Battle of Sunc River

Battle Of Sunc River
Part of the Russo-Turkish Wars
Date October 28-30, 1583 Location Sunzha (river), Result Ottoman Victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha	Unkown
Strength
3,000 Soldier	4,000-5,000 Soldier
Casualties and losses
Unkown	Unkown

Battle of the Sunja River was a military engagement during the early stages of the Ottoman-Russian Wars.

Under the command of Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha, the Ottoman forces defeated the Russian contingent that attempted to block their path near the banks of the Sunja River between October 28-30, 1583, as they marched north of the Caucasus for the Crimea Campaign (1584).

Prelude to the battle

During the 1578-1590 Ottoman-Safavid War, one of the supply routes for reinforcements to Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha — stationed near Derbent (Demirkapı) and Shirvan since the fall of 1578 — passed through the Kefe-North Caucasus corridor. Russian units stationed along the banks of the Terek River persistently harassed these Ottoman reinforcements. In 1582, the reinforcements sent via the same route by Serdar Ferhat Pasha successfully delivered treasury supplies to Osman Pasha's forces after facing heavy resistance and returned to Kefe under difficult conditions.

The battle

Following the Battle of the Torches (May 9-11, 1583), which solidified Ottoman dominance in Shirvan, Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha departed from Demirkapı with a force of 3,000 soldiers on October 21, 1583, after a five-year-long deployment.

As the Ottoman forces attempted to cross the Sunja River (referred to as Kanlı Sevinç Suyu in Ottoman sources) — a tributary of the Terek River — on October 28, 1583, they were attacked by a 4,000-5,000 strong Russian contingent. After three days of fierce combat, the Ottoman forces emerged victorious. Following this victory, the Ottoman forces destroyed several Russian fortifications along the banks of the Terek River and the Sunja River.

Aftermath

Having defeated the Russian forces, the Ottoman contingent traveled through northern Caucasus, the Kuban River, the Taman Peninsula, and finally reached Kerch before returning to Kefe. In 1584, they successfully suppressed unrest in the Crimea.