Soldiers of the Taurogan-Okorie War
- Thread starter Predice
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Predice
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(Col. Andrius Mamontovas, breveted Brigader General after the Battle of Mamontovas’ Hill, 1870. Artist unknown)
Col. Mamontovas was initially commander of the 1st Cavalry Brigade, leading it throughout the early phases of the campaign. His brigade was eventually made to cover the southern flank of the Taurogan Army, together with the 2nd Cavalry Brigade of Šaulys, where they were drawn into major combat. In the three day battle of Mamontovas’ Hill, the Taurogan Cavalry played a massive role in the Taurogan victory, and Mamontovas' personal contribution to victory was recognised when he recieved the Republic Star, and was brevetted Brigadier General. On May 22nd, 1868, after the decisive victory at Mamontovas’ Hill, the Taurogan Army was reorganised, and the Cavalry was united into one command, with both Cavalry Brigades placed under the Cavalry Division, under Mamontovas’ Command. He led the Division in a strategic raid, during which his division met the lead elements of the Okorie Reinforcing Army. His division began to fall back on the main army, delaying the enemy for over a week, but never getting engaged in major action. His division was then engaged in the major battle at the Marbled City, where Mamontovas had two horses shot from under him, and was shot in the shoulder and hip, but remained in the field, until he fell unconscious. The Taurogan Army would end up winning a victory, in no small part thanks to Mamontovas’ personal bravery. He was granted a full Promotion to Brigadier General, Ranking from October 10th, 1868, confirmed by the Seimas on November 4th, 1868. His division was taken over on a provisional basis by Col. Šaulys, as Mamontovas recuperated from his wounds. He returned to his Division on November 8th, 1868, in time for the last major battle of the war, the Battle of Bloody Plain on November 12th. There he suffered a sword blow, but once again remained in the field, Commanding his Division with merit, and helping Taurogan forces win a hard fought victory.
Following his return, he was made Inspector-General of Cavalry in 1870, as it was believed that due to his lingering injuries he could no longer hold a field command. He was breveted Major General in 1873, and then made commander of the Military Division of the North in 1876, as he desperately wanted a field command again. He gained full promotion to Major General in 1878, and in 1881 he was made Commander of the Taurogan Army, breveted Lieutenant General in 1883, before gaining full promotion to Lieutenant General at retirement in 1891. He was made to retire due to his poor health, caused by the injuries suffered during the Battles of the Marbled City and Bloody Plain.
Though he tried, he was never able to fit into civilian life, and was never married, and remained childless his entire life. Mamontovas was a devout Messianist, and always carried a Bible on him on campaign. He was known to pray every evening.
Andrius Mamontovas died quietly on August 1st, 1901, aged 66. It is commonly accepted that he eventually died of the lingering wounds received at the Battles of the Marbled City and Bloody Plain.
With him as he died was Jonas Švedas, the same surgeon that had operated on him 33 years earlier after the battle of the Marbled City.
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Predice
TNPer
(Brigadier General Jurgis Šaulys, 1872)
He initially led the 2nd Cavalry Brigade for the Taurogan Expedition to the Okorie Kingdom. During the Battle of Mamontovas’ Hill, he suffered a nasty hand wound when he was shot through the hand. Despite the wound, he remained on the field and continued in command of his Brigade. He was instrumental in rallying wavering troops, and was promoted to Colonel, ranking from May 9th, 1868, also receiving the Medal for Courage. Following the reorganisation of the expedition’s cavalry, he was made the senior Brigade Commander in the Cavalry Division, taking over command of the 1st Cavalry Brigade, Mamontovas' old command. He participated in Mamontovas’ Strategic Raid, and delaying action. He led the 1st Cavalry Brigade in the major battle at the Marbled City on the 9th-10th of October, where his Divisional Commander, and close friend, Andrius Mamontovas was severely wounded. Šaulys himself suffered a grazing hit on his right arm, and had a horse shot from under him, but was spared the worst. He took provisional command of the Cavalry Division, as Mamontovas recuperated from his injuries, and was involved in the assault of the city.
