The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-11-24
The FALL OF kARS.

MILITARY CAMPAIGNS.
In all the wars between the Nuscorite
and Ottoman Empires, Mars, with il: out
lying ior:s and forndcatioas. has been
one OF he principal objective points Of
The invading army. During the Crimean
war the Turks made desperate defense
Of the place ss2ins. the Russians. second
only 70 the one jusI concluded. A, tia,
tine kars was taken by hunger, and not
By assault; Tie garrison was starved. no,
whipped, into submission. From late in
April Lass, when the Gar gave his troops
the order 20 gross the frontier" until
this final moment Of triumph, Ears has
been more or less strongly Invested by a
portion Of the Grand Duke NiIchael's
army. In This immediate neighhorhood
have been Tough! more engagements than
elsewhere in Armenia, and on numerous
occasions lis garrison has repelled des.
pera.e foe in grea. disorder,
By many military writer's II was, from
the commencement Of hos.ilities, looked
upon az the military key Of Asia Minor.
twas oce Of qusirilateral, Of which
Erzeroun, TTebizo1de, and Bs,cum
we're the other three points. Il has been
held tina. once tie Russians were in pos,
session Of the place, Erzeroum and the
other strong points 81 resistance would
be easily overcome. Since the beginning
Of the campaign it has more than once
been reported that the garrison had ilc-
cumbed to the besiegiag force; bat, /, il
hardly necessary 70 cay, these reports
were untrue. Ithas been besieged, then
the siege has been raised, and then again
il has been INVESTED. but AZ no time until
now have the Russians been inside the
town itself. 1t. garrison. and the few
hundred people remaining within IL.
Notifications, have suffered great hard
ships, but they were equal 10 the emer.
gencies required Of them. From early
in May until the 9th Of thar month the
place suffered greatly IRON lombard.
meIt; then there was lull OF few
weeks, and then the fnng was renewed.
The tall OF Arabian and BayaZid enabled
the Russians 10 concentrate larger force
on kars, aud only for the opportune ar,
rival Of Mukhtar Pasha the place might
even then have suceumbed TO the enemy.
Large quantities Of ammunition, both for
small arms and artillery, were thrown In.
| to the place both for the months Of july,
| August and September, and the commits
! sariat storehouses were completely re-
plenlshed. IL was dangerously denuded
| Of troops during the occupation OF the
Alsdia Dagh by the Turkish army, and
al one time during the great battle Of Oc-
tober 10, Mukhtars communications with
the place were temporarily severed. The
result Of that great battle completely
changed the Turkish Generals plans.
lie was badly beaten and compelled TO
fall back, first upon Kars and then hastiS
ly upon Erzeroum. kars was at once
closely invested by strong Russian
force, and finally by grand coupe de
main.
The importance ofthe Russian achlev,
mont may be realized from briet &C..
count Of the city, and the part it played
IN former campaigns. Kars Is situated
on ragged plain 6,0O0 to 900 above the
| sea on the kars, branch OF the Arpat-
chal. IL is defended by ramparts and
surrounded by ditch. and has strong
citadel. and some On the hill north OF the
city. The city was at one period the
| capital OF a petty Armenian Kingdom Of
the same name, but under the Turks il
lost importance. and became poor, dull
place, at which merchants stopped on
their way to and from Persia. The popu-
lation is about 1900. The town ia com,
manded by extensive castle, built while
the Genoese were possessed OF this dis,
trlct; the castle, now nearly crumbled
INTO ruins, stands perched on a rocky
hill at the foot OF which flows the little
river Kars. This hill is, however, over
topped by one higher, on the opposite
side OF the river Kara-Dagh, or Black
Mountain. Prince Paskcyich. in 1923.
obtained control of the town and castle
by occupying the higher bill with a few
guns. In the spring OF 1854, at the inst.
ahce OF General Guyon, he constructed
formidable earthworks on the Kars,
Dash, the whole male population OF the
Guy being forced to assist in making
these defences. In the Russo.Turkish
war OF lSo3.b5 kars was captured by
the Russians after heroic defence. In
June, 1855. General Mouravieff, With 49,.
V0 men, arrived before the city, when
was held BY the Turkish Commander.
with only 1900 men. On the 10Th OF
September the Russians made q general
assault, but were utterly rcpulsed at ali
points. The besiegers, however. re-.
NAMED around the city, and cut Oh all
supplies from the beleaguered garrison.
Az length, on the Gath OF November
General Williams surrended, and was &C.
corded all the honors Of war,