The Black Sea Incident or Destruction of Russian soldiers by Circassians was an attack on Russian soldiers who were part of a fleet sent to invade Circassia. The fleet was struck by a storm in the Black Sea on 12 June 1838, resulting in the wrecking of several ships. The surviving soldiers who managed to reach the shore were killed by Circassians defending their land.
Background In June 1838, a Russian naval fleet, preparing for an expedition against the Circassians, encountered a violent storm in the Black Sea. The fleet consisted of a large frigate with 60 guns, a corvette with 20 guns, a large steamship, and several smaller vessels, including 7 state ships and 24 merchant ships carrying soldiers, ammunition, and supplies. As a result of the storm, several ships were destroyed, with some sinking while others ran aground.
Massacre The massacre occurred after the storm on 12 June 1838, when a portion of the Russian soldiers who survived the shipwreck managed to reach the shores of Circassia. The Circassians, who were fiercely resisting Russian expansion, attacked the soldiers immediately upon their arrival. All of the soldiers who managed to reach the shore were killed by the Circassians, with estimates of the number of victims reaching approximately 3,000 men. American version
In the night from May 30 to 31, 1838, a powerful storm struck the shores of Circassia, causing significant damage to the Russian fleet. The storm sank a large number of both military and merchant ships. According to the American newspaper The Newport Mercury on September 8, 1838.
Russian version From November 25 to 27, 1838, a severe storm raged across the Tuapse district and the southern regions of Russia, causing significant destruction. This storm brought to mind a similarly powerful storm that struck the Black Sea coast on May 30 (Old Style), 1838, shortly after the Russian landing force established the Velyaminovsky Fort, which would later become the city of Tuapse. Contemporary accounts indicate that the waves reached a height of . During the storm, five military ships, eight merchant vessels, and around 70 sailors and officers perished.
In a letter dated June 18, 1838, the Commander-in-Chief of the Black Sea Fleet and Ports of the Black Sea, Military Governor of Sevastopol and Nikolaev, Vice-Admiral M. P. Lazarev, wrote to Admiral A. S. Menshikov, Chief of the Main Naval Staff, describing the event.
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