Constantin Poenaru was born in Bucharest. Poenaru attended the local officers’ school from 1859 to 1861, followed by the École Supérieure de Guerre in Paris. A second lieutenant from 1861, he rose to captain in 1867 and to major in 1872 and commanded the military engineers’ battalion from 1872 to 1877. When the Romanian War of Independence broke out in 1877, he saw action during the Siege of Plevna. In 1880, Poenaru was promoted to lieutenant colonel and he became inspector of military engineers. In 1882, he was made commander of the first engineers’ regiment in the Romanian Army and was sent with a Romanian infantry brigade to assist with the construction of the Trans-Caspian Railroad. The brigade worked on the railroad until 1888 at Samarkand. He had hoped to see the completion of the railroad in Tashkent at which point he would retire from active service and return to Romania. But such was not his luck The brigade was ordered to head in a general southeast direction towards British India. They were to construct bridges across any waterways they encountered. They would be re-supplied on a monthly basis along the route they had created. All went well until they reached Mastuj in the NWF. The brigade had completed a new wooden bridge, basically as an alternate to the existing rope bridge, but had not been re-supplied for two months now. He had sent a messenger back to Samarkand but as of yet had no reply. Poenaru’s only option was to halt and wait. A week or so ago, a British mapping expedition had camped within a few miles of the southside of his bridge. They posed no threat to Poenaru, and left the area after a few days, heading east along the Gilgit River valley. But the always cautious Poenaru decided to construct some defensive breastworks on the southside of the bridge. His men needed something to occupy their time as well and this little project would do. Poenaru’s Romanian Brigade consists of the 2nd Line Infantry, 1st Battalion of the 6th Dorobantsi Militia, and a detachment of the 3rd Chasseurs.
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Conflict at Mastuj, Northeast of the fort at Chitral
There are several postings on page 50 and 51 of this thread that provide the prelude to this battle.
Romanian scouts have informed Colonel Poenaru of a British force heading toward Mastuj along the Gilgit River. He has deployed his troops in a defensive manner in case the British attack. The ambitious Colonel Kelly, upon approaching Mastuj, has decided to halt his march to help relieve Chitral and instead gain some points by taking the town of Mastuj from the Romanians (whom he considers to be Russians) in the name of the Queen.
Colonel James Graves Kelly “Long Nose”
2 units of 32nd Punjab Pioneers
1 unit of 4th Kashmiri Rifles
1 band of Punjabi Levis
1 section of 1st Kashmir Mountain Battery – Light Gun
1 detachment of the 51st Kings Own Highland Light Infantry
Colonel Constantin Poenaru
1 unit 1st Battalion 2nd Infantry Line Regiment
1 unit 2nd Battalion 2nd Infantry Line Regiment
1 unit 1st Battalion 6th Dorobantsi Regiment
3rd Chasseur Battalion
The 51st Highland LI and Kashmiri Rifles clear the woods of the Chasseurs on the eastern flank but at a heavy cost to the Highlanders. The artillery keeps up a constant barrage on the 2nd Line defending the wall in front of the river. Meanwhile the right and left wing of the 32nd Pioneers advance forward in the center towards the wall and bridge. The Levis push rapidly forward on the western flank taking light casualties from the Romanian fire behind the wall.
Poenaru moves up from his reserve position with the remainder of the 2nd Line and crosses the bridge to oppose the advancing right wing of the 32nd Pioneers. Meanwhile a detachment of Chasseurs who had been out foraging arrive back at Mastuj. Kelly urges the Kashmiri Rifles forward and the attack and melee Poenaru and his 2nd Line. Poenaru was push backed slightly from his position but remained in good order. The Levis managed to work they way around the wall and attack the 2nd Line defending it. The defenders hold off the attack and the Levis back off to regroup. Poenaru pulls back off of the bridge and the newly arrived Chasseurs take up his previous position on the bridge. Fire from the 2nd Line behind the wall pushes the Levis back a little further and disorders them. The remnants of the 51st Highland LI fire out of the woods at the Romanian Chasseurs on the bridge inflicting light casualties. Kelly and his depleted Kashmiri Rifles take cover in the woods. The pressure of the battle has become to much for the engineer turned soldier Poenaru and he flees out of the town with his surviving unit. Things were looking up for the Romanians until this turn of events. The Romanian 6th Dorobantsi Regiment has finally decided to get into the action and is attempting to cross the rope bridge on the western side of the town. Accurate marksmanship from the Chasseurs on the main bridge drove the remaining Highland LI out of the woods and rendered them no longer effective. The 2nd Romanian line behind the wall continued to take casualties and eventually lost the position to the Punjabi Levis. Steady fire from the Kashmiri mountain gun drove the remaining Chasseurs off the main bridge, Seeing this, The Dorobantsi Militia realized that the day was lost, and as the only remaining fighting force left of the Romanian side, they decided to beat a hasty retreat back across the rope bridge and headed north to find Colonel Poenaru. Long Nose Kelly had taken more of a beating than expected and now had top halt his march towards Chitral in order to assess what was left of his victorious but battered force.
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