[7] Travels of Evliya, translated by Von Hammer, vol. ii. p. 181. The passage runs: “Eight hours further to the east we reach the frontier fortress of the Ottomans, the castle of Karss. There are three towns of that name; one is in Silefka, the Karss of Karatashlik; the second the Karss of Mera’ash, and the last that of Dúdemán, which is the present one.” I am ignorant of the locality assigned to the first mentioned. [↑]
[8] The name Vanand is said by Moses of Khorene (ii. 6) to be derived from that of the chieftain of a horde of Bulgarians who settled there. Now that Moses has been assigned to the eighth century of our era the statement need not surprise us. [↑]
[9] Von Hammer, Geschichte des osm. Reiches, vol. viii. p. 58. [↑]
[10] Uschakoff, Geschichte der Feldzüge, 1828, 1829, Leipzig, 1838, part i. p. 194. [↑]
[11] Uschakoff, op. cit. i. pp. 191 seq. [↑]
[12] Sandwith, Narrative of the Siege of Kars, London, 1856; Lake, Kars and Our Captivity in Russia, London, 1856. [↑]
[13] According to Sandwith (op. cit. p. 286) no less than 6300 Russians were buried by the besieged after the grand assault on Takhmas. Loris Melikoff informed the Daily News Correspondent in 1877 that during the operations of 1855, at which he himself had been present, the Russians lost more than 8000 men, killed or disabled. [↑]
[14] Loris Melikoff contented himself with making a strong demonstration against the forts on the left bank, and directed his main attack against the Karadagh and the forts in the plain. It was completely successful, having been undertaken at night. The Turks had concentrated their forces on the heights overlooking the left bank and might probably have gone on holding them after the capture of the town. But the Commander lost heart; the cunning Armenian who organised the victory left him an open door, and he took to his heels. I think one must regard these heights as practically impregnable, if held by a force well supplied with artillery, provisions, and water.
In 1877 the garrison was 26,000 strong, augmented to an even higher figure by the townsmen. The attacking force seems to have been about equal in number. Kars fell on the night of the 17th of November. See Daily News Correspondence, London, 1878; Norman, Armenia and the Campaign of 1877, London, n.d.; Étude critique des opérations en Turquie d’Asie pendant la guerre en 1877–78 d’après des documents officiels, par un officier supérieur Turc (Constantinople and Leipzic, 1896). [↑]
[15] Ussher, Journey from London to Persepolis, London, 1865, p. 238. [↑]