He returned to his old command of the 1st Cavalry Brigade in time for the Battle of Bloody Plain on November 12th, 1868, where his command, the 1st Cavalry Brigade saw heavy action. He was shot in the shoulder, and suffered a bayonet to the thigh, a wound that came within inches of ending his life, and had a horse shot from under him during the battle. Nevertheless he remained in the saddle, despite the searing pain.
He also joined the pursuit once the Okorie were routed, despite his wounds.
Upon his return, he was Breveted Brigadier General, ranking from November 12th, 1868, approved by the Seimas on April 12th 1869, and served as commander of the 1st Cavalry Brigade under the Department of Žalgaris, until 1871, when he was given command of all cavalry in the Department of the South. In 1872 he received full promotion to Brigadier General, and in 1874 was assigned to command the Department of the South. The Department of the South was a relative backwater command, but he performed his duties admirably with the limited resources availabe. He remained in command of the Department of the South until 1878, when he was assigned to command the Department of Žalgaris, and was Breveted Major General. He commanded the Department of Žalgaris until 1881, when he was given full promotion to Major General, and given Command of the Military Division of the North, a command which he held until 1886, when he was assigned the role of Inspector-General of Cavalry, a function in which he remained until 1891, when he was Breveted Lieutenant General, and made Commander of the Taurogan Army, a post which he would hold until 1908, becoming the grand old man of the Taurogan Army. He received full promotion to Lieutenant General in 1904, and was breveted General on retirement in 1908. In 1921, an 84 year old Šaulys offered his services to the Scalvian Army during its war against Esthursia. He was accepted, and came out of retirement to serve on the General Staff. In the intervening years he had run several businesses, including a streetcar company, and a distillery.
Šaulys was married in 1870, to Maria Šaulienė. They had three children together.
General Šaulys would retire for the final time in 1923. General Jurgis Šaulys died peacefully on July 19th, 1928, aged 91. He was survived by his three children, and seven grandchildren.
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Predice
TNPer
(Brevet Major Antanas Škėma, 1869)
His battery was later involved in the taking of the ngome nyekundu (lit. Red Fort), providing artillery support to the assaulting force. It was a deeply miserable summer for much of the Taurogan Army, though, as the constant downpour of the monsoon season caused the spread of sickness, and generally sapped morale. Škėma himself suffered a bout of dysentery, from which he recovered by Late September, in time for the Battle of the Marbled City, where Captain Škėma led his battery with merit. His true finest hour, however came on October 10th, when his battery was charged by an Okorie force of infantry. He ordered his battery to loose one more salvo at the Okorie attackers, and then pick up carbines, saying "Let 'em have one more salvo of canister, and then give them the bullet." Leading the battery’s defence, he was wounded twice, shot in the jaw and struck across the chest with a sword. His battery, however, successfully repelled the Okorie assault. His battery then took part in the assault of the Marbled City itself, as he was sidelined until early November with injury, which to his relief, did not affect his looks. He was breveted Major, ranking from October 10th, 1868, and awarded the Medal for Courage a second time, before returning to his battery on November 10th. A mere two days later he and the battery saw action at the battle of Bloody Plain, where Škėma received splinter wounds, which were relatively minor. His battery emptied its ammunition during the battle, firing shot and shell into the Okorie Army the entire day.
On his return, he remained in command of Battery G, 2nd Taurogan Artillery, until full promotion to Major in 1874, when he became Chief of Artillery of the Department of the South. Receiving full promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in 1878, he received Command of the Taurogan Light Artillery, a largely staff role. In 1885 he received a brevet to Colonel, and became Chief of Artillery in the Military Division of the North. Receiving a full promotion to Colonel in 1888. He was breveted Brigadier General on retirement, in 1895. Following his retirement, he was elected to the Seimas in 1896, keeping his seat until 1908, when he retired to his country estate. He was a major advocate for the rights of fellow veterans, and an unlikely voice for the working class in the Seimas, supporting and co-authoring several bills that strengthened workers rights in Tauroga. Following his stint in the Seimas, he remained an active voice for veterans of the Taurogan-Okorie war, helping disabled veterans carve out a living. He was a prominent leader of the Army of the Brave, a Taurogan-Okorie war veterans' organisation.
