742 



TURKEY. 



staff estimated Mukhtar Pasha's force to con- 

 sist of 11 battalions Nizatns, 25 battalions Re- 

 difs, 35 field and mountain guns, 6 squadrons 

 regular cavalry, and 3,500 mounted Circassians, 

 Kurds, Zapties, and Bashi-Bazouks in all 

 about 33,000 men. Early in the morning of 

 August 18th, the three infantry divisions under 

 General Dewell and Hermann, with numerous 

 cavalry and 120 guns, advanced from their 

 camps at Kurukdara and Bashkadiklar, near 

 Alexandropol, against the fortified positions of 

 Mukhtar Pasha. After an engagement lasting 

 eight hours, the Russians retreated in excellent 

 order to their camps. They officially state 

 their loss as 1 officer and 60 men killed, and 18 

 officers and 270 men wounded ; the Turks state 

 their loss as 117 killed and 342 wounded, and 

 estimate the Eussian loss at 1,500 men, and 

 speak of having taken many prisoners. Seven 

 days after this engagement, on August 25th, 

 Mukhtar Pasha attacked the Russian positions 

 with his whole force, and attempted to turn 

 the Russian left flank. After fighting from 

 early in the morning until five o'clock in the 

 afternoon, with great loss on 'both sides, the 

 Turks finally retreated without being pursued, 

 and reoccupied their old positions. They re- 

 tained the height of Kizil Tepe, which they had 

 stormed early in the morning. The Erivan 

 column, under General Tergukassoff, did not 

 move out of its positions around Igdir, and 

 was kept in check by Ismail Pasha. No action 

 of any account took place here, except an at- 

 tack on a Russian detachment under Colonel 

 Ismailoff, at Igdir, on August 24th, by a su- 

 perior Turkish force, which was, however, re- 

 pulsed. On the 28th, three Turkish columns 

 made a fresh attack, but were repulsed, not- 

 withstanding their numerical superiority, after 

 a five hours' engagement, with the loss of 400 

 men, the Russian losses being insignificant. 



In the Caucasus, General Alkhasoff com- 

 pletely quelled the Abkhazian revolt during 

 August. This was owing to the dissensions 

 existing among the different Abkhasian tribes, 

 and to the departure of the Turkish troops, 

 who took with them several thousand Circas- 

 sian families. Shortly after their departure 

 from Suchum Kaleh, a torpedo-cutter of the 

 Russian man-of-war Constantino destroyed a 

 large Turkish iron-clad on the Caucasian coast, 

 making the fifth iron-clad the Turks lost in this 

 manner during 1877. The positions of the op- 

 posing armies remained virtually unchanged 

 during September, the fighting done being 

 limited to skirmishes between the different 

 outposts. On October 1st, the Russians began 

 a general forward movement against Kars, and 

 on the 2d a general battle took place. The 

 Turkish army formed a line which extended 

 from Great and Little Yagni, two fortified 

 hills in the Kurukdara Plain, as far as Ani, on 

 the Arpa Tchai River, with the centre advanced 

 toward the river and resting on Kizil Tepe. 

 The Russians, who had been reenforced both by 

 new troops and those lately employed against 



the Caucasian insurgents, commenced the bat- 

 tle at daybreak by an assault on Great Yagni, 

 which was the extreme outwork of Mukhtar 

 Pasha's fortifications, about twelve miles due 

 east from Kars. Here the Turks seem to 

 have been taken by surprise as much as the 

 Russians were when Mukhtar Pasha won Kizil 

 Tepe from them and compelled them to aban- 

 don their fortified camp at Kurukdara. A 

 single Turkish battalion defending Great Yag- 

 ni was cut to pieces or captured after two 

 hours' obstinate defense, which gave the Turks 

 an opportunity to prepare for the next assault. 

 This came soon after, and the battle that fol- 

 lowed was described as one of the most bitter- 

 ly-contested and most sanguinary of the cam- 

 paign, lasting over thirteen hours. The finnl 

 result was that the Russians were repulsed at 

 every point, and were even forced to abandon 

 Great Yagni, which had been taken at the open- 

 ing of the contest. The fighting was kept up un- 

 til the evening of the 5th, but the result was not 

 changed. The Russians undoubtedly suffered 

 a severe defeat. This, however, did not check 

 their advance, as it was thought at the time 

 that it would. On October llth, they gained 

 an important victory over Mukhtar Pasha, 

 turning his right flank and forcing him to re- 

 treat to Kars. On the 14th, the Turkish left 

 rested on Little Yagni, the centre on Awlis 

 (or Olya) Tepe, and the right on Aladja Dagh, 

 where three divisions were strongly fortified. 

 Olya Tepe is a spur or hill midway between 

 Yagni and Aladja, about fifteen miles east by 

 south from Kars. Besides these positions, the 

 Turks occupied several strong places, such as 

 Orlok and Visinkoi, hi the rear of their line, 

 for the protection of their army and Kars from 

 a flank attack. On Sunday, the 14th, the Rus- 

 sian left having been extended to the banks of 

 Arpa Tchai, beyond Ani, a division under Gen- 

 eral Lazareff moved south of Aladja Dagh, drove 

 the Turks from Orlok upon Visinkoi and Kars, 

 and occupied Orlok, thus completely turning 

 Mukhtar's right. On the morning of Monday, 

 the 15th, a heavy cannonade was directed 

 against Olya Tepe, which was the key to the 

 Turkish positions. In the afternoon General 

 Heitnann, with about 10,000 infantry, carried 

 Olya Tepe by assault, cutting the Turkish army 

 in two. The centre and left wing, under 

 Mukhtar himself, retreated upon Kars, pur- 

 sued by General Heimann and harassed in the 

 flank by General Lazareff, but succeeded in 

 gaining the cover of the fortifications of Kars 

 after a fearful rout, during which he lost a great 

 number in killed and wounded, several thou- 

 sand prisoners, and four guns. The three di- 

 visions constituting the Turkish right had 

 meantime been surrounded and attacked, and 

 driven from their fortified camp with great 

 loss. Finally, at 8 o'clock on Monday night, 

 the remnant of this portion of Mukhtar's army 

 surrendered with thirty-two guns and a great 

 quantity of material. Among the persons cap- 

 tured were seven pashas. The consequences 



