Montenegrin forces decisively defeat Ottoman forces in…
May 1858 CE
Ottoman commander Hussein Pasha had captured the Montenegrin villages of Vilusi and Grahovo and continued his advance towards Grahovac, a small village located on a plateau elevated slightly above the captured area.
The core of Montenegrin resistance is in Grahovac, which is the main bastion of Montenegrin defense according to military plans.
The fighting itself had started on 29 April, early in the morning.
The Ottomans attacked Grahovac while Montenegrins were stubbornly defending, determined not to retreat at any cost.
Most of the three thousand Ottoman and one thousand Montenegrin casualties had occured on that day.
On 30 April, Hussein Pasha had offered a truce to Montenegrin commander-in-chief Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, but he refused it, although he did allow the Ottomans time to bury their dead.
He also refused to send men to disrupt the Ottomans supply of water.
Although this would have given him a tactical advantage, he considered it a dishonorable move.
On May 1, the fighting starts again as the Ottomans receive military support from Bosnia, but the Montenegrins attack the Ottomans, forcing them into a successive retreat.
The powerful Ottoman artillery is constantly bombarding the Montenegrin positions with cannons.
Eventually, the Montenegrins decide to charge across the battlefield and take over the cannons.
After they see two of the commanders, Serdar (Count) Đuro Kusovac and the priest Luka Jovović, being killed while charging, the rest of the Montenegrin troops, including the guardsmen, begin a rapid advance with a shout: "Forward, to avenge our commanders".
The offensive is successful, and by capturing Ottoman cannons, Montenegrins officially win the battle.
This major victory will have great diplomatic significance.
The glory of Montenegrin arms will soon be immortalized in the songs and literature of the South Slavs, in particular the Serbs in Vojvodina, at this time part of Austria-Hungary.
This Montenegrin victory will force the Great Powers to officially demarcate the borders between Montenegro and Ottoman Empire, de facto recognizing Montenegro's centuries-long independence.
Montenegro gains Grahovo, Rudine, Nikšići, more than half of Drobnjaci, Tušina, Uskoci, Lipovo, Upper Vasojevići, and part of Kuči and Dodoši.
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