"The Russians are here."
- -- Major-General Kaszonyi, June 20, 1849
General Gorei was frustrated. His June 16th offensive along the Vag River had begun well, but then sputtered out. His newly organized armies were not functioning efficiently. He faced many of the same problems Confederate R.E. Lee would struggle with in July of 1863: Competent leaders were still learning to command unfamiliar troops in new commands. The dangers were mounting. Hundreds of thousands of Russians had been reported crossing the borders of Hungary and Gorei knew he had to destroy Haynau and his Austrian army before the Russians arrived.
There was some good news. Rumors were that the Russians were suffering from the same cholera epidemic that had hit the Hungarians in the winter. Better yet, the Russian command had insisted that their infantry wear their great coats, even though the summer heat was well into the nineties across Hungary. An estimated 7% of all Russian infantry had already succumbed to heat exhaustion and it wasn't July yet.
The Hungarians' first offensive may have fizzled, but it had driven the Austrians out of the key towns of Zsigard, Kiralyrev, and Pered, a deep wedge into the Austrian positions west of the Vag River. Nagysandor's I Corps was poised to hit the flank any Austrian counter-attack south from his position to the east of the Vag. Gorei felt confident that the Honved forces could bring superior number to bear on any Austrian attack that was anticipated.
The Imperial-Royal Commander-in-Chief did not disappoint. On June 20th, Haynau ordered Wohlgemuth's IV Corps to advance with the intention of capturing Pered, the Kiralyrev bridge and driving the impertinent Hungarians back across the Vag. Unknown to the Hungarians, The newly arrived Russian 9th Division would be supporting the attack.
The Battle of Pered: June 20-21, 1849 "The Russians are here."
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© Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum
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