Škėma was never married, but had a son. Brigadier General Antanas Škėma died 18th December 1926, aged 86. He was survived by his son and four grandchildren.
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Predice
TNPer
(Corporal Kazimieras Škėma (on the left). A soldier of Company I, 1st Regiment of Guards Infantry, 1868.)
In 1865, aged 18 he decided to volunteer for the Army, against the wishes of his family. He was adamant, however, and made the two day long journey to Fort Matonis on foot, and from there was put on a train to Žalgaris, where he enlisted. Due to his soldiering skills was chosen to be a Guard, assigned to Company I, 1st Regiment of Guards Infantry. Private Škėma excelled and in January 1868 was promoted Corporal, just in time for the Taurogan-Okorie War. His first major combat came in May of 1868, at the great battle of Mamontovas’ Hill. His conduct earned him a mention in Major Jonatis’ post battle dispatch. His next major combat, however would come at the Battle of the Marbled City. There, despite his regiment as a whole falling back, he steadied the men in his company to hold on. His heroic action may well have saved the Taurogan army, but it came at a terrible price for his company. Indeed, he was the only survivor in his company, himself suffering a splinter wound. He was awarded the Medal for Courage and was amalgamated into Company H. Officers and soldiers alike noted that he wasn't the same after the battle of the Marbled City. He saw action in the decisive victory at the Bloody Plain, where he received a grazing wound to the cheek. It was noted that he was putting himself in the line of fire needlessly. He was nevertheless promoted Sergeant before the Taurogan Army’s return.
A 21 year old sergeant Škėma was now listless, rudderless. He suffered from terrible survivor’s guilt from the fighting with Company I, and combat fatigue. He left the Army in January 1869, but was never able to fit back into civilian life. He worked at various points as a teamster, a builder, a labourer, a factory worker, a train attendant. He wasn’t able to keep any job down for very long and eventually began doing odd jobs to make ends meet. Going from boarding house to boarding house in Žalgaris, he struggled to make ends meet, and indeed sometimes turned to crime to survive. Though he was a war hero, nobody seemed to have taken notice of his plight. "Now that I have no more use, I have been discarded," he remarked bitterly in a writing recovered after his death. "They give me a worthless piece of metal and chuck me out," he remarked in another writing.
He struggled with alcoholism, and opium use towards the end of his life. In writings recovered after his death, he wrote of suicidal thoughts as far back as November 1868. Just a month after the battle of the Marbled City. He had hoped to die on the battlefield at Bloody Plain. Struggling with depression and substance abuse, Kazimieras remained largely alone, having few friends and companions. A notable one was Rimantas Dūda, a fellow veteran of the Taurogan-Okorie War, that had managed to adjust to civilian life better. Dūda helped support Škėma however he could, but he wasn't able to help Kazimieras.
On August 18th, 1877 Kazimieras Škėma turned his rifle on himself. He was 30.
His body was found the next day, along with a letter detailing his final wish to be buried among his comrades in Company I, on the Marbled City Battlefield. The letter read in part: "As I serve no purpose in this world anymore, I have decided to join those I abandoned at the Marbled City." His death, the death of a war hero sent shockwaves through the nation, and was one of the reasons for the creation of the Army of the Brave, a veterans’ organisation to support and aid veterans of the Taurogan-Okorie War. Political action was also taken, and the Škėma act, named after him, was passed in the Seimas in October, granting all veterans of the war a pension to live off of.
Kazimieras, though exemplary and heroic on the field of battle, could never overcome the scars and demons he was left with after the war, and unfortunately his case was not an isolated one among the Army of the Brave.
He was buried in the Military Cometary at Žalgaris until 2021, when his final wish was finally honoured, and his remains were exhumed and laid to rest along with his comrades from Company I on the Marbled City Battlefield, 144 years after his death. Today, the Kazimieras Škėma Institute of the Scalvian Defence Forces bears his name, its purpose is to provide mental health support to Scalvia's wounded warriors.
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