Upon the recovery of the political importance of Moscow a long series of indecisive wars ensued between the Eastern and Western princes until finally, under the Muscovite leadership, the time arrived when the Russians ventured to take up arms against the Mongol force which had so long entrenched itself along the Volga and in 1376 an expedition against Kazan forced two Tartar princes to pay tribute and a war was inaugurated where the lines were drawn. A series of conflicts between the Christians on the one hand and the infidels on the other, culminated in the famous battle of Koulikovo, which has made Dimitri Donskoi famous.
He succeeded in forming a strong confederation composed of most of the Russian princes of the East and North, who proceeded with a great army to give battle to the Asiatic power. The Tartar was assisted by the treachery of two or three western princes and assembled a great force, composed of all the tribes of Asiatics from southeastern Russia and beyond the Caucasus and even assisted by the Genoese colonists of the Crimea.
In spite of the private jealousies of the Christian princes they assembled such an army as never had been seen in Russia. The force is said to have consisted of 150,000 men, which marched forward to meet that of the Tartars at the banks of the Don. They decided to cross the river and on the plain of Koulikovo, or "Field of Woodcocks," a great battle ensued in which the Christians gained a signal victory. The barbarians are said to have lost 100,000 men in this combat but the Russian loss was also very severe.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
