Battle of Larga

The Battle of (the) Larga was fought between 65,000 Crimean Tatars and 15,000 Ottomans under Qaplan II Giray against 38,000 Russians under Field-Marshal Rumyantsev on the banks of the Larga River, a tributary of the Prut River, in Moldavia (now in Moldova), for eight hours on 7 July 1770. It was fought on the same day as Battle of Chesma, a key naval engagement of the Russo-Turkish War, 1768–1774.

Battle of Larga
Part of the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774
Plan of the Battle of Larga
Date 7 July 1770[1] Location Near Larga River, eastern Moldavia (now Moldova) Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Russian Empire  • Zaporozhian Sich	Ottoman Empire  •  Crimean Khanate
Commanders and leaders
Field-Marshal Rumyantsev	Qaplan II Giray
Strength
38,000, 115 guns	65,000 Tatars, 15,000 Ottomans, 33 guns
Casualties and losses
29 dead, 61 wounded	1,000 killed, 2,000 captured, 33 guns captured

The battle was a decisive victory for the Russians who captured 33 Turkish cannons and the vast enemy camp. For this victory, Rumyantsev was awarded the Order of Saint George of the 1st degree. Two weeks later, the Russians scored an even greater victory in the Battle of Kagul.