Direct Translation via Google Translate Edited.
Commentary by retired reserve Russian FSB Colonel Igor Girkin:
[VK] On October 1, 1609, the 20-month defense of Smolensk began against the army of the Polish king Sigismund III. The Smolensk fortress in the Time of Troubles set an example for the whole country
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In the 16th century, together with the formation of the Russian state, Smolensk turned into a strategically important Russian fortress in the western part of the country, especially against the background of the anti-feudal hostility of the masses and contradictions within the ruling class at the turn of the 16th-17th. Then the internal political position of the country was greatly weakened, and the Swedish and Polish feudal lords decided to take advantage of this. Since the autumn of 1604, the Polish-Lithuanian magnates wanted to seize power in Russia through impostors - False Dmitry I and II, but their plans failed to materialize. Then the Commonwealth in the fall of 1609 turns to open aggression - the Polish king Sigismund III invades the Russian state with more than twelve thousand troops.
On September 16, forward detachments approached Smolensk, a few days later the main forces joined them, and on September 21 the siege of the city began. The Polish king delivered an ultimatum on surrender, but the Smolensk people left him unanswered, and the messenger who delivered the message was expelled by the voivode Shein with an order, saying that if the Poles still come with similar proposals, they will be “drinked with water from the Dnieper” (that is, drowned).
And after all, there was a reason for the Smolensk governor to speak with such confidence: at the beginning of the 17th century, Smolensk was an important stronghold that closed the main approaches to Moscow, and the fortress wall surrounding it was a reliable and impregnable "damper" for uninvited guests.
The fortress was armed with about 170 cannons installed at four levels of combat, defeating the enemy at a range of fire reached 800 m. Inside the wall there were significant stocks of clubs (handguns), food and ammunition. The garrison numbered about five and a half thousand people, during the siege it was replenished by the inhabitants of the settlement and the urban population, whose number was forty-forty-five thousand.
The governor, who led the defense of Smolensk, had extensive combat experience and was distinguished by perseverance, perseverance, personal courage, and knowledge in military affairs. No wonder after the battle of Dobrynichy in 1605, Mikhail Shein received the highest rank for that time - the boyar.
Preparations for the defense of the city began in the summer of 1609 after undercover intelligence reports. Fortification began, the recruitment of data-bearing people, the development of a "siege city painting" (defense plan). With the approach of the enemy to Smolensk, Shein ordered to burn out the settlement around the city (about 6 thousand houses) - this improved shelling and visibility, deprived the enemy of shelters, but created a large crowding of people inside the fortress.
Given these factors, the Polish commanders, after discussing ways to capture and reconnoiter the fortifications of Smolensk, were forced to admit that the army did not have the necessary forces and means to attack. At first, it was proposed to leave part of the troops for the blockade of Smolensk, and send the main forces to Moscow. However, the Polish king rejected this, deciding by all means to take possession of the fortified city.
The first assault was scheduled for September 25, the Polish forces decided to destroy the Avraamievsky and Kopytensky gates with explosive shells, breaking into the fortress through them. But the voivode Shein foresaw this possibility of an attack and ordered in advance to place log cabins with earth, rubble and stones in front of all the gate towers, which would cover the entrance from the fire of siege weapons.
On the evening of September 24, after dark, the Polish miners went to the gate, accompanied by trumpeters. But only one was able to reach the desired point - the Abraham Gates were destroyed by a strong explosion of firecrackers. However, the trumpeter of the miner who reached the target for some unknown reason did not give a signal in time, and the Polish troops, ready for the assault, did not budge.
At the same time, the defenders of the fortress lit torches on the wall and illuminated the enemy for artillery, which immediately opened fire. The enemy cavalry and infantry suffered serious losses, retreating with nothing. So the first attempt of the Poles to seize the fortress was thwarted. A significant role in this outcome was played by the vigilance and high combat readiness of the garrison. Repelling the attacks of the Poles, the Smolensk people improved their defense: the damaged sections of the fortress were immediately restored, the gates were covered with earth and stones,
Having failed near the eastern part of the wall, the enemy shifted his efforts to the northern and western sectors. The assault lasted three days - from 25 to 27 September. But here, too, failure awaited the invaders, resulting in heavy losses.
On September 27, an army of Zaporizhzhya Cossacks came to the Smolensk fortress. With new forces, King Sigismund III began to prepare for the next assault. At the same time, the main hope was placed on technical means. But the effectiveness of the new weapons was not high, since the Polish army did not have heavy siege artillery, and small-caliber guns could not cause serious damage to the fortifications.
Thus, the Smolensk, having fire superiority, brought serious damage to the enemy. The heavy guns of the fortress managed to bombard even the royal camp a couple of times. Under such circumstances, Sigismund III abandoned the assault, going on October 5 to the siege of the city.
At first, the enemy tried to wage a "mine war". But having learned that the enemies were preparing mine galleries, Governor Shein ordered to strengthen reconnaissance near the fortress, equip additional guards and begin countermine work. After a series of successful actions of the Smolensk, the enemy realized the futility of this method of siege.
Time has dragged on. The winter has passed. Spring 1610. The staunch defense of Smolensk held back the main forces of the interventionists without the possibility of passage to Moscow. Considerable burdens were borne by the townspeople, as well as the peasants who had taken refuge in Smolensk, who constituted the main defense force.
Famine, epidemics, disasters of the besieged did not break their courage. But the forces of the defenders of the Smolensk fortress were running out, and at the same time new reinforcements were arriving to the enemy. In the spring of 1610, new Polish detachments arrived. Hopes for outside help from the Smolensk people were fading, however, the attempts of the enemy to persuade the inhabitants and the garrison to capitulate were not successful.
In July, the enemy began to move towards the tower at the Kopytitsky Gate, but could not even break through a breach at its solid foundation. Success towards the enemy passed on July 18 after the concentration of almost all siege artillery at the tower. On July 19, the Polish army began the assault on Smolensk.
Two-day attempts to capture the fortress were unsuccessful, and only a decisive input of the reserve helped to repel the attack. Even more fierce were the actions of the invaders on 11 August. During the attack, the interventionists lost up to a thousand people and again failed. The fourth assault, which the enemy undertook on November 21, was successfully repulsed.
In winter, the situation of Smolensk worsened. The cold was added to epidemics and famine: there was no one to get fuel, there was a shortage of ammunition. By the beginning of June 1611, there were only two hundred people in the garrison capable of holding back the pressure of the enemy. But they were almost enough to watch the walls.
The Polish command, well aware of the state of affairs in the fortress, decided to conduct a fifth assault. This happened after a defector - a certain A. Dedeshin, told the Polish command about the disastrous state of affairs of the garrison and pointed out the weak point of the defense.
On June 2, the Polish troops took their starting position. The superiority of the enemy was enormous. At midnight the enemy began to move forward. Near the Abraham Gates, the invaders managed to quietly get through the assault ladders to the wall, and then break into the fortress. In a fierce battle, almost all the defenders of the city died the death of the brave. Only a few people and the governor Mikhail Shein were put in chains and tortured.
After the defense and capture of Smolensk, the Polish king did not want to go to Moscow. The demoralized Polish army was not capable of another, more difficult campaign. Disbanding his army, Sigismund III headed back to Warsaw.
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