Battle of Keresztes 1596 AD (Part 2/3) Ottoman and Christian armies converge

After defeating the Ottoman vanguard during the afternoon of October 22nd of 1596, the allied army of the Holy League enjoyed an air of confidence, realizing that despite being outnumbered two to one, they had a very real chance of defeating the massive Ottoman host that invaded their lands.

 Even so, the allied commanders were still as cautious as ever.

 Fearing an ambush, they did not allow their troops to make camp that night.

 An Italian noble who had fought with the Christian army, recounts: “That night, everyone stood where they happened to be, and because it was very cold on a field without firewood, we suffered endlessly.”

 During the following morning of October 23rd, the Christian commanders convened a war council.

 However, notably absent from this meeting was the prince of Transylvania, Sigismund Bathory.

 The prince, having set off with his troops before the break of dawn, moved to pursue the defeated Ottoman army, and possibly even ambushing the Sultan’s main camp.

 It seems he may have assumed the allied army would follow him, though this would not be the case however, as the allied commanders had ultimately agreed upon a very different course of action.

 Deciding that the army would maintain its position at Mezokeresztes, they quickly sent messengers to recall the prince.

 The reasoning of the allied commanders was as follows:

 In addition to its highly defensible terrain, the village of Mezokeresztes was also located on the only immediate route into Hapsburg Hungary that could support the massive Ottoman army, which would also only be able to approach from the West; as the mountainous terrain to the North, and the swamplands to the South were both impassable for an army.

 If the Sultan wished to continue the offensive, he would be forced to attack the entrenched Christian army on terrain that not only minimized the Ottoman advantage in numbers, but also maximized the Christian advantage in firepower.

 If the Sultan chose to withdraw from the area, the allies would be in a strong position to recapture Eger, which had been their original goal to begin with.

 With this in mind, the allies were content in allowing the Ottomans to make the first move and react accordingly.

 A campsite north of Mezokeresztes was eventually designated for the army, and the two major fords of the Kacsi stream were fortified with trenches.

 At the Ottoman camp, Sultan Mehmed was in a panic, shocked by the defeat of his vanguard.

 During a hastily assembled war council, two proposals were put forth.

 The first, was suggested by the Sultan himself, who wanted to send only the Rumelian army against the Christians.

 This, however, was strongly opposed by the rest of the council.

 The second proposal, which was supported unanimously amongst the Ottoman commanders, put forth that under the leadership of the Sultan, the entire army must move to confront the Christians.

 Faced with strong opposition from the rest of the Ottoman leadership, Sultan Mehmed had no choice but to adapt himself to the will of his commanders.

 Just as the army was about to set off however, sources mention that the Sultan considered abandoning his army and returning to Constantinople.

 It is said that the Sultan had gone as far as attempting to transfer the leadership of the army to his Grand Vizier, Ibrahim Pasha.

 However, the Grand Vizier was able to dissuade the Sultan from such rash action.

 Early in the morning of October 24, the Ottoman host began moving towards Mezokeresztes, leaving behind a force of around 5000 to garrison Eger.

 Later that afternoon, the forward elements of the Sultan’s army were spotted by a unit of 300 Transylvanian cavalry guarding the southern ford.

 The Ottoman vanguard, consisting of approximately 10,000, sent forward around 3000 tatar cavalry, supported by 6 cannons, in order to probe the Christian lines for any weaknesses.

 The tatars spread out along the stream attempting to cross in small numbers wherever they could.

 Meanwhile, the rest of the Ottoman vanguard assaulted the Christian fortifications, which had been built around the ruined church of Mezokeresztes.

 The 300 Transylvanian cavalry who had been guarding the ford were quickly overwhelmed.

 The Tatars at this point, had also managed to cross the stream, finding a small fordable area somewhere further to the South of Mezokeresztes.

 In total, approximately 5 thousand Ottoman cavalry had crossed over to test the Christian defenses.

 These troops now began making their way towards the Christian camp.

 The Ottoman cavalry’s success would prove to be short-lived, however, as the allied command had agreed to allow several thousand Ottomans to cross, with the intention of cutting off their retreat once they did so.

 The Christian trap was first announced with a barrage of devastating cannon fire, which all but stopped the unwitting Ottoman vanguard in its tracks, attempting to return fire with their 6 cannons.

 This proved ineffective however and did not offer any reprieve from the Christian bombardment.

 Additionally, as the Sultan had elected not to seek battle that day, these units found themselves unsupported by the rest of the Ottoman army, who had instead started to make camp on the other side of the stream.

 Seeing that the unit was isolated, Sigismund Bathory now gathered his cavalry, and charged, and after a brief clash, the Ottoman vanguard was eventually routed, being pursued by the Christians up to the opposite bank.

 As it was now late in the evening, the allied commanders chose not to push the attack any further.

 In their rush to escape, the Ottomans had abandoned their 6 cannons, which were promptly captured by the Transylvanians.

 This concluded the final actions between the two armies on October 24th.

 In order to further secure their positions, Albert Kiraiy posted 2000 cavalry at each of the two major fords.

 As the Ottoman host was so large, its marching formation stretched for miles, with contingents continuing to arrive on the battlefield well into the morning of October 25.

