468 THE WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY (PART II.) 
crossing tlie frontier at Orgoff, to Igdyr; so tliat tlie latter is an impor¬ 
tant road junction at wliicli an advance on Erivan by tbe centre or 
eastern roads can be met and checked. After the relief of the garrison 
of Bayazid, Tergukasoff, pressed back by the superior numbers of 
Ismail Pacha, to whom he could offer no resistance simultaneously in 
the three passes, had retired his main body to Igdyr, and there awaited 
reinforcements in a defensive position. Before these had arrived in 
any strength, Ismail threw forward a strong advanced guard over the 
Caravan Pass to Alakogaski, on the 5th August, and in vain struggled 
to throw the Russians back on Igdyr from Chalfaly; the main body 
(40 battalions) had remained at Misun on their own side of the frontier, 
and while Ismail detained the Russians by his advanced guard which 
remained in Alakogaski, he made a demonstration with a small flank- 
detachment towards the western pass at Abasgul, and advanced his 
main body by the centre road through Osma against the Russian right 
in Tcharutzi. The head of this column was repulsed on the 20th August 
at Guludji, but the advanced guard succeeded in pressing forward to 
near Igdyr, from which they were driven back to Tcharutzi on the 24th 
by Colonel Ismailoff. Ismail now joined his former advanced guard to 
his main column, and advanced on the 27th in three columns on 
Tcharutzi and Chalfaly, but failed to seize either of those positions. 
There then ensued a pause till the middle of September, during which 
time Tergukasoff was continually receiving reinforcements, but he still 
was not strong enough to assume the offensive. On the 19th September 
Ismail again directed attacks on the same positions, which met with a 
much more powerful resistance than before, although the Turks them¬ 
selves were much stronger. On the 21st he repeated his attacks, and at 
last, on the 27th, tried to turn the Russian right by an attack in great 
force on Tcharutzi. The 74th, 76th, and 154th Regiments not only 
repulsed this attack in a most brilliant manner, but also assumed the 
offensive, and drove the Turks so far back from this oft-endangered 
position that no further attack on it was attempted. The heaviest 
Russian loss during all these combats was that of this last day; it was 
only 176 men, however, so from this figure the tactical importance of 
the former combats may be judged. Prom this time Ismail's deter¬ 
mined attacks ceased, as in the beginning of October he had to send 
about half of his troops to Mukhtar Pasha. Lastly, on the 14th October, 
Ismail made a slight attack on Chalfaly, and then, influenced by 
Mukhtar's defeat at Kars, by which his own long line of retreat 
appeared endangered, retired, and begun his retreat on the 18th October, 
reaching G-erger (10 kils. east of Karakilissa) on the 24th, on which day 
Tergukasoff occupied Diadin, two days' march from it. Ismail availed 
himself of his two days' start in a most energetic manner, got over 
120 kils. in the next three days, and on the 27th, on the last day on 
which it was possible, reached the bridge over the Aras at Koprikoi, 
and there joined Mukhtar's rear guard. On the 28th Tergukasoff's 
cavalry advanced guard, which had pursued Ismail in vain, and had got 
over 180 kils. in four days, joined Heimann's advanced guard, which 
had advanced from Ardost, at Koprikoi. From this day the Erivan 
Column was put under the direct command of Loris^Melikoff, and was 
