However averse we may be to war, we must acknowledge that it is often a
stern and cruel necessity: that it is calculated to draw out many of the
nobler qualities which exist in the human heart and mind, and that it
shows more than most other callings a man in his true colours. There
were many gallant deeds performed during the late war with Russia; but,
taking all things into consideration, none surpass the defence of Kars,
or more completely prove what can be done by courage, energy and
perseverance, devotedness and unanimity, when directed by wisdom and
science. All these qualities were displayed in a remarkable degree by
the British officers who undertook the defence of Kars against the
well-disciplined troops of Russia, with materials which ordinary men
would have considered utterly useless. I feel particular pleasure in
writing a short account of that heroic undertaking, from having soon
afterwards met some of the British officers engaged in it in Russia
itself. There, no longer enemies, but as honoured visitors, they were
received by the Russians with that respect which their gallantry had
won. They were visiting, as I was, the gallery in Saint Petersburg of
that talented artist and persevering Siberian traveller, the late Mr
Atkinson. While exhibiting his magnificent pictures, Mr Atkinson gave
us a deeply interesting account of his own adventures when he was
engaged in making the sketches from which he had painted them, and
altogether I look back to that morning as one of the most agreeable
spent during a short visit I made, soon after the war, to Russia.
But to our story about Kars. While the British, French, and Sardinian
troops were before Sebastopol, the Russians hoped, by sending a powerful
army by way of the Caucasus, to attack the Turkish dominions in Asia on
the east, and to compel the Allies to despatch some of their forces to
the assistance of the Sultan. The English Government had foreseen that
the Russians would do this, and had accordingly sent out General
Williams, then holding the rank of Colonel, and other officers, to put
the frontier Turkish fortresses in a state of defence. On the confines
of the Turkish dominions in Armenia, and to the south-east of the Black
Sea, stands the town of Kars. It is situated under a precipitous and
rocky range of hills, running east and west, and in most parts
impassable for artillery. This range of hills is bisected by a deep
gorge, through which flows the river Karschai, over which are thrown
four or five bridges. On the south side of Kars a fine level plain
stretches away for many miles till it meets a range of easy-sloping
heights. Kars has a picturesque old feudal-looking castle, built on the
summit of a craggy rock, rising out of the gully, with the brawling
river at its base, and commanding the whole of the city. The streets of
the town are narrow and dirty, and there are very few even tolerably
good houses, while the appearance of the population is sordid in the
extreme. Besides the castle, there were no fortifications of any
consideration. This was the place which, early in 1855, General
Williams, Colonel Lake, Major Teesdale, Captain Thompson, and other
English officers were sent to defend, with a disorganised Turkish force
under them, against a well-equipped Russian army, commanded by General
Mouravieff. General Williams had received the rank of Ferik or
Lieutenant-General in the Turkish army, with the title of Williams
Pasha. He and the gallant men with him had numberless difficulties to
contend with. The Turkish officers were generally utterly worthless--
the neighbouring tribes of Kurdistan broke into revolt--the troops were
ill clothed, and ill fed, and unpaid, and the whole _morale_ of the army
was at the lowest state, while the town itself was to be placed in a
defensible condition, to withstand the assaults of the powerful army
advancing towards it. The soldiers were upwards of two years in arrears
of pay--their shoes were worn out, their uniforms were in tatters, and a
large number were suffering from scurvy, caused by unwholesome food and
their long confinement in the ill-ventilated huts of Kars. General
Williams and his companions were first engaged in fortifying the town of
Erzeroum, which will be found on the map some distance to the west or
rear of Kars, and from thence they proceeded to the defence of the
latter place itself. The Russians were at that time assembling an army
at Gumri, and were evidently meditating a speedy attack on Kars. As no
time was to be lost in preparing for it, the English officers set
manfully to work to overcome all obstacles, and to put the place in a
proper state of defence. All vied with each other in zeal. In all
weathers, at all times of the day and night, in the saddle or on foot,
they were to be found labouring with head and hand, sometimes in the
trenches with spade or mattock, sometimes drilling troops, receiving
chiefs, settling disputes, encouraging the wavering, and organising
various departments of the service. Here is a description of General
Williams when the enemy had arrived before the town:--"We are all in the
saddle at half-past three a.m., and ride round the works; the troops are
certainly full of enthusiasm, and Williams Pasha or Ingleez Pasha is
already a great favourite. They see him everywhere; he is with the
sentries at the menaced point ere the morning has dawned, anon he is
tasting the soldiers' soup, or examining the bread, and, if anything is
wrong here, his wrath is terrible. His eyes are everywhere, and he
himself is ubiquitous. Each soldier feels that he is something more
than a neglected part of a rusty machine: he knows that he is cared for,
and he is encouraged, and confident of being well led." To Colonel
Lake, however, belongs the credit of having formed the chief
fortifications round Kars, as he was there while General Williams was
still at Erzeroum. They were of considerable extent. The chief battery
was on the summit of a semicircular range of hills, to the west and
north-west, and at the distance of two miles or more from the town.
