Battle of Kinburn ( 1787 ) The Battle of Kinburn was fought on 1 October 1787 as part of the Russo - Turkish War , 1787 - 1792 . A weak fortress , Kinburn was located opposite Ochakov on a sand bank forming a part of the Dnieper river delta . It covered approaches to the Kherson fleet base . The reason for the Ottoman attack on Kinburn was to deprive the enemy of a base for the siege of Ochakov and Kherson fleet base . The forces . Alexander Suvorov , commanding the Russian garrison , had 19 bronze and 300 iron artillery pieces in the fortress , weak in power and range , 1 , 500 infantry in Kinburne and 2 , 500 infantry , 28 regimental and 10 field guns , and Cossack cavalry within 30 verst s ( roughly 50 kilometers ) from the fortress . The Ottomans had three 60 gun ships of the line , four 34 gun frigates , four bomb vessels ( floating batteries ) , and 14 gunboats with 4 guns each . Altogether , about 400 guns . The Ottoman troops were carried by 23 transport vessels . First attack . During September , the Ottoman fleet twice carried out ranging fire of the fleet against the coast , trying to locate position of the Russian gun emplacements . During one bombardment , a Russian galley " Desna " which was part of a force of two frigates and four galleys ( themselves a part of Admiral Mordvinov ' s flotilla ) , intervened on the initiative of its Maltese captain , and drove off the Ottoman gunboats . On the 29 and 30 September bombardment of Kinburn was conducted from the Ottoman ships again . On 1 October 1787 at 9 in the morning an amphibious landing of 6 , 000 troops was conducted on two separate sites ( 5 , 300 on the bank ' s ' tongue ' itself , and the rest 10 - 15 versts away at a village of Bienka ) , with the fleet supporting the landing with fire . The pasha of Ochakov ordered the ships to leave after the landing so that the amphibious landing force would not contemplate withdrawal . The landing force begun to dig a total of 15 trenches , in the attempt to move closer to Kinburn . Suvorov called for reinforcement ( 2 , 500 infantry and Cossacks ) and waited , while being occupied with public prayer in the church ( Celebration of the Covering ) , receiving dispatch es and messages in the church . Counterattack . At midday the Turks approached to within 200 paces of the fortress . Suvorov began the first counterattack with 1 , 500 soldiers of the Orlov infantry and Schlisselburg grenadier regiments . Those attacking troops took 10 of the 15 trenches , but under flank fire of the Ottoman fleet they were forced to retreat to the fortress . Suvorov himself was wounded in the side and left hand , and was saved only through the courage of Stepan Novikov , a grenadier of the Schlisselburg grenadier regiment . At 16 . 00 hours Russian reinforcements approached and Suvorov repeated his attack , after releasing Cossacks to attack around the left flank of the enemy over the shoals and into their rear . This attack was successful , and Turks were forced out from the trenches and forced against the coast , forcing the fleet to cease fire in order not to hit its own troops . Suvorov had two horses shot under him . The regimental guns were able to fire canister at point blank range causing fearful carnage among the Turks . At night 600 Turk survivors of the landing returned on board the ships by rowed boats . Several hundred hid in the reeds , and were attacked by Cossacks on the following morning . Russian losses were 2 officers and 136 others killed and 17 officers and 300 others wounded , and those of the Turk - about 4000 , including two French officers dressed as Turks which were sent to Siberia . In Suvorov ' s report the Schlisselburg regiment is particularly noted for bravery . For the Kinburn victory Catherine the Great awarded Suvorov with the Order of St . Andrew and the highest praise , where she wrote : “ You deserved it by faith and by faithfulness " .