1848/49 in Transilvania, about those revolutionary years

[Dénes]

The mentioned book describes very short the battle of Magyarsaros, where the Austrian troops under command of Major Kleiser destryed the Hungarian column led by Denes Kalnoky, also with the help of Saxon and Rumanian rebels.

Gen. Dénes

[Dénes]

Other military events that happened on the same day.

Troops led by Cpt. Janos Banffy and Cpt. Jozsef Baumgarten attacked the Rumanian rebels camping between Csombord and Szentkiraly and dispersed them.

Rumanian rebels led by Iosif Moga disarm the Hungarian and German militias of Offenbanya.

Finally, although I don't know if it's military related, 19 members of the Brady family were killed by Buteanu's men at Vaca (Tehenfalva) while they were returning from Korosbanya.

Gen. Dénes

[21 inf]

In 25 october 1848 were the following clashes:
-at Sâncrai, between romanian Landsturm and hungarian troops
-at Saroş between austrians and szeklers
-at Ciumbrud, Axente Sever being defeated by hungarian troops
-at Măgina, were romanian camp was routed by hungarian national guards from Aiud, led by István Kemény baron

(source: my book, based on atached bibliography)

Cpt. Baumgarten was an austrian defector oficer. On 28 october the same captain, along with count Gábriel Bethlen and baron János Bánffi atacked romanian Landsturm at Cricău. They led a szekler company, 250 infantry men and 110 hussars against romanians led by viceprefect Bălaş, Bucur tribun (priest from Galda) and lt. Şăndruc from I Romanian Grenzer Regiment. Romanians were probably part of Legion Prima Blasiana of prefect Axente Sever. The hungarian force was defeated, sustaining some loses in manpower and retreated toward Teiuş without being chased by romanians due to heavy fog.

Brady familly was entirelly wiped out because it was acused of previously killing a number of romanians, including childrens. This event was not related to a specific military action, at least for my knowledge. It seems that Brady familly atempted to seek refuge during civil unrest in Zarand (as many other hungarian families did, especially from nobility) and was hunted down by romanians who intercepted it's wagon. At origins Brady familly was of romanian ancestry. During the same period Brady familly was killed a good number of hungarian noble families were captured on road (as they tried to evacuate themselves from Zarand) by romanians and kept in captivity in Hălmagiu, Baia de Criş and Brad, without being killed. They were liberated by following hungarian expeditions started from Arad.

[ANDREAS]

Denes, I readed again the book passage I quoted, where is mentioned the participation in the fights of 400 men from german militia from Mediaş city (no mention of romanians)! Maybe there were romanians too in this militia but most of them (if not all) were surely the Saxons!
21 inf, you enlightened me about the battle of Noșlac (in the book Nagylak) as I am sure now that part of Axente Sever Legion was part of this battle! I guess that is no accident that the same day two battles takes place simultaneously not so far one from another: Ciumbrud, near Aiud city and Noslac not far from Vințu de Sus (Felvinc)! I am pretty sure that the two attempts to cross the river Mures by romanian legionnaires were part of the same plan (was not necessarily conceived by Axente Sever) to occupy the two major cities (Aiud and Vințu de Sus)! My only confusion remains in the few Hungarian forces present in the area, which had the mission to protect the river over a length of aprox. 20 km. How to do this with only 380 honveds (infantry) and 140 hussars (cavalry) -unless militias from Aiud and Vințu de Sus (if any?) are omitted? The number of hungarian soldiers in the Aiud-Vințu de Sus area is mentioned in the book "Erdély Törénete 1848-49-ben" by Kövári László, Pest, 1861. The book says nothing of any hungarian militia in the area! So, my question is: what do you know about the Ciumbrud battle especially in terms of combat forces -how many romanians, how many hungarians...? Or other details that could help us have a image of this battle!

