The battle of ikan (1864). 300 Spartans or 100 Cossacks.

Many people know or at least heard something about the battle that took place in 480 BC in the valley of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans led by their king Leonid three days restrained 200-250-thousand army of the Persian king Xerxes. Although in reality Leonid except for his 300 Spartans were more soldiers from other Greek cities and all his army consisted of 5-7 thousand people. However, they still were infinitely small in comparison with the Persians and the feat of the Spartans went down in history. But few people know that in Russia there was a similar battle, in which a hundred Cossacks also held the defense against the 10 thousandth Kokand army for three days, not in a narrow mountain gorge, but in a clean field. In July, 1864, Russian troops took the city of Kokand Chikment, and in the winter of 1864-65. the military Governor of Turkestan Mikhail Grigoryevich Chernyaev was planning a further attack on the khanate of Kokand, in particular in the large city of Tashkent. However, the Kokand Khan Alimur decided to play in advance and collected 10-thousand army, in late November 1864 moved in the direction of Chikment. The purpose Alicura had secretly come to the city and using the element of surprise, to knock out a few Russian garrison.  And indeed, the commandant of the Chikment Lieutenant Colonel Zhemchuzhnikov did not even know about the impending danger. He heard only the rumors that appeared in the district some of the gang and he decided to send a Cossack hundred V. R. Serov to investigate. On December 4 the unsuspecting division of the Ural Cossacks as a part of 109 people, at one weapon, so-called "unicorn", completed with ammunition in 42 shells, acted from the city. Coming to the village called ikan, the Cossacks saw a lot of burning lights. One of the local residents - the Kirghiz, who is at the detachment, was sent to the intelligence service. However that having come across Kokand departure, immediately returned to an arrangement of group. Esaul Serov, having no information about the forces of the enemy in front of him, decided not to risk, but to move back. However, the Cossacks did not pass and half a mile, as was immediately surrounded by the enemy. Hundreds circled the wagons, horses, Cossacks bagging and herded to the center of the occupied position. from bags with forage and other provisions built improvised fortifications and uncovered "unicorn". Kokand immediately went on the attack, but the Cossacks let them closer, opened gun fire. Great damage to the enemy was also caused by the unicorn shooting buckshot. The advantage of the Cossacks was that they were all armed with long-range rifled rifles, in contrast to the Kokand, armed at best with outdated smoothbore guns, and even jumping with a sword bare. So after several unsuccessful attacks the enemy departed on safe distance, but an environment didn't remove. All night from the 4th to the 5th of December kokandets fired at positions of Cossacks from three tools and several falconets, the truth this cannonade didn't do a lot of damage. But with the dawn of the shells began to go a heap and several of the Cossacks were wounded. And Kokand people began to build something like a walk-cities of hay and straw, installing them on the watermelons and under the protection of these fortifications tried to come closer to the location of Russian soldiers. Understanding that independently to them not to stand, Vasily Serov sends to Turkestan for help of two messengers who unfortunately were intercepted by the enemy. But in Turkestan, and so heard the sounds of the battle and Lieutenant Colonel Zhemchuzhnikov sent to the rescue detachment Serov infantry detachment of 150 people with two guns under the command of Lieutenant Sukorko. But Sukarno faced with superior enemy forces, immediately began to retreat back. In vain Cossacks waited for reinforcement, many of them were already wounded, ammunition came to an end, and on a carriage of "unicorn" the wheel was scattered. But they kept holding on.  The next night was more relaxed, already Kokand were not continuous cannonade the Cossack positions and, therefore, Serov decided to send new messengers. At this time, those still managed to reach the Chimket and ask for help. The next morning, December 6, Zhemchuzhnikov sends a new detachment consisting of 217 people with two guns. At this time, Serov realizing that his squad is weak and ammo over and still hoping for help from Cikota to win the time, started negotiations with Alamkara. Which naturally ended in nothing, since the main condition of the Kokand Khan was the surrender of the Cossacks, and Serov was not going to give up, but for more than an hour he shook the enemy's head. After the negotiations, Kokand organized four powerful attacks on the positions of the Cossacks, which were repulsed by Russian soldiers, but a third of the detachment died. When I finished the shells for the "unicorn" and rifle ammo was already on the wane, Serov decided to go for a breakthrough. Several dozen tired, weary Cossacks with cries of ' hurray rushed to the Kokand. And oddly enough, the Asians did not dare to attack them, but only from a distance fired their guns, but finished off the remaining seriously wounded soldiers. The remains of hundreds of captain V. R. Serov managed to connect with a group who went to their rescue and return to Chikment. However the loss of the detachment was terrifying, of 109 people, 57 were killed and 45 wounded. But their sacrifices were not in vain, brave Cossacks managed to thwart the plans of the Kokand Khan Alicura to capture the city, Chikment. The loss of his troops with hundreds of Ural Cossacks of captain Serov was about 2 thousand people. Unfortunately unlike the highly touted to the whole world of heroism of the 300 Spartans, which not a little contributed to the film, because the plot of this battle was filmed several movies about the heroism of the Cossack hundreds of Vasily Serov almost no one knows even in Russia. Need to know its history guys!