THE WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY (PART II.) 
471 
Yagni. Schack ; s demonstration in front of Hadji Yali did not prevent 
strong Turkish reserves from being brought up to prevent an advance 
of the Russians from the Great Yagni. The distant demonstration 
made by Major-General Schelkovnikoff on the Turkish east front, 
although well carried out, had no influence on the issue of the day. 
After the battle the Russians bivouacked on the ground they had won 
and remained there next day. On the evening of the 3rd October 
Mukhtar Pasha attempted an attack on the Russian left from Hadji 
Yali; but though he failed, the massing of Turkish troops on that 
evening on the Kizil Tepe seemed to endanger so much the Russian 
lines of retreat, that ScheremetiefF had to abandon the Great Yagni, in 
order not to be cut off in this advanced position. Both the other 
columns retired on account of the scarcity of water on the morning of 
the 4th into their former positions, and twice repulsed feeble attacks of 
the Turks. The Russian loss on the 2nd was above 3500 men, that of 
the other two days 500 ; the Turkish loss is unknown. 
The success of the Russian attack had shown Mukhtar the weak 
point of his extended and disjointed front; so that on the 9th October he 
felt himself compelled not only to evacuate the Kizil Tepe and withdraw 
to his former positions, but also to send to Ismail Pasha asking him 
to hurry up all the troops which could be spared to reinforce his army, 
to compensate for his evident numerical inferiority. He entrenched as 
strongly as possible, as far as the rocky ground permitted, the positions 
on the Avlijar, the Little Yagni, and the Aladja Dagh, also the Inach 
Tepe group as a first line, but left the great Yagni, which was a little 
out of the line, completely unoccupied. As second line, on an average 
7 kils. from the first, he fortified the heights of Yezinkoi, the Tchift 
Tepe, Orluk Tepe, Schatir Ogli, and Bazardjik. It must be remarked 
that Kars, only 15 kils. from the Little Yagni and Yezinkoi, formed an 
important support for the left flank and centre of the position. The 
strength of MukhtaPs army is not known with certainty, but 50 weak 
battalions cannot be far from the true figure. 
The Grand Duke Michael recognised that this formidable position 
could only be taken by a wide turning movement round its right flank, 
and a combined attack on its front and rear. General Lazareff, there¬ 
fore, with the 40th Infantry Division, 75th Regiment, 4th Rifle Battn., 
16th Dragoons, 1st and 2nd Yolga, 3rd Daghestan, and Alexandropol 
Cossack Regiments, 40th Artillery Brigade, 6/19th and J 6/39th Ar¬ 
tillery Brigade, 1st Terek and 2nd Don Cossack Battery, and 
i 3rd Sapper Battalion, began his march from Bairaktar and Ozuglu 
on the 9th and 10th, crossed the Arpa Tchai, marched 30 kils. south¬ 
wards along its Russian bank, and at the frontier fort of Kambinsk, 
where he picked up two battalions of the 153rd and the 2nd Kisliaro 
Cossack Regiment, crossed again into Turkish territory, and advanced 
westwards to Digor, which he reached on the 12th. There he united 
with Major-General Zitovitch, who had been detached from Terguka- 
sofPs corps with the 154th Regiment, two sotnias of Uman Cossacks, 
and the 5/39th Artillery Brigade, and had advanced by Hadji Bairan. 
Digor lies 14 kils. behind the extreme right wing of the Aladja position, 
and 13 kils. on the right flank of Bazardjik. LazarefFs troops now 
mustered 23J battalions, 28 squadrons, and 10J batteries (82 guns). 
