1877. Armata română a fost chemată în ajutor la Plevna de Marele Duce Nicolae al Rusiei: atacurile armatei ţariste erau respinse de turci şi se profila pericolul unui dezastru militar fără precedent pentru ei în Balcani. România nu exista, nu era stat independent recunoscut pe scena internaţională. Dar erau mulţi români care erau gata să îşi sacrifice viaţa pentru independenţă: România exista deja în sufletul lor! Ei au atacat în prima linie la Griviţa, manevră eroică împotriva redutelor turceşti, prefigurând măcelul tranşeelor din viitor. Duiliu Zamfirescu a zugrăvit foarte bine episodul în romanul "În război". Armata română era condusă de însuşi Regele Carol I. La Celei, lângă Corabia, românii au trecut pentru prima dată la sud de Dunăre după Mihai Viteazul.
Celei - the crossing of the Danube in 1877
In the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, Russia was granted passge by Romania through its territory after having declared its independence on May 10th. The Ottoman Empire immediatly started bombarding the Romanian shore accross the Danube, at Calafat for example. The Romanians responded, bombarding Vidin. However, Russia would not allow the Romanian army to join the fight, wanting the glory for itself.
A few months later, the Russian armies were in a tight spot, fruitlessly bessieging Pleven (Plevna), in Bulgaria. Grand Duke Nicholas, the commander of the army, then sent a telegram to King Carol I, asking for Romanian intervention and placing the Pleven siege operations under his command.
Subsequently, the Romanians joined in the siege of Pleven, successfully taking and holding the famous Grivitsa Redoubt. They fought with the conviction that in order to exist as a nation, they have to shake off the centuries of submission to the Ottoman Empire, weapons in hand. The assault of the redoubts was bloody, foreboding the murderous trench warfare of World War I. The battle was celebrated in art (paintings by Nicolae Grigorescu, novel "At War" by Duiliu Zamfirescu, movie "For the Motherland - The independence war of 1877", etc).
At Celei, near Corabia, the Romanians crossed the Danube for the first time since the reign of Michael the Brave and regained their independence.
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