Battle of Grahovac The Battle of Grahovac , in today ' s Montenegro , occurred from 28 April to 1 May 1858 , when the Grand Duke Mirko Petrović - Njegoš , elder brother of Prince Danilo , led a strong army of 7 , 500 and won a crucial battle against the Turks ( army of between 7 , 000 to 13 , 000 ) at Grahovac . The Turkish forces were routed . A considerable arsenal of war trophies were left in Montenegrin hands , to come in handy again in the final wars of independence in 1862 and 1875 - 1878 . Background . On 28 April 1858 , Ottoman commander , Hussein Pasha , captured the villages of Vilusi and Grahovo and continued his advance towards Grahovac , a small village located on a plateau elevated slightly above the captured area . The core of Montenegrin resistance was in Grahovac , which was the main bastion of defence of Montenegro according to military plans . This battle was a prelude to the war of 1862 where Montenegro and the Principality of Serbia would briefly fight the Ottoman Empire . Battle . The fighting itself started on 29 April , early in the morning . The Ottomans attacked Grahovac while Montenegrins were stubbornly defending , determined not to retreat at any cost . Most of 3 , 000 Ottoman and 1 , 000 Montengrin casualties were made on that day . On 30 April , Hussein Pasha offered a truce to Montenegrin commander - in - chief Grand Duke Mirko Petrović - Njegoš refused it , although he did allow the Ottomans time to bury their dead . He also refused to send men to disrupt the Ottomans supply of water . Although this would have given him a tactical advantage he considered it a dishonorable move . On 1 May , the fighting started again as the Ottomans got military support from Bosnia . But this time , Montenegrins took charge and attacked the Ottomans , forcing them into a successive retreat . The biggest problem for Montenegrins was a well - armed Ottoman artillery , which was constantly bombarding their positions with cannons . Eventually , Montenegrins decided to charge across the battlefield and take over the cannons . After they saw two of the commanders , Serdar ( Count ) Đuro Kusovac and priest Luka Jovović , being killed while charging , the rest of the Montenegrin troops , including the guardsmen , began a rapid advance with a shout : " Forward , to avenge our commanders " . The offensive was successful , and by capturing Ottoman cannons , Montenegrins had officially won the battle . Aftermath . This major victory had had even more diplomatic significance . The glory of Montenegrin weapons was soon immortalised in the songs and literature of all the South Slavs , in particular the Serbs in Vojvodina , then part of Austria - Hungary . This Montenegrin victory forced the Great Powers to officially demarcate the borders between Montenegro and Ottoman Empire , de facto recognizing Montenegro ' s centuries - long independence . Montenegro gained Grahovo , Rudine , Nikšić ' s Župa , more than half of Drobnjaci , Tušina , Uskoci , Lipovo , Upper Vasojevići , and part of Kuči and Dodoši . Prince Danilo granted all of the battle survivors the " Grahovo medal " , and Vojvoda ( Duke ) Mirko Petrović - Njegoš was proclaimed " Grand Duke of Grahovo " . In 1864 King Nicholas I built a church on the site of Hussein Pasha ' s headquarters , and in 2008 , the Montenegrin government revealed an obelisk which honours the battle and its participants . Both on the church and the obelisk reads the same inscription : " The monument to your bravery is Montenegro and its freedom . "