 Those unfortunate enough to arrive later in the night or in the early morning were not given the opportunity to make camp however, and instead were sent immediately to their battle positions.

 The Christian awoke on the morning of October 25th to the sight of the Ottoman army, assembled and in battle order.

 It should be noted however, that the Sultan still had not yet arrived on the battlefield at this time.

 At around 6AM, the Ottomans, taking advantage of their advanced tactical position, were initially able to drive the Christian guard units from their fortifications before the rest of the allied army could assemble.

 Aiming to secure a bridgehead on the Christian bank, the Ottomans additionally sent four cannons across the stream in order to further fortify their newly gained positions.

 The Ottoman vanguard now began to threaten the assembling Christian army, as the outnumbered forward units assigned to guard the crossing were pushed back and forced to give ground.

 In order to buy more time for the army to assemble, the allied leaders sent a detachment of 300 cavalry to help stall the Ottoman advance.

 Additionally, Albert Kiraiy ordered a number of cannons to be brought out from the camp, which began firing upon the densely packed encroaching Ottoman battle line.

 The Ottomans returned fire with their four cannons, which was mostly ineffective.

 Unable to withstand the withering fire of the accurate Christian artillery, and in parallel with the previous day’s events, the Ottoman vanguard was once again forced back across the stream.

 This allowed the Christian army enough time to properly form up in their designated battle positions, which is as follows: The army of Upper Hungary, led by Tieffenbach, stood facing the Mezokeresztes ford, its left flank anchored by the fortified Church.

 The Transylvanians, led by Prince Sigismund Bathory and Albert Kiraiy stood facing Southwest, their right flank secured by Tiefenbach’s units who were manning the Church fortifications; with their left flank secured by a wagonfort.

 The Northern passage was guarded by the troops of Archduke Maxilimian III who had also left an additional contingent to guard the camp itself.

 Schwarzenberg, along with most of the German infantry, held the ground between the Christian camp and the ruined village.

 The Christian artillery was placed behind Tiefenbach’s troops, overlooking the crossing at Mezokeresztes.

 After they were driven back, the Ottoman vanguard again attempted to cross in small groups.

 It is mentioned that the Tatars launched a fierce attack on the northern passage which was likely motivated by their desire to plunder the Christian camp.

 Small groups of Tatars also crossed in the same areas further to the South, as the day before.

 These units also began making their way towards the Christian camp and attempted to circumvent the Transylvanian army opposing them.

 This was a mistake however, as the Transylvanians, along with those inside the wagon fort, fired upon the Tatar cavalry, inflicting many casualties and forcing them to withdraw.

 At around 11AM, Sultan Mehmed III, along with the final units of the Ottoman army finally arrived on the battlefield and took up their positions.

 While the Sultan’s presence was necessary for the morale of the troops, the army was in practice, led by the Grand Vizier, Ibrahim Pasha.

 The Ottoman artillery was placed in front of the center division, which was held by the janissaries, who were flanked on either side by the Sultan’s household cavalry units from Constantinople and its surrounding areas.

 The army deployed according to Ottoman tradition ever since the Battle of Mohacs, with the Rumelians taking up their position on the army’s left wing, while the Anatolians took up the right wing.

 It seems that the Ottoman vanguard, with the tatar cavalry, were also placed on the right wing and comprised its first line.

 While we know the positioning of the Ottoman units, the precise formation they utilized is somewhat unclear, although it is suggested that they may have deployed in the shape of a crescent.

 The battle commenced with an artillery duel.

 Despite being outgunned, the superior quality of the Christian artillery pieces emerged victorious, inflicting greater losses than their Ottoman counterparts.

 Realizing this, the Grand Vizier ordered his left wing forward in an attempt to storm the Christian fortifications.

 This initial attack enjoyed some success, as the Ottoman artillery began targeting the engaged Christian right flank.

 Looking to further press the attack, Ibrahim Pasha sent forward his janissaries, and as they emerged from the ford, also began firing into the Christian right flank.

 The situation became critical for the Christian army, as Tieffenbach’s troops struggled desperately to keep the surging Ottoman tide at bay.

 Seeing this, Albert Kiraiy hurried to the aid of his Hungarian allies, bringing with him the elite, blue-uniformed guards of the Transylvanian Prince.

 Schwarzenberg also moved to assist with his own units, and with the combined strength of the three contingents, the Christian allies finally managed to repulse the Ottoman attack.

 However, as the Ottomans began to retreat back across the ford, 2 to 3 thousand mixed Transylvanian infantry and cavalry attempted to pursue them but were quickly driven back by the unengaged Ottoman right flank and sustained heavy casualties.

 This would conclude the last of the fighting that occurred on October 25th, as the Ottoman army withdrew to their camp for the night.

 The Christian army maintained its battle positions for some time, and after posting additional guards, eventually followed suit.

 While the allies had gotten the better of the Ottomans during the previous engagements of October 22nd and 24th, the fighting on the 25th ultimately ended in a stalemate, mostly due to the extensive casualties suffered by the Transylvanians troops that had attempted to pursue the Ottomans.

 The two opposing armies prepared themselves for the following day, their leaders drafting extensive battle plans late into the night.

 Both sides understood that the decisive engagement of the most important battle of their lives would soon begin.