Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1877-07-05
KARS AND IT'S DEFENsES.
Ten Square Miles of EarthWOrks- Why
the Town Cannot be taAen by Assault.
from the Boston Advertiser. ]

[From the Boston Advertiser.l
The town of Kars itself is small, contain
ing only about Il, 900 inhabitants. 1t is built
| on the river Karschi and is surrounded by
hills on all sides except the south. Nature
has done much to strengthen Kars in the way
of defense; for since the day when field al
tillery came into action at 1850 yards, the
old system of Notifications are things of the
past, and Vauban and his school have died a
natural death. Nowadays cities are defended
by works at distance, and this is notably
| the case with Kars. The exact extent of
earthworks which cover Kars is about ten
square English miles, and these mostly occu-
py the eminences which nature has provided
for its protection. On the east is the mighty
hill of the Karadagh which overlooks every
other eminence for miles, while on the west
and north Kars is shut in by another range
of hills called the Tahmasp. The south is
protected by the river and large intrenched
camp, of which we shall speak presently.
From the Karadagh battery to the Tahmasp
battery is a distance of about four miles;
while from the Telek tabia to the souther-
most portion Of the intrenchment camp is
about five miles. 1t will here be necessary
to explain that the word "tabia' is the Turk
ish for ''earthwork" or ''ieldwork, and that
by the Turks after various favorite COM
manders. Of the Notifications erected by
General Williams those of the Karadagh and
the Tahmasp are all that remain; but these
have been strengthened, and what is of great
importance, supplied with Krupp guns. The
work of the karadagh mounts forty guns,
and commands all the others. 1t is red0ubt
with bastions, and communicates by cover
with Arab tabia, strong, closed redoubt
upon the northern spur of the Karadagh.
The batteries of the Tahmasp, which is in
itself q mamelon or rounded hill, are open
redans communicating with one another un-
til the north spur of the range is occupied by
Telek tabia, closed redOubt of great
strength. In addition to these defences there
is an inner line of redoubts and earthworks
situated on the north side of the river Kar-
schi and between the town and the Tahmasp.
To the south, on fine open plain, there is
an intrenched camp about mile and q half
square; this intrenched camp is protected by
five redans and two redOubts In all, Kars,
irrespective of its inner defences, is protected
by thirty works of various sizes, mounting
some three hundred guns. 1t will be seen
by the foregoing explanations how futile
would any attempt become to take such q
place by storm; for, what General Moura-
vieff, with an army of go, 600 men could not
accomplish, Melikoff with inferior numbers
will certainly not undertake to-day. If Kars
is supplied with provisions, as no doubt it is,
it will certainly take the Russian army the
whole of the summer and fall to reduce it by
siege, which, unless some dire calamity hap
pens, is the only way it can be taken.
Muhktar Pasha has $4,000 men in Kars, we'll
disciplined and we'll fed; and we know from
experience how the Turks can fight from be-
hind earthworks; he has also three other
armies in the field, which have just been re-
inforced by 10000 fresh troops ready to CO.
operate. Krupp guns have been landed at
Trepizond. together with other munitions of
war, so that Kars is in most complete state
of defense.