‘Russo-Turkish War, 1877. Operations in Asia.’ [‎52r] (37/42)

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* 7t I’ P‘ :tober . » Russian column, under General Komaroff, affain advanced
tteni lt;no°K PUShcd ° D un °Pl )0Sed - farafolti but was
account of Ibe .nnT'i: 01 ' " c 8 T SOn ;t is “0‘exactly known, but probably on
force liefnre V '" S iollnd 'mpassable—and reached General Melikoff’s
sTatti ons lO or ip" ° r , ab0Ut the 3rd ° f It numbered some
"5 battalions, 10 or 12 squadrons or sotmas, and 36 guns.
BLACK SEA AND CAUCASUS.
m 1 or no chan K e took place in the relative positions of the Russian and
Noveml: * 0rCeS nCar ^ atoum during the months of September, October, and
~ ."T 1 / 0 Kus ^ an f orce watching Batoum stm consisted of the greater part if
not all ot the 41st Division, under General Oklobjio, numbering some
10 battalions, 20 squadrons and sotnias, and 50 guns.
On the 2nd and 3rd September, engagements took place between the
Russian troops near fort St. Nicolas and Kutais, and on the latter day, and the
9th, artillery combats before Batoum.
On the 15th September, 16 battalions were moved from the coast to
Ardahan; and, on the 22 nd, the Russian force at Soukoum Kaleh was removed
to Tiflis.
. the 2ist> an artillei 7 engagement took place before Batoum, and Fort
St. Nicolas was bombarded by the Turkish fleet.
Nothing now^ appears to have taken place till the 31st October, when some
engagements again took place between detachments of the Kabuleti column and
insurgents, near Kakout.
About the 16th October, Dervisch Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. detached 10 battalions from
Batoum to Erzeroum, via Trebizond, by Mukhtar Pasha’s order.
On the 7 th and 8 th November, the Russian artillery, which had been
remforced by several siege guns from Ardahan, kept up a heavy fire on the
lurkjsh positions at Katsoubani, and, according to Russian accounts, it was
tlien discovered that the Turks were still strong in artillery and infantry. The
Russian losses in this engagement are given as 8 men killed, and 1 officer and
38 men wounded.
On the 11 th November, cannonading again took place all day, without
apparently doing much damage on either side.
Towards the end of August, a serious insurrection broke out in Daghestan,
and severe engagements appear to have taken place between the Russian
troops (the 20 th Division and Militia) and the insurgents on the 23rd
September at Lavatsch, on the 24th at Koubisch, on the 30th at Kaipent,
and, on the 3rd October at Dschemi-kent; in all of which, according to
Russian accounts, the insurgents were defeated and dispersed, with slight loss
to the Russian troops.
By the 14th October, the insurrection appears to have been crushed in
Southern Daghestan, but engagements took place in the central part—near
Lawaschi—on the 15th and 16th, in which the Russians lost heavily, but the
insurgent bands were dispersed.
By the middle of October, the Samur District was in open rebellion, and
it was said that, at one time, Tiflis itself was threatened by the insurgents,
who now numbered some 18,000 men ; they w r ere however severely defeated
by the Russian troops at Kulische,
On the 28th, a Russian column was defeated by the insurgents at
Zermalje.
Tranquility was restored, according to Russian accounts, about the middle
of November.
SECOND SIEGE OF KARS.
The details of the second siege of Kars in this campaign are as yet
meagre in the extreme, and but little has hitherto been allowed to transpire
by the Russian authorities.
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