User:Jasonholler/Battle of Kars

Battle of Kars
The Battle of Kars was a decisive Russian victory over the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). The battle took place on November 17th, 1877, and resulted in the Russian capture of the city of Kars, as well as a large portion of the Ottoman forces defending the city.

Battles in the Build Up to the Attack
The start to the successful Russian attack of the city of Kars began in early October with fighting in the surrounding areas around Kars. Fighting in October of 1877 began with the Russians advancing on the hills of Little Yahni on October 2nd, and Great Yahni on October 3rd. Although the Russians experienced success in regards to Great Yahni, the Ottoman forces garrisoning Little Yahni were putting up a fierce resistance, and by October 4th, General Loris Melikov called off his attack of the hill. Despite their success on Great Yahni, the Russians had already suffered 5,000 casualties and their soldiers were exhausted after near constant fighting and marching for two to three days straight. At this point, the Ottoman army had amassed nearly 5,000 casualties. For a short period there was peace on the front, with the Turkish forces retreating to the fortified positions of Alaca-Dag on the 8th. By the 14th of October, fighting had resumed with the commence of a Russian flanking maneuver led by General Lazarev. He fielded as much as 11,000 men for the attack, including 2,500 sabres and 72 guns, in opposition to about 10,000 Ottoman men tasked with the defense of a frontline spanning nearly 15 miles long. The result of the battle was the rout of Ahmet Muhtar’s army on the 15th. The Ottoman general amassed 6,000 casualties in comparison to the 1,500 casualties the Russians suffered.

The Storming of Kars
After the successes in the battles in the area surrounding the city, the Russian high command began their plans for the attack on the city of Kars. French attaché General de Courcy, who was advising the Russians, declared the fortress impregnable and that any attack would lead to countless Russian casualties. Reports about the infantry guarding the fortress vary, however, the garrison was at the very least 15,000 men strong, and could have been up to 23,000 men. In addition to the infantry, the fortress was defended by more than 300 guns. Bombardment of the cities defenses and suburbs commenced the siege, with the goal of demoralizing the civilian population that already yearned for capitulation. The Russians began their assault on the city at 9pm on November 17th with simultaneous attacks on several points along the city. The complete surprise of the attack, as well as the demoralized and under equipped Ottoman forces defending the city, mean that after intense fighting throughout the night, the city finally fell the next day. The Russians amassed barely 2,000 casualties, whereas the Ottomans lost anywhere from 10,000, to 19,000 men.

Aftermath of the Battle of Kars
The Russian success at the Battle of Kars largely wrapped up the Caucasian front of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878. The city, along with surrounding territory governed by the Ottoman Empire up to that point, was ceded to the Russian empire after the Treaty of Berlin. The following years saw a significant amount of Armenians immigrate from the Ottoman Empire into Russian Transcaucasia, as well as Muslim Turks and Kurds immigrate from the newly annexed Russian territory into Ottoman lands.