Battle of Gimry

The Battle of Gimry (1832), during the Murid War, was General Velyaminov’s capture of Ghazi Muhammad’s headquarters at Gimry. Ghazi Mohammad was killed but Shamil escaped.

In early October (all dates old style), Velyaminov left Temir-Khan-Shura (Buynaksk) 25km to the east. The route led through early snow across a broad and level plateau which slowly rises from 1500 feet to 6000 feet and then suddenly drops 5000 feet down into the canyon of the north-flowing Avar Koysu. In many places the canyon walls are almost vertical. Gimry is on the east side of the river at the mouth of a side canyon which extends about 7km southeast. There were two paths down into the canyon, neither of which was fit for an army. Velyaminov chose the eastern one leading to the head of the side canyon where the drop is about 3000 feet. (Today there is a long automobile tunnel from the plateau to the head of the side canyon.) Taking advantage of the morning mist Velyaminov got his advance guard down to the side canyon, in places using ropes and ladders, and spent several days cutting an approximation of a road. This took from the 10th to the 13th, on the 14th Baron Rosen came up with more soldiers and by the 17th most of the force was concentrated at the upper side canyon.

Ghazi Muhammad had built three walls across the side canyon about 4km southeast of Gimry. Near the outer wall were two stone houses, to which the Russians paid little attention. Today these are marked by a modern reconstruction called Shamil’s Tower. Velyaminov’s plan was to take the left end of the first wall and then make a frontal attack while the wall was enfiladed. This failed because the officer turned too soon and made a frontal attack with great loss. At this point Gamzat-bek appeared from the south and threatened to cut off the head of the Russian force. Klugenau appeared at the right moment and Gamzat-bek withdrew, leaving Ghazi Muhammad to his fate. Seeing that the first attack had failed due to a mistake, Velyaminov tried the same tactic again. This time it worked. When the first wall was taken the Russians pursued so quickly that the enemy had no time to re-form on the second or third walls. By this time it was dark and the Russians camped where they stood.

Meanwhile attention turned to the two houses. They were occupied by some sixty murids who had either resolved to die there or were cut off when the first wall fell. Two companies of sappers and several mountain guns were sent to clear the houses. After a few rounds the houses were assaulted and all the defenders were killed, only two escaping. That night some natives were called to identify the dead. One body was that of Ghazi Muhammad. He was said to be lying in the Muslim attitude of prayer. One of the two men who escaped was Shamil. There are different versions of the story, but according to Baddeley, Shamil suddenly appeared above a raised doorway. When the soldiers raised their guns to shoot he leaped over them, landed behind their backs, cut down three of them with his sword but was bayonetted in the lung by a forth. He grasped the weapon with one hand, killed its owner with the other, pulled out the bayonet and disappeared into the forest.

The next day, October 18, Klugenau entered Gimry without resistance. The village elders sued for peace. A week later the army returned to Temir-Khan-Shura. The Russian losses were given as 1 officer and 40 men killed, 19 officers and 320 men wounded and 18 officers and 53 men contused, for a total of 452. The Murids lost 192 dead with no wounded counted.

References

John F. Baddeley, The Russian Conquest of the Caucasus, 1908 and OCR reprint