The Battle of Tura was a battle fought around the village of Tura by the cavalry of the IX. and the X. corps of the Hungarian revolutionary army led by General Mór Perczel and the Russian cavalry detachment led by Lieutenant General Aleksandr Petrovich Tolstoy and the 1. brigade of the 5. infantry division led by Lieutenant General Ivan Mikhaylovich Labintsov. The Hungarians advanced towards North in order to relieve the Russian pressure over General Artúr Görgei's Army of the Upper Danube, which after the second battle of Vác from 15 to 17 July was heading towards the Hungarian armies meeting point around Szeged. The battle started between the Hungarian cavalry units under Perczel and the Russian cavalry under Tolstoy. The Hungarians pushed back the Russian cavalry, but when the Russian infantry led by Labintsov arrived, Perczel retreated. The Russians did not pursued his troops. Although the Russians remained the masters of the battlefield, Perczel's objective to ease the Russian pressure over Görgei's troops succeeded, helping in this way the latter to succeed in his march to Southern Hungary.
Background
After the relieving of General Artúr Görgei from the high commandment of the Hungarian army, his place was taken by Lieutenant General Lázár Mészáros. Although as the former ministry of war he was an excellent organizer, who created from nothing the Hungarian army which, starting with 11 September 1848, successfully withstood against the attack of the Habsburg empire, then entering in a counter offensive, managed to liberate most of the country, he himself recognized the fact that as army commander was not good. Mészáros tried to concentrate enough troops around Szeged, but knowing that Görgei's Army of the Upper Danube will not arrive there soon, accepted General Józef Wysocki's plan to send the former Army of Northern Hungary (the IX. corps and the Polish Legion) together with the Reserve Corps, organized by General Mór Perczel to the Transtisza region to fight with the Russian army. The Governor-President of Hungary Lajos Kossuth, who did not trusted either in Mészáros's, nor in Lieutenant General Henryk Dembiński's military skills, chose as commander of this army Perczel, who, indeed had some great military victories in his past. These troops, named the Army of the Tisza had 26,500 soldiers and 49 guns. Kossuth put under Perczel's disposal also the 2500 men and 7 cannons strong brigade, led by Károly Knezić which defended the Tisza's line, and the 7100 men and 30 cannons strong division led by Colonel Lajos Kazinczy. Perczel argued with Dembiński, Mészáros's Chief of staff about the direction on which the Army of the Tisza should operate. Perczel's superior, Dembiński, who in his whole career was a defensive-type general, and maybe he was already thinking about leaving Hungary in the Ottoman Empire, wanted to march towards Southern Hungary, although after the Hungarian victory at Kishegyes over the army of Josip Jelačić, there was no need for that any more, while Perczel, a general who loved the attack, wanted to attack the Russians. The argument was interrupted by the news that on 15 July Görgei fought with the Russians at Vác, and they agreed to send the cavalry division of the army to do a reconnaissance and a demonstration in the direction of Nagykáta. This was carried out with success, while the division of Colonel Károly Lenkey advanced to Újszász. On 18 July evening Mészáros ordered a reconnaissance towards Jászfényszaru. On 19 July arrived to the Hungarian general headquarters from Nagykáta General Gusztáv Pikéthy, and he told to Mészáros and Perczel that on 15–17 July Görgei fought with the Russians at Vác, and because he could not break through them, he headed towards Balassagyarmat. In the war council held after this, Perczel proposed to attack with all their army through Jászberény towards Kápolna, while Dembiński and Mészáros decided that Károly Lenkey's division will cross the Tisza at Szolnok, followed by the rest of the infantry. The army had to advance to Tiszafüred, hoping that with this they will ease the junction with them of Görgei's army, and also the Kazinczy division which was isolated in North Eastern Hungary. Mészáros hoped that in case of a success the army resulted of the junction of Görgei's troops will have around 65,000 soldiers, and with them they could defeat Haynau's forces at Szeged. He wrote to Kossuth that they need 10 days for completing with success this mission, so the Hungarian forces from Szeged must defend themselves, relying only on Antal Vetter's troops and the forces of the Militia units in a case of an enemy attack