It was supposed that even Dimitri himself had perished for he was missing when the battle came to an end. He was found, however, with his armor broken, bleeding from may wounds, and unconscious. Fortunately for Moscow, however, he was not dead. This battle from which Dimitri derived his surname Donskoi, from the name of the river on whose banks it occurred, took place in the year 1380.
No event in Russian history has been more celebrated in poetry and romance than this. As the Scotch story-tellers loved to dwell upon the glories of Bannockburn, where Robert Bruce defeated Edward II, and British bards have immortalized Bosworth Field and the tragic end of Richard III, so Koulikovo was told and retold with many variations. These stories differ considerably, the Russian chronicler being careful to give Dimitri sole credit, while the poets, inspired by the Pope of Rome, have made Saint Sergius, the counselor of the Grand Prince the chief instrument of Russian success.
While this victory did not result in casting off the Mongol yoke, it had given courage to the Russians. It broke the charm and demonstrated that enslaved, tax-ridden and driven, as they had been before on every field, still it was possible to put the redoubtable Tartar to flight.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
