Draft:Great Battle of Bnachii

The Great Battle of Bnachii was fought on  28 January 1866 between the army of  youssef bey karam and the Ottoman army

The battle
On the morning of Sunday, 28 January 1866, Dawood Pasha's massive army of five thousand soldiers was mobilized. The objective: Youssef Bey Karam, dead or alive.

Around 10 at the morning, a division of local Lebanese gendarmes led by Salim Traboulsy marched toward Bnachii. Another division of Turkish troops followed suit. They torched a number of isolated homes. Karam, initially, restrained his men. The troops then started shooting in the direction of Karam and his men. Moments later, the Ottoman artillery began pounding the positions of Karam. It was absolutely clear; Karam must engage in a fight he tried everything to avoid or he must surrender.

Karam sent his men to form a fence over the city to protect it, five different positions, drew the foreign invaders into a state of awe and illusion. The invaders tried desperatly to break through Karam’s defences at the outskirts of Bnachii. Amid heavy shelling that targeted their positions, Karam’s men managed to withstand three consecutive onslaughts and then drive the enemy back. The Lebanese gendarmes received orders to launch an onslaught through the valley in a desperate bid to slice through the core of Karam defensive lines. Karam divided his force into five groups each containing a hundred to two hundred men and positioned them at key locations where they formed a semi-circle around the invading army. The gendarmes who attacked the core of Karam’s forces were annihilated.Karam regained the initiative and gradually pressed on to encircle the entire width of the battlefield. His aim was to isolate advancing enemy divisions and cut them off from each other and eventually cut off their supply and reinforcement lines.

Karam suffered a minor cut to his leg. He bandaged his wound and rode back leading his men, inspiring them into ever-increasing their brave drive against tremendous odds. The Ottomans’ tenacity started to wane and they found themselves in a dismal position. The formidable force was rapidly disintegrating. Karam’s tactical strategies and the tenacity of his heroic men pushed the invaders to fall into numerous traps in which they were destroyed.

The relentless thrust of Karam and his men, who were outnumbered six to one, threw the invaders into a frenzy of panic. Karam continuously led his cavalry slicing through the heart of the invaders with amazing resolve. Karam prevailed in a display of exceptional chivalry. His sword played havoc with the enemy as he overwhelmed tens of Ottoman officers and soldiers who could not compete with his agility and fighting prowess. The more Karam advanced into enemy lines, the more his courageous men lifted to drive their enemy into total submission.