THE WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY. 
397 
from Ardanutsch. In the evening Komaroif occupied the abandoned 
Turkish camp at Ardanutsch. 1500 Turks tried to retake it, but 
withdrew without fighting to Artwin and Batoum, so that the detach¬ 
ment returned to Ardahan on the 1st July. 
( c ) Alexandropol Column. 
For the protection of the frontier towards Alexandropol, the Turks 
had pushed forward a feeble cavalry cordon to the Arpa Tchai, whose 
isolated posts partly surrendered to the strong advanced guard of 
Russian cavalry, partly tried to oppose its advance ; an infantry brigade, 
pushed forward to Hadji Yali, 30 kils. east of Kars, also withdrew on 
that fortress. The Russian cavalry *was pushed forward 15 kils. to 
the Kars Tchai, while the main body bivouacked at Tikhnis and Molla 
Mursa, a few miles over the border. In the further advance the main 
body of the advanced guard quitted the northern of the two parallel 
roads leading to Kars, which they had hitherto followed, between which 
the rocky Karajal and Karakuzu Mountains rise east of the Kars Tchai, 
and advanced on the southern road to Pulvaran, 27 kils. east of Kars, 
while the other part remained halted on the Kars Tchai, and the main 
body of the column, which had only advanced a short distance to Kizil- 
Tchaktchak and Argiri, remained there on the 26th till a bridge was 
thrown over the river at Jamuschli. On the 27th the cavalry reached 
Subotan and Hadji Yali, the main body crossed the Kars Tchai, and 
bivouacked in Kuruk Dara and Poldirvan, on the north slope of the 
Karadjal Hagh. This ground, which was admirably fitted for an 
etappen station and a position to cover a retreat, was fortified and occu¬ 
pied by a permanent garrison, while on the 28th April the main body 
marched off in two columns to the north-east, to occupy a camp at Zainq 
on the left bank of the Kars Tchai, 21 kils. north-east of Kars, which 
was to be fortified, and from which communications with the 
Aklialtzikh Column were to be opened, and in which the main body 
was to remain while large masses of cavalry were to raid to the west. 
The inhabitants of the district of Shoregel, which had hitherto been 
traversed, submitted, and in the course of time some volunteered to 
enter the Russian service, and from them three sotnias of Karapakas 
were formed, which did excellent service as etappen troops and gen¬ 
darmes. Major-General Prince Tchavtchavatze now advanced towards 
the south and west of Kars from Hadji Yali, with 27 squadrons 
and sotnias and 2 batteries, and, marching by Yezinkoi and 
Magharadjikh, reached Khanlikoi, 11 kils. south of Kars, from which a 
mixed column advanced, but was repulsed by an attack of the 2nd 
Yolga Cossacks. 
This dashing raid of the masses of Russian cavalry made MukhtaT 
Pasha, who had assembled in Kars all the forces he could collect in this 
part of the country, fear that he would be shut up in that fortress with 
all his disposable troops, and that there would then be none to oppose 
the advance of the Russians on Erzeroum. He required a nucleus of 
regular troops for the Army of Operation, which was assembling in 
