Smolensk Fortress (Russia)
Sigismund began to gather forces for a march into Russia after the January Sejm of 1609. A relatively small army — altogether around 12.5 thousand people — was at his disposal. 7,800 out of them were cavalry, diverse in its content; and 4,700 were infantry.
The way to Moscow was blocked by Smolensk — a mighty fortress on the state’s western border. The fact that Sigismund’s army consisted 62% of cavalry, unable to besiege fortresses, proves that the king hoped to quickly take the city and was sure of its free-will surrender.
Sigismund was certain the march he undertook would be easy and bragged that as soon as a saber would be drawn Russia would be defeated.
Leaders of the country in Moscow saw the threat from the west. It is not accidental that in the end of 1607 Mikhail Borisovich Shein who had a lot of combat experience was appointed the main voivode in Smolensk.
But the numerous garrison was not reliable. Many noblemen took the side of the Polish interventionists and secretly assisted them. Sigismund was indignant and cursed “coarse bear-like people,” who did not give their houses to the enemy.
The first storm was undertaken by the Poles on October 4, a half hour before dawn. The fortress had been shot at as early as September 28, but that night the shooting was especially intense. During that attack the Avraamievskie gates were destroyed. A pass way into the city was opened. The defenders of the city lit torches on the walls and threw light upon the attacking German and Hungarian infantry. The Poles broke in through the gates twice, and both times Smolensk’s dwellers in a fierce hand combat threw them back.
After the unsuccessful storm the Poles undertook an intense bombardment of the walls of the Smolensk fortress with a purpose to intimidate the defenders. The Russians, however, avoided open battle with a strong rival but still undertook frequent sorties in small groups.
The Polish king decided not to march to Moscow after he could not capture Smolensk. To take it for him was a matter of honor. Besides, it was dangerous to leave in one’s rear and armed fortress. After the failure of the storm the Poles made a decision to use the tactics of exhaustion, ceased military actions in November and resumed them next year in July.
On April 13, 1610, the Poles took the city of Bely. Out of 16 thousand people of the garrison of the small fortress only 4 thousand remained alive. The difficult situation of Smolensk has only become worse because now the city was completely cut off form the rest of Russia. Hope to receive help from Moscow was ephemeral. In order to break through to Smolensk Shuisky’s government would have had to take Vyazma and Dorogobuzh fortresses by storm. Smolensk’s dwellers had to count only on themselves.
On August 8, 1610, Prince Mortin and nobleman Suschev line-crossed to the Poles. The traitors were supported in the fortress by several dozens of people. The betrayers advised the Poles to undertake a storm simultaneously both from the west and east sides. They were counting on an uprising inside the fortress to assist the storm.
The second winter in the besieged fortress was even more terrible in its aftermath. Illnesses, starvation and utter exhaustion took lives of hundreds of people. But the fortress did not give up.
In spring of 1611, Hetman Pototsky exerted all his forces to finish off with the fortress. He used the line-crossers’ advice. He paid special attention to a testimony of another traitor, Andrey Dedyoshin, who participated in the fortress’s construction and pointed at the section of the Avramievskie gates where the wall was very unstable.
On June 2, 1611, the Poles began preparation for the general storm. All night long an artillery bombardment of the city continued. On the night of June 2 to 3, when the summer dawn was already breaking, four Polish detachments started an assault in complete silence. Each of the detachments outnumbered the defenders of the fortress several times. As a result, the offenders were able to break in from several sides — from the sides of the Avramievskaya tower and Bogoslovskaya tower. Besides, the Poles used the information of a line-crosser who reported before the storm that powder could be put into one of the drainage pipes at Kryloshevskie gates. The Poles blew up the wall and also managed to break into the city here.
Crowds of people gathered within the Cathedral. Seeing that there was no salvation for them, a Belavin set the gunpowder depot on fire under the house of the archbishop.
A terrible blast destroyed the chambers; a part of the Cathedral also collapsed and buried underneath many women and children. Several survivors by their free will threw themselves into the fire thinking it was better to perish than to endure abuse of the winners.
Shein with his family and fifteen soldiers locked themselves in the Kolomna tower. They survived an assault of the Germans, having killed more than ten of them but eventually they were forced to surrender. The wounded voivode was interrogated and tortured and then sent to Poland. The king was hoping to get the treasures the city did not have.
Having not received help from without, the garrison of the fortress refused to capitulate and kept on fighting until complete exhaustion.
After a twenty-month siege Smolensk and the surrounding area were turned into a dessert. “This two-year siege killed 80,000 people, devastated to the uttermost the region of Smolensk where no sheep, no ox, no cow, no heifer was left — the enemies had destroyed all,” a contemporary wrote. The city was captured but it contributed to the country’s salvation from enslaving.
Worn out by the siege, the king’s army was absolutely disorganized and unfit for further military actions. Sigismund had to dismiss them without rendering help to his troops locked up in the Moscow’s Kremlin.
Having taken Smolensk, the Poles immediately fixed the fortress. On its western side, which had suffered the most, they made a high earthwork that was given a name the King’s Bastion. The Moscow state did not hesitate with the liberation of the city. As early as in March of 1613, troops were sent to the west.
However, according to the Deulinsk Treaty signed in 1618, Smolensk remained under Polish control.
In January of 1654, Ukraine became part of the Moscow state, and a war against Poland broke out immediately. The main task of the Russian army in the central direction was to regain Smolensk. The city was surrounded, and starting from June 20th the Russian army began an intensive artillery bombardment. It significantly outnumbered the Polish garrison that consisted of three and a half thousand men. The Tsar ordered the fortress to be taken by storm simultaneously on all sides. The storm began on the night of August 16 and lasted several hours. A relentless battle took place on the King’s Bastion near the Dnieper’s Gates, at Shein’s breach. Having lost 15 thousand people the Russian army withdrew. Preparation for another storm began but on September 23 the Polish garrison capitulated. Smolensk became part of Russia for good.
The Moscow government turned the city into the mightiest front post in the west. It deported the Polish gentry from the city and inhabited the fortress with military and service men.
In 1698, on an order of Peter the Great works on fortifying the city began once again. The King’s Bastion was turned into a Citadel separated from the city by a ditch. At the spot of the Shein’s breach a bastion with a stone armory was erected. Along the entire perimeter of the fortress wall a ditch was dug reaching the height of 6.4 meters; fortifications were built — blindages and bastions in front of the towers. In Saint Petersburg area (such was the name of Zadneprovie at that time) a pre-bridge fortification that had been built back in 1658-1659 — the so-called New Fortress or crownwork — was strengthened.