Siege of Yamyshev

Siege of Yamyshev
Part of the Dzungar–Russian conflicts of Russian conquest of Central Asia
Date 1716 Location Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan Result Dzungar victory Failure of Buchholz's expedition Sack of Russian miltiary supplies [1] Destruction of the Fortress [2]
Belligerents
Dzungar Khanate	Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Tseren Dhondup [3]	Buchholz [4]
Strength
10,000 [5]	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	3,000: 2,300 starved or from disease [6] 700 POW [7]

The Siege of Yamyshev was a military siege by the Dzungar Khanate against the Tsardom of Russia's expedition led by Buchholz.

Background

In 1714, Buchholz received orders from Peter I of Russia, to capture Erket (Yarkend)'s gold deposits. ^[8] In 1715, a Russian detachment arrived to start the construction of the Yamyshev fortress, ^[9] instread of going deeper as Buchholz sent a letter to Peter I that going further is dangerous with a small army — however the letter didn't arrive until August 7th of 1716. ^[10] During that Tsewang Rabtan, the ruler of the Dzungar Khanate sent an ultimatum to Buchholz to leave — in which Buchholz had rejected the offer. ^[11]

Siege

On February 9th, Tsewang Rabtan had sent his brother, Tseren Dhondup to siege the fortress with forces of 10,000 men. ^[12] On the siege, Russians had lost about 2,300 men from disease and starvation, as the Dzungars blocked Russian supply forces. ^[13] In which they attacked a caravan from Tobolsk, seizing supplies and taking 700 men from them. ^{[14] [15]} Soon Buchholz had fled from the fortress as the Dzungars started demolishing the fortress and razed buildings and infrastructure and sacked the supplies present on the fortress. ^[16]

Aftermath

Later in 1719, the Dzungars faced another expedition from Likharev, however they later battled on the Lake Zaysan and set the boundaries between the Dzungars and the Russians. ^[17]

References

1. Chulkov, Mikhail (1785). Историческое описание Российской коммерции при всех портах и границах от древних времён до ныне настоящего[Historical Description of Russian Commerce at All Ports and Borders from Ancient Times to the Present] (in Russian). Vol. 3. М.: Универ. тип. p. 447.
2. Chulkov, Mikhail (1785). Историческое описание Российской коммерции при всех портах и границах от древних времён до ныне настоящего[Historical Description of Russian Commerce at All Ports and Borders from Ancient Times to the Present] (in Russian). Vol. 3. М.: Универ. тип. p. 447.
3. Perdue, P.C. (2005). China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia. Cambridge: the Belknap press of Harvard university press, Peter C. Perdue. p. 212. ISBN   0-674-01684-X.
4. Perdue, P.C. (2005). China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia. Cambridge: the Belknap press of Harvard university press, Peter C. Perdue. p. 212. ISBN   0-674-01684-X.
5. Perdue, P.C. (2005). China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia. Cambridge: the Belknap press of Harvard university press, Peter C. Perdue. p. 212. ISBN   0-674-01684-X.
6. Chulkov, Mikhail (1785). Историческое описание Российской коммерции при всех портах и границах от древних времён до ныне настоящего[Historical Description of Russian Commerce at All Ports and Borders from Ancient Times to the Present] (in Russian). Vol. 3. М.: Универ. тип. p. 447.
7. Chulkov, Mikhail (1785). Историческое описание Российской коммерции при всех портах и границах от древних времён до ныне настоящего[Historical Description of Russian Commerce at All Ports and Borders from Ancient Times to the Present] (in Russian). Vol. 3. М.: Универ. тип. p. 447.
8. Martynov, L. (1939). Крепость на Оми: Исторический очерк[The Fortress on the Om: A Historical Sketch] (in Russian). Omsk: Омскоблиздат, L. Martynov.
9. Martynov, L. (1939). Крепость на Оми: Исторический очерк[The Fortress on the Om: A Historical Sketch] (in Russian). Omsk: Омскоблиздат.
10. "Бухгольц, Иван Димитриевич" [Buchholz, Ivan Dmitrievich]. Энциклопедический лексикон (in Russian). Vol. 7: Бра—Бял. СПб: Тип. А. Плюшара. 1836. p. 622.
11. Perdue, P.C. (2005). China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia. Cambridge: the Belknap press of Harvard university press, Peter C. Perdue. p. 212. ISBN   0-674-01684-X.
12. Perdue, P.C. (2005). China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia. Cambridge: the Belknap press of Harvard university press, Peter C. Perdue. p. 212. ISBN   0-674-01684-X.
13. Chulkov, Mikhail (1785). Историческое описание Российской коммерции при всех портах и границах от древних времён до ныне настоящего[Historical Description of Russian Commerce at All Ports and Borders from Ancient Times to the Present] (in Russian). Vol. 3. М.: Универ. тип. p. 447.
14. Владимир Куприн - эпопея Бухгольца
15. Chulkov, Mikhail (1785). Историческое описание Российской коммерции при всех портах и границах от древних времён до ныне настоящего[Historical Description of Russian Commerce at All Ports and Borders from Ancient Times to the Present] (in Russian). Vol. 3. М.: Универ. тип. p. 447.
16. Chulkov, Mikhail (1785). Историческое описание Российской коммерции при всех портах и границах от древних времён до ныне настоящего[Historical Description of Russian Commerce at All Ports and Borders from Ancient Times to the Present] (in Russian). Vol. 3. М.: Универ. тип. p. 447.
17. Grousset, Rene (1970). The Empire of Steppes: A History of Central Asia. New Brunswick: RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS. p. 532.