[ANDREAS]

I found some details about the battle of Ciumbrud in the memoirs of Axente Sever quoted here: http://www.taramotilor.ro/cap36.html but no mention about the battle of Noslac... On the other hand from this text:
"On May 13, 1848 the revolutionary spirit and solidarity of the people - Romanian and Hungarian - was expressed strongly, jumping them young and old to defend a young Hungarian the authorities arrested. Animated by the revolutionary impetus, the people from Peţelca will be enrolled as fighters in the Legion I "Blajeana", organized by the prefect Axente Sever. In this role they will be involved in bloody clashes in October 1848, from Noşlaca, Sâncrai and Ciumbrud." (source: http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%C8%9Belca,_Alba)
I understand that a battle took place in Noslac too, otherwise it wouldn't be mentioned!

[ANDREAS]

Sekler troops leave the camp from Cluj on 22 october 1848, having 380 "honved" soldiers, 110 „Mátyás“ and 30 Sekler Hussars, and when hearding that from the southern side of the Maros river the Hungarians will be attacked, rushed there.
On 23 Oct. in Nagylak, on 25 Oct. in Csombord they encountered the agressors and engaged them, forcing them to leave their camps, and thru this bringing Aiud town out of danger. -translated from the book "Erdély Törénete 1848-49-ben" by Kövári László, Pest, 1861.

This post has been edited by ANDREAS on February 14, 2012 12:02 am

[21 inf]

Some time ago, one fellow forumist asked about Totenkopf Legion. On the image above is the uniform of this legion. This was the german legion, part of it fought in 1849 at Abrud and was forced by motzes to retreat in the battles occured in this town in May 1849.

The image is black/white, but the description of the uniform says that: the dead head was from white metal; the feathers were black, ostrich plumes. The coat was dark blue, with white buttons; the collar, the epauletes and the sewing of the coat were red. A source indicates that the dead head was also present on the collar, while other sources indicates that instead of dead head on the collar, a big five-corner star made from blue fabric was on either left and right side of the collar (as in the image above).

Image source is from "1848-49 Szabadsagharc katonainak egyenruhai", Honved Leveltar es Muzeum, Budapest, 1950

This post has been edited by 21 inf on March 06, 2012 04:40 pm

[ANDREAS]

21inf very interesting picture!
I say this because German Legion wearing their own uniforms is something special, this uniform does not seem at all similar to the Hungarian Honved, at least from what I saw! On the other hand the hat evokes an unpleasant feeling to me because it's similar to that worn later by Hungarian gendarmerie (magyar kiráyli csendőrség) not very popular in the eyes of Romanians from Transylvania. Do you know if this kind of hats were common in the era (1848-49)?

[21 inf]

I am not a specialist in uniforms or civilian clothing, so I cant tell you an answer, Andreas.

The same kind of hat had the hungarian chasseurs in 1848 and maybe the vienese legion from hungarian army. And yes, indeed, the hat looks like the one hungarian gendarmes use to have, and yes, it is a fact they were much hatred (but I doubt that only romanians had this feelings toward this gendarmes, there were others, too).

[ANDREAS]

indeed the hats were used by the Hungarian army too: http://www.delmagyar.hu/milyen_esemenyek_t...1/2207748/3.jpg

[21 inf]

Here is a hungarian chasseur


Here is a vienese legionaire


And here 2 honved uniforms (but there were also other hungarian uniforms in 1848 - of line infantry, artilery, pioneers, national guards, free units aka szabadcsapatok, cavalry and foreign legions - polish, italian and a projected but never raised romanian legion)





source: the same book as mentioned above.

[ANDREAS]

Indeed very interesting pictures, thanks for posting them! I notice that some of the uniforms were inspired by the imperial army (more or less) others already were quite different, anyway the colors used show that they adapted the uniforms to the battlefield, more suitable than the white Austrian line infantry uniforms!

[21 inf]

Not all of them adopted a suited colour for battlefield. I come back later these days with details.

[ANDREAS]

I also remark that a cap began to be used (last image), similar to that used by the Romanian line infantry in 1877-78! I assume that for economic reasons, the hat inherited from the imperial army (the big one) was abandoned (as he consume more material) as it was not more useful in the fight as the cap (the little one)!

[21 inf]

I dont know why was the reason of having smaller csakos (kepis, military hats), but hungarian army and national guards had also other types of hat (camp bonets / bonet de cazarm in romanian, a soft bonet, similar somehow to later soviet pilotka, just to make an image, I'll post one later) or adopted civilian hats, mainly the national guards, due to military clothing shortages.