grown so much that in some places the rider could barely see out of it.
Siege