Siege of Taganrog

The British raft Lady Nancy producing close fire support for the raiding part during the destruction of the Taganrog military depot on 3rd June 1855.

Date	Main attack on 3rd June 1855 (NS), constant attacks thereafter until allied forces withdrew for the winter on 24th November 1855 (NS).
Location	Taganrog, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Russian empire, on the Sea of Azov
Result	See "Conclusion" section

Belligerents

Russia

France

United Kingdom

Commanders and leaders

Yegor Tolstoy

Ivan Krasnov

Yevgeny Pfeilizer-Frank

Edmund Lyons

Armand Joseph Bruat

Béral de Sedaiges

Strength

3,200 men
3 warships - Унылая (Cheerless), Секстант (Sextant) and Акерманъ (Akkerman)
2 barges used as floating batteries
3 armed customs launches

2 paddle gunboats (Recruit and Danube), 12 armed ships launches, and 1 armed raft (Lady Nancy)

1 paddle gunboat (Mouette) and 4 launches

Casualties and losses

470 killed and wounded, including civilians
all three warships destroyed

1 wounded
3 prisoners
1 gunboat captured and destroyed

The Siege of Taganrog is a name given in some Russian histories to Anglo-French naval operations in the northeastern part of the Sea of Azov between June and October 1855 during the Crimean War. British and French forces were implementing a strategy of destroying the supply lines for the main Russian army which ran across the Sea Azov. Taganrog was one of the major logistical hubs of the Russian army and was attacked and destroyed as a military depot on 3 June 1855 (NS) as part of a series of attacks on all major Russian supply bases in the area, except Rostov-on-Don, which could not be reached due to the large shoals not admitting any available warship.

In the spring of 1855, as the Crimean War dragged on into its third year, the British and the French decided to begin operations in the Sea of Azov. They reasoned that this would allow them to cut off the Crimea even further from Russia and prevent further supplies from reaching Russian forces there by sea via the seaports in the Taman. This strategy required them to occupy the Strait of Kerch, which was to be undertaken by a joint force of British and French soldiers and warships.

Taganrog, at the far eastward end of the Sea of Azov, was selected as a potential target for attack. Taganrog is located on a strip of land jutting out slightly into the Sea of Azov and, to the British and the French, formed an excellent stepping stone to Rostov-on-Don. Taking Rostov-on-Don would allow the allies to threaten the rear of the Russian forces.

Plans were drawn up, and the British and French prepared 16,000 ground troops and about forty small warships for the "Azov Campaign". Meanwhile, Taganrog's governor-general, Nikolay Adlerberg, had been replaced by Yegor Tolstoy, an ageing but versatile general, who had served in the Russian Army in fighting against the Turks. In April 1854, Tolstoy assumed command at Taganrog, along with Ivan Krasnov (who commanded the Don Cossacks in the region) and prepared his forces. He had three sotnias of Don Cossacks (No.s 180 Моршанская дружина, 184 Спасская and 188 Борисоглебская) and a local garrison of some 630 soldiers at his command at the time of the siege. A unit of "home guards", totalling 250 men, were recruited from the local population. Taganrog lacked any modern fortifications and Tolstoy had no artillery to speak of.

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Wikipedia