The Battle of Segesvár (Transylvania, now Sighișoara, Romania), also called the Battle of Fehéregyháza, was a battle in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, fought on 31 July 1849 between the Hungarian revolutionary army under the command of Lieutenant General Józef Bem and the Russian V Corps under General Alexander von Lüders. The battle ended with the victory of the Russian army, which was presumably the death location of the Hungarian poet and national hero Sándor Petőfi, but his body was never found. Furthermore, The Chief of Staff Russian V corps, General Grigory Skariatin was killed at the battle. Although heavy, the defeat was not decisive for the Hungarian army of Transylvania, Lieutenant General Józef Bem continuing his resistance in the province until the Battle of Nagycsűr on 6 August 1849.

Background

Between 20–21 July, after several battles, Lieutenant General Józef Bem chased out the Austrian corps of Transylvania commanded by General Eduard Clam-Gallas from Székely Land. Then, on 23 July, passing the Ojtoz pass, he broke into Moldova, where he defeated the Russian troops of General Ustrugov, advanced to Onești and Târgu Ocna, making a proclamation to the people from here. Seeing that the population had no will to rise up against the Russians, he returned to Transylvania. His next plan was to take back Nagyszeben and the Vöröstorony Pass. For this purpose the army under his command had to advance through Segesvár to Székelyudvarhely, the column of General Magnus Johann von Grotenhjelm to Marosvásárhely, the Austrian corps led by General Clam-Gallas and the Dannenberg column which had to break into Transylvania by the Ojtoz Pass to Csíkszereda, and finally the column of Major General Dyck stationing at Fogaras to Kőhalom, and to join, if needed, with the main army of Lüders. Bem too wanted to crush the Russians also with a concentrated attack. With the column under his command, consisting of the Beszterce, Nagyszeben and Székely divisions, the units of the Kolozsvár and the brigade of Colonel József Dobay coming from Rika he planned to attack Lüders' Russian troops from three directions.

- Troops expected by General Bem to arrive in the battle, which did not show up:

Detachment of Colonel Farkas Kemény:

  • 31. Honvéd Battalion: 6 infantry companies = 861 soldiers;
  • 123. Honvéd Battalion: 6 infantry companies = 1,734 soldiers;
  • A squadron of the 2. Jäger Regiment: 2 infantry companies = 300 soldiers;
  • Artillery = 12 horses, 2 cannons = 23 soldiers;

Total: 14 infantry companies, 12 horses, 2 cannons = 2,918 soldiers.

Detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Károly Dobay:

  • 32. Honvéd Battalion: 6 infantry companies = 800 soldiers;
  • 10. Hussar Regiment: 1 cavalry company, 70 horses = 70 soldiers;
  • 15. Hussar Regiment: 1 1/2 cavalry company, 30 horses = 30 soldiers;
  • Artillery = ? horses, 6 cannons = 100 soldiers;

Total: 6 infantry companies, 1 1/2 cavalry company, 100 + ? horses, 6 cannons = ≈1,000 soldiers who some months earlier, on 11 March 1849, was beaten by Bem in the Battle of Nagyszeben. The legend says that the shot which killed Skariatin was guided personally by Bem from his horse. This is refuted by the Hungarian historian Róbert Hermann who pointed out the fact that in that period the cannons were not that precise, and aiming on horseback was impossible; it was only possible on foot. Lüders observed that Bem strengthened his left wing, weakening his right, so he sent two Jäger companies and a half light battery, which arrived around 5 p.m. to reinforce his left wing. At the same time, he replaced his artillery from the center with six guns of a heavy battery. At 4 p.m. Lüders sent four Uhlan companies and a half-light battery against the Hungarian right wing. At 5 p.m. the Russian artillery hit and destroyed Bem's two ammunition wagons. The horse-pulled retreating Hungarian artillery from the center, near the bridge, turned too quickly on the main road and the guns turned over, blocking the road. Lieutenant Dénes Kozma from the 88th battalion aligned 35 men behind this barricade, and with three salvos chased back the Uhlans trying to break into the village. Kozma then retreated with his men, but in front of the village's tavern, he stopped the attacking Russian cavalry in the same way twice. Domokos Zeyk's sword was already broken, so he took his pistol, with which he shot one enemy soldier, then with the last bullet, he shot himself in the head. During the first week of August 1849 the majority of Transylvania fell into the hands of the Russians and Austrians. During the month and a half which passed until the start of the Russian intervention in Transylvania, the losses of the Hungarian Army of Transylvania mounted to 75% of its soldiers.