The outnumbered Serbian army, led by colonel Kosta Protić, won a tactical victory in this defensive battle against the Ottoman forces.

In a major tactical blunder the Ottomans spent a whole day frontally attacking a well-entrenched pentagonal redoubt defended by two Serbian battalions armed with muzzle-loading rifles and 6 cannons supported by about 40 additional artillery pieces positioned on the overlooking hills.

In fact, although the Ottomans have successfully occupied the Timok Valley (two counties of Zaječar and Knjaževac), the only route from there into the rest of Serbia was through but two mountain passes (Čestobrodica and Bovan Gorge), which were already fortified and heavily defended by the Serbian eastern army.

[8] Aleksinac was the main military base of the Serbian army on the southern border, protecting the road into the Serbia proper along the South Morava river.

However, fortified batteries on the hills east of Aleksinac, armed with some 40-50 cannon, fully dominated the eastern bank of Morava and were well positioned to support the outlying defences.

In the morning of August 23, three Serbian battalions of the First class (soldiers aged 20–35, armed with breech-loading Peabody and Green rifles) and one artillery battery (8 field guns) attempted to take positions on the previously unoccupied Šumatovac hill, in order to reinforce the defence of Aleksinac from the east.