In 1877, as the War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire began, Candiano, although he was a deputy in the Romanian Parliament, joined the army to take part in the assault over Grivitsa, being the commander of the 2nd Hunters' Battalion, receiving the Order of St. George from Alexander II, the Emperor of Russia.
As a gratitude for his efforts toward the independence of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian people built a bust in the Romanian Soldier Mausoleum at Grivitsa.
The Romanian Army won the battles of Grivitsa and Rahova, and on 28 November 1877 the Plevna citadel capitulated, and Osman Pasha surrendered the city, the garrison and his sword to the Romanian colonel Mihail Cerchez.
Grivitsa |