‘Russo-Turkish War, 1877. Operations in Asia.’ [‎35r] (3/42)

73
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h0l f i hlS P°? ltlon > Mukhtar Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. had 57 battalions of infantry
(exclusive of the garrison of Kars), 10 batteries of field artillery (60 gunsf
-T ntam ff’ ab S Ut . 1 ’ 800 re S' ,lar cavalr y (including some regiments
3" t ./„ a "! ved t 0D ! Syna ? nd Ba = bdad - and the Zaptieh contingent), and
; ® i ’ 0 : 0 lrrt ;? ulat ' horse - in addition to the above, 4 siege guns had been
rought from Kars and mounted on the Kizyl-Tepeh, 6 battalions* were on
then way from the right wing under Ismail Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. via Kagisman, and 2
battalions and 2 field batteries, ordered to join from Erzeroum, were now daily
expected at Kars.t The above, exclusive of the 0 battalions from Kagisman,
but including the garrison of Kars and the reinforcement from Erzeroum,
wouhl give Mukhtar Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. 73 battalions of infantry, 12 batteries of field
artillery (72 guns), 12 mountain guns, 5 siege ditto, and 1,800 regular, and
some 3,000 irregular cavalry, to hold a position 15 miles in length, and cover
liars trom a coup de main.
The weak point of this position was undoubtedly in the direction of Kars,
and the J urkish communications ran parallel to their front in the direction of
the town, involving risks which it is unnecessary to describe. The line of
telegraph which had been established between Mukhtar Pasha’s head-quarters
and the town, facilitated, it is true, the transmission of orders along the
extended front, but on the other hand, the many deep and rocky ravines and
ic general nigged character of the ground, were a great obstacle to lateral
communications, isolating, in fact, to a great extent, the different strong-
points which together formed the Turkish position.
On the Russian side, very little change had taken place in the positions
occupied by their forces during the month but towards its close, not only had
stiong reinforcements arrived at Karayal from Tiflis and other places on the
frontier, but the gaps in the battalions and squadrons had been made good by
fresh batches of men from the interior of Russia. General Goutchine had,
moreover, now replaced General Doukhovskoi as Chief of the Staff at head
quarters, and many officers of distinction! had been sent from St. Petersburg
and Moscow and joined the Grand Duke’s Staff apparently as advisers, the
recent failures having, it appears, been attributed to a certain extent to generals
who had gamed their reputation in Caucasian warfare. General Lazareff
succeeded General Dewel in command of the 40th Division, and Generals
Count Grabbe, Von der Schink, Komaroff, and Rydreowski were appointed to
commands. General Philippoff, Chief of the Staff to General Tergukasoff,
appears also to have been appointed to the Grand Duke s head-quarter Staff.
During the night of the 30th September, the Russian force at Uzunkend
(seven battalions and eight guns), which had been reinforced on the preceding day
by two regiments of Cavalry from the forces before Kars and at Kulpi, crossed
the Aipa-Chai, and at daybreak attacked the Turkish force that had been
posted on the opposite bank in the hope of surprising and overwhelming it
before assistance could arrive. At the same time a force of four battalions,
3 regiments of Cavalry and 2 batteries of field Artillery v r ere pushed forward
to make a demonstration towards the Turkish right wing, and succeeded in
causing considerable stir and alarm in the Turkish camps before dawn. As
day broke, however, it became evident to the Turkish General, from the
smallness of the Russian force in the field and the little vigour with which the
attacks were pushed forward, that nothing more than a feint was being made
in this quarter, the object of which w r as not discovered until the sound of
distant firing and the arrival of messages from the isolated detachment
covering the right rear of the Turkish position, apprised Mukhtar Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. that
, These battalions had been countermanded by Mukhtar Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , but they had left Ismail
Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. s force before the order arrived and reached Kagisman on the 30th September
f They arrived on the 1st October.
X Among- others, General Obrutcheff, President of the Scientific Committee at St. Petersburg
He was afterwards transferred to the army of the Danube, when the success of the Russian armv
in Asia was assured. J