During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 was seized the Fortress of Kars

6 (18) November 1877, during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, Russian troops under the command of Lieutenant-General Ivan Davidovich Lazarev took the Fortress of Kars.

Turkish fortress of Kars, historically an ancient Armenian city, the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Kars, according to the Treaty of Paris of 1855 was given to the Turks in exchange for Sevastopol, Balaklava and other Crimean cities.

During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, after the defeat of the Turks at Aladzha positions, Russian forces launched an offensive. From 13 (25) to 20 October (2 November) a siege artillery stock, consisting of five 6-inch guns, weighing 190 pounds, 24 copper guns of 24 pounds, 28 steel guns of 9 pounds and 6 six-inch mortars approached Kars; and 9 (21) October a detachment of General Lazarev reached the fortress. Russian troops had 28, 000 infantry and cavalry. Field artillery included 56 guns.

Kars, rebuilt in the mid-1850s under the direction of British engineers, was one of the strongest fortresses of Asiatic Turkey. The fortress had four groups of fortifications with ramparts 6 m high and 10 m thick, with stone dungeons, barracks and powder magazine. The fortifications were linked to one another with a full profile trench, between them were field batteries. In front of the fortifications and trenches were ditches 3 m deep and 18 m wide; 3-5 rows of pitfalls, self-firing bombs (firecrackers), nets, and other obstacles. The fortress’ artillery consisted of 192 rifled and 111 smooth-bore guns. Most of the smoothbore guns were mortars of 5-pound, 2- pound, 1- pound and half-pound caliber. By the beginning of the siege, Kars’ garrison numbered 25, 000 people.

From October 30, during the week, Turkish fortifications were intensively bombarded. 5 (17) November at 9 p.m. the storm of the fortress began. In several places the assault columns accompanied 3-pounder mountain guns. In the morning of 6 (18) November Kars was taken. Those Turks who had survived the assault, surrendered. A small group of riders and the commandant of the fortress, Hussein Hami Pasha managed to escape. Russian troops captured the entire artillery of the fortress (303 guns) and more than 17, 000 Turks. Loss of Turkish troops (killed and wounded) was about seven thousand men, of Russians - 2,300 men.

According to the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878, the fortress belonged to Russia. However, in May 1918, after the conclusion of the Treaty of Brest, the Turks reoccupied Kars.

Lit.: Аноев А. А. Штурм Карса в 1877 году. (Из записок участника) // Исторический Вестник. 1904. Т. 96. № 4. С. 148-172; Гиппиус В. И. Осады и штурм крепости Карса в 1877 году. СПб., 1885; Исупов А. В. Штурм Карса. (Отрывок из памятной книжки о последней рус.-тур. войне) // Военный сборник. 1903. № 11. С. 208-216; Моисеев. Штурм форта Араба при взятии крепости Карса в ночь с 5 на 6 ноября 1877 г. (Участие в штурме 160-го пехотного Абхаз, полка) // Военный сборник, 1881, т. 141, № 10, с. 222-233; Семашкевич Е. Е. 158-й Пехотный Кутаисский полк в Русско-Турецкую войну 1877-1878 г. Саратов, 1883; Туманов Н. Е. Под Карсом. Из дневника участника войны 1877-78 гг. // Военно-исторический сборник, 1913, № 1, с. 83-98; № 2, с. 83-96; № 3, с. 43-56; № 4, с. 207-220; Тхоржевский К. В. Воспоминания о штурме Карса // Русский вестник, 1882, т. 162, № 12, с. 898-938; Широкорад А. Б. Русско-турецкие войны 1676-1918 гг. Минск, 2000. Гл. 13.

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Гиппиус В. И. Осады и штурм крепости Карса в 1877 году. СПб., 1885.