Azov Cossack Host - Crimean War

Crimean War

After the events of 1848 it became clear that Russia was en route to another major conflict between Ottoman Empire and her new allies Britain and France. The Azov Cossack Host's first job was to sabotage the remaining Russian strongholds on the Caucasus coast, which they themselves have built. After the British and French navies penetrated the Strait of Kerch and entered the Sea of Azov, they planned to navigate up the Don River to force the Russian armies en route to re-inforce Crimea to divert the attention. The Azov Host (by that point mobilising 1,920 men) was tasked with preventing the enemy from reaching the Don, a task which they accomplished (see Siege of Taganrog).

However in addition to guarding the Don, and their Black Sea duties in Novorossiysk, the Azov Cossacks were constantly involved in guarding their own home, and Gladky formed three irregular units a naval battalion numbering 722 Cossacks, an infantry battalion with 400 more and a cavalry sotnia which had further 104 Cossacks.

However the weakly defended Strait of Kerch meant that in May 1855 a squadron of 57 English and French ships (17,400 men in total) easily overpowered the Russian garrison there and entered the Azov bassin. Afterwards the enemy approached Berdyansk and bombarded the city from the sea. Similar attacks were experienced by Petrovskaya Stanitsa, Mariupol and numerous other locations on the coast of the northern Azov. Yet any attempts to land troops on the shores, turned out to be complete failures. When attempting to land at the headquarters of the Azov Host Petrovsky Posad (modern Volodarske, Ukraine) the Anglo-French troops demanded the Cossacks surrender and sent their landing party of 100 boasts. None were to reach the shores. Afterwards the survivors of the failed landing returned to the ships the squadron tried to land near Taganrog, but a similar fate awaited them from the hands of the Don Cossacks.

After the end of the war in 1856 all of the units, save the ones which resumed their previous patrolling of the Caucasus coast were disbanded. The Azov Host was awarded with the highest award that a Russian military unit could earn, the Banner of St. George whose inscription read: For exceptional bravery and excellent service during the war against the French, English and Turks in 1853-1858