Cavalryman from the Bulgarian Volunteer Corps

Today is Bulgaria's national holiday and this is a painting I made for the occasion. A horseman from the cavalry squadron of the Bulgarian Volunteer Corps( the Opelchenie) during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-78. The "Opelchenie"(russian word for a sort of volunteer fighting force) was formed as an auxiliary unit within the Imperial Russian army. Initially it consisted of six battalions and one cavalry squadron, but later on six more battalions were formed. The Opelchenie is most famous for the defense of Shipka pass, where, together with other units from the Russian army, they held off Suleiman pasha's numerically superior force, preventing it from crossing the pass and joining Osman pasha's besieged army in Pleven(Northern Bulgaria), thus playing a key role in the defeat of the Ottoman empire.