The decisive battle of the Serbo-Bulgarian War on November 7, 1885, demonstrated the will of a nation to defend its ideal. It went down in history as the war of the captains against the Serbian generals and showed the desire of the newly liberated Principality of Bulgaria to defend its freedom. At the time, Bulgarians could boast the most modern constitution of its era and an educational system of schools that covered not only the territory of the Principality but also that of Eastern Rumelia.
Concerned by the strengthening of Bulgarian influence on the Balkan Peninsula following the act of unification between the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia, Serbian King Milan I ordered his army to carry out one of the most treacherous attacks in the modern history of the Balkans. While the Bulgarian army was stationed on the Turkish border, expecting a possible attack by the empire, its western neighbors invaded Bulgarian lands. Their goal was to reach the capital Sofia, which at the time was less than 50 kilometers from the Serbian border. Serbian units also attacked Bulgaria's northwestern border, aiming to capture Vidin. Fighting also took place near Niš and Pirot, the Bulgarian History website reported.
The Bulgarian command correctly assessed that the small units at Dragoman and Tsaribrod would find it difficult to stop the Serbian army. At times, the difference in numbers was enormous, reaching a ratio of 7:1 in the enemy's favor near the Tsaribrod positions. This forced the Bulgarians to begin retreating, aiming to reach the Slivnitsa defensive line, which offered the best conditions for repelling the Serbian attack. It had been built by Italian workers, many of whom enlisted as volunteers in the Bulgarian army when the fighting began. The position consisted of three sections, commanded respectively by Captain Mikhail Savov (left flank), Captain Andrey Blaskov (center), and Captain Atanas Benderov (right flank).
The Battle of Slivnitsa began on November 5. The balance of forces was approximately 2:1 in favor of the Serbs (around and slightly more than 12,000 Bulgarians against 25,000 Serbs), who realized that if they succeeded in winning the battle, the road to Sofia would be open. In addition, Serbia had significantly more artillery than Bulgaria – 72 pieces compared with 40. At that moment, King Milan's enthusiasm was so great that he declared he would be drinking tea in Sofia within a week. The Bulgarian army, however, managed to defend its homeland magnificently, astonishing all of Europe. On the foggy morning of November 5, 1885, the Serbs launched their first attack on the Slivnitsa position. They targeted both flanks, particularly the right one, judging them to be the weak point of the fortifications. The Bulgarians, however, successfully repelled the advance without suffering significant casualties and even launched a counterattack near the village of Malo Malovo. All these actions prevented the Serbian command from carrying out the expected breakthrough on the right flank of the Slivnitsa position. At the end of the day, the first Bulgarian reinforcements from Thrace also arrived.
On the left flank, fighting began the following day – November 6. The situation there was considerably more difficult, as the Morava Division managed to capture Breznik and join forces with the Šumadija Division. The two divisions then headed toward Slivnitsa's left flank, but were delayed by the actions of Captain Stefan Kisov, who was sent with 1,950 men to attack the Serbs. Although unsuccessful, this attack significantly slowed the advance of the two divisions and prevented a breakthrough on the left flank of the Slivnitsa line, thereby fulfilling its objective.
November 7 brought the turning point in the Serbo-Bulgarian War. Both armies managed to receive reinforcements, and their strength increased to 32,000 soldiers for the Bulgarians and 40,000 for the Serbs, respectively. The Bulgarians made better use of their new forces and went on the offensive. Captain Hristo Popov and the detachment under his command advanced toward the village of Gurgulyat and managed to rout the Serbs in the ensuing battle. On the other flank, the Serbs launched another attack, which once again proved unsuccessful and failed to break through the Bulgarian positions. Captain Marin Marinov, commander of the Vidin Regiment, then ordered a “bayonet charge” and personally led his troops against the enemy. He lost his life, but his unit managed to drive back the Serbs, who turned and fled. The detachment of Kosta Panitsa also succeeded in pushing back the Serbs and going on the offensive, bringing the fighting at Slivnitsa to an end.
Over the three days, Bulgarian casualties totaled 1,800 killed and wounded, while Serbian casualties numbered 2,100. The objective, however, had been achieved, and in the following days the Bulgarians completely turned the tide of the war, moving from defending their positions to going on the offensive. They advanced so quickly that they soon penetrated deep into Serbian territory, but the intervention of the Great Powers prevented young Bulgaria from completing its victorious war. The feat of the defenders of Slivnitsa is one of those moments in our history that demonstrate the spirit of the Bulgarian people and their determination to defend what rightfully belongs to them. For a long time afterward, contemporaries of the events analyzed the achievements of the young Bulgarian army, which had not only managed to defeat the Serbian army, already seasoned by several wars, but also to cover enormous distances in an incredibly short time.