466 
THE 
WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY 
IN ASIA MINOR, 18 11 , 
Translated from “ LohelVs Jahresberichte ” (by permission of Col. von Lobell ), 
BY 
LIEUT. J. M. GRIERSON, B.A. 
[PAST II,] 
The result of the First Period of Operations was that the energetic 
but badly concerted offensive movement which the Russian army had 
undertaken with insufficient forces was turned into a pure defensive, 
and all its efforts were now directed to the prevention of an invasion 
of Russian territory by a victorious enemy. The forces available for 
this purpose seemed more than sufficient in the Rion Column, as it was 
strongly entrenched in an excellent position, and its communications 
were secured by the Ingur Column, which had troops enough for this 
purpose. The Ardahan detachment had no enemy in its front. The 
Alexandropol Column, although numerically weak, had a strong point 
d’appui in the fortress of Alexandropol, and its positions on the 
Lower Kars Tchai, and on the Arpa Tchai were very strong. The 
Erivan Column alone, in its isolated condition, was not strong enough 
to resist the invasion of the Government by Ismail Hakki Pasha, so all 
disposable troops had to be hurried up to its support. After the left 
wing had been sufficiently strengthened by withdrawing troops from 
the other columns and bringing up reinforcements from the interior up 
till the end of August, all the reinforcements from Europe, the last 
echelon of which arrived towards the end of September, were used to 
strengthen the centre. 
In Notes I, and II. are given the details of the reinforcements and 
the new formation of the columns. 
(a) Rion Column. 
The operations in Northern Lazistan during the Second Period are of 
quite a secondary character, as the peculiar position of the Rion Column 
prevented its undertaking any important advance. After his corps had 
