He was declared a hero even though he did not win: Who is Gazi Osman Pasha?
Why was this Ottoman commander, for whom marches were written, declared a "hero" even though he did not win a victory? Here is his story:
Gazi Osman Pasha was the famous commander of the Pleven front in the Ottoman-Russian War (1877-1878). The Ottomans call their commander pasha. He was born in Tokat, one of the famous cities of Anatolia, in 1832. He studied at military schools in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. After the Crimean War broke out, he was sent to the Danube front. He stayed there for four years and was promoted to lieutenant. He became a captain at the end of the war. He completed his education by continuing to the Academy in 1856. He worked with the General Staff. He was sent to Bursa with the task of mapping Anatolia.
It is his defense, effort, and heroism in the Ottoman-Russian War (1877-1878) that introduced Gazi Osman Pasha to the whole world. In this war, he brought new principles to the history of world war with his defense on the Pleven front.
Gazi Osman Pasha was in charge of protecting the Vidin and Rahova regions during the 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War. Although he offered to cross the Danube to fight on enemy territory, this was not allowed. After the Russians started to cross the Berkofça Mountains, Osman Pasha was ordered to move. Osman Pasha came to Pleven with the forces under his command. He took the necessary measures for defense by seizing the city in the hands of the Russians. The Russians counterattacked Pelevna. Osman Pasha thwarted this first attack of the Russians by throwing a counterattack on the other side of the Osma River (20 July 1877).
The Russians attacked again on 30 July and withdrew after bloody battles. Thereupon, the Russian Tsar asked for help from the Romanian army against Osman Pasha. The Russian Tsar sent the following historical telegram for help to the Romanian Prince Karol I.
“Come to our aid! Cross the Danube as you want, wherever you want, on the conditions you want! Hurry up and come to our aid in Pleven! Turks are destroying us! Christianity is about to lose its case!”
Upon this request for help, the Romanians rushed to help the Russians in Pleven with an army of fifty thousand. On September 11, the combined Russian-Romanian army attacked again towards Pleven. The great Russian offensive, which lasted twelve hours, resulted in a decisive defeat. Thus, Osman Pasha won the third Battle of Pleven (11 September 1878). He received the title of Gazi.
Continuing to besiege with larger forces, the Russians demanded the surrender of Pleven. Gazi Osman Pasha refused this offer. There was a shortage of food, fuel, and medicine in Pleven, where help did not come from anywhere. In the face of this situation, Gazi Osman Pasha decided to leave Pleven by making an exit operation. The people of Pleven, who learned about this decision, sent the notables to Osman Pasha; “If the soldiers leave Pleven, the Bulgarians among the civilian population will do us a lot of harm. Osman Pasha, who called the notables of the Bulgarian people upon the offer of "Let us Muslim people get out of Pleven too," took a promise from them that they would not harm the Muslims. Despite this, Muslims; begged a lot, “We should come with you too”. Osman Pasha was careful not to offend anyone. “We operate with military methods. You can't keep up with us," he said, but he reluctantly consented, since the people's demands were so pitiful.
On the morning of the exit operation, it was seen that the people, with their cars, oxcarts, and animals, were lined up on the soldier's departure road, before the soldier's departure. There was complete turmoil on the roads of Pleven, the roads were closed. At that moment, the Russian artillery began to fire. Many children, women, and girls died under this fire. This haste of the people also exposed the operation. It was difficult for even pedestrians to pass on the roads of Pleven, which was already a small town. Against the Russian army besieging Pleven, the Ottoman soldiers attacked with the voices of "Allah Allah". He heroically broke through the first line of the enemy army, which was many times greater in number and weaponry than them. However, the Russians were constantly receiving reinforcements, in addition to the multitude of soldiers and weapons. During this ascent operation, the horse of Gazi Osman Pasha was hit and died. He was also seriously injured in his leg. The thoughts of hunger, illness, lack of help, and not spending the soldiers who showed all kinds of self-sacrifice in his entourage forced Gazi Osman Pasha to surrender. While his wound was bandaged in a house by the Vizsuyu, he was taken prisoner by the Russian general Ganetski. A little later, the Russian Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikola, had a military ceremony and returned Osman Pasha's sword, although it was against the rules of military service and captivity. With enthusiasm and sincerity, he expressed his appreciation and congratulations for his brilliant defense. Trying to show maximum respect, Nikola said to Osman Pasha:
He couldn't help saying, "At the moment, you are the only person on earth who has the right to carry this sword with honor."
Gazi Osman Pasha returned to Istanbul from Russia after a while. Upon his arrival in Istanbul, he was greeted with great love by the people. Sultan Abdulhamid II kissed his forehead in tears and said to himself; He prayed, "May Allah make your face white in both worlds, just as you have whitened my face in this world." He became a Serasker. After staying in this position for seven years, he was appointed as Mabeyn Müshiri by Sultan Abdulhamid II.
He remained in this post until his death. During the ceremonies, he would sit in the carriage of the Sultan and opposite him. He died in 1900 at the age of 68.
Lyrics of the famous anthem written about
The Danube says it will not flow,
It says I will not destroy my surroundings,
The great Osman Pasha,
He says I will not leave Pleven.
...
He struck his sword against the stone,
The stone was split all over,
The great Osman Pasha,
Live a thousand lives with your soldier.
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In memory of Gazi Osman Pasha, the great Ottoman defender
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/in-the-memory-of-gazi-osman-pasha-the-great-ottoman-defender-56092