This was Major Teesdale's position, and here General Kmety had his camp.
To the north again was a line of fortifications known as the English
Redoubts, where Colonel Lake commanded. The river flowed between the
town and the above-mentioned batteries. To the east, at a distance of a
mile from the town, was Captain Thompson's position--the Karsdagh
Battery, and from thence a line of batteries circled round to the south,
till they joined the river on the west. Thompson's and Lake's positions
were connected by a bridge thrown across the river by the latter. The
strongest position was a closed work, constructed by Colonel Lake, on a
height overlooking the city to the west, and known as Veli Pasha Tabia,
or Fort Lake. It was armed with four heavy and several lighter guns,
and was the key of the whole northern position. Day and night, officers
and men were employed in strengthening this extensive line of
fortifications, the whole northern part being on a succession of rugged
heights, commanding the surrounding country. No one worked harder or
was more enthusiastic than the gallant Teesdale, and there also was the
brave Thompson with Dr Sandwith, the chief of the medical staff, who
gives a most graphic account of the first attack of the Russians. It
was the 16th of June, the Feast of the Bairam, when the Turks generally
deliver themselves up to idleness and rejoicing, and all duty is
neglected. But the vicinity of danger kept the garrison of Kars on the
alert, and early in the morning news was brought that the enemy were
advancing on the town. The alarm was quickly raised, and all the
citizens rushed to the batteries. Every one was in gayest apparel--the
gallant Karslis slung on their scimitars, buckled on their
cartridge-pouches, and shouldered their rifles, and in groups by the
dozen, with hearts beating high and glistening eyes, scaled the rocky
heights above the city. Here is a picture:--"The women crowd the
house-tops, and cry to each passing warrior, `God sharpen your swords!
Remember us--we are praying for you--go, fight the infidels--God speed
you!' In a short time each man is at his post, where, by those looking
down from the batteries, were to be seen the dark masses of the enemy
steadily advancing over the broad plain of rich meadow land, covered
with brilliant yellow flowers. As they advance, a beautiful living
panorama is before the spectators--the enemy throw out their Cossacks
and Georgian skirmishers of irregular cavalry; these are met by the
Bashi-Bazouks, and a series of tournaments occur in the enamelled grassy
space intervening between the stern masses of advancing troops and the
breastworks of Kars. Two or three regiments of cavalry now advance from
the Russian lines, and, after a trot of a mile or two, charge the
retreating squadrons of Turkish cavalry. The rout of the latter is
complete, but the Bashi-Bazouks, under a gallant native chief from
Damascus, Ali Bey, fight well while retreating. Suddenly puffs of dense
white smoke issue from the Karsdagh and Hafiz Pasha batteries, and the
screaming balls are seen to plough through the dense Russian masses.
The enemy's artillery is now brought up, but their balls glance
harmlessly from the dense earthworks. The horsemen from both sides are
mingled, and rush for the entrance; but the Cossacks fall under the
deadly fire of the batteries, while those on whom our guns cannot play
are singled out by the Turkish riflemen, who line the rocky sides of
Karsdagh. The attempt to rush into the works has failed; after less
than an hour's cannonading the enemy retires, while this repulse raises
the spirits of the garrison to the height of enthusiasm. The Turkish
loss has been trifling, perhaps twenty, while that of the enemy must
have been considerably more." So the fighting went on: sometimes the
enemy approached the entrenchments and retired without making an
attack--at other times they attempted to storm the place, but were were
driven back with slaughter. The British officers did not cease to
strengthen their position; but they had soon to contend with a more
terrible enemy than the Russians within their own entrenchments.
All their supplies had been cut off--their provisions fell short, and
fierce famine made its appearance. Discontent among the troops--the
irregulars chiefly--naturally followed; the town was closely beset by
Cossack horsemen on every side. Still the war was carried on in a
civilised manner, and, from the first, the Russian General Mouravieff
showed himself a truly chivalric and humane man. It was felt that,
should Erzeroum be taken, a vast number of siege-guns would be brought
against Kars, and its doom be sealed.
Another attack was made by the Russians on the 7th of August, but they
were driven back with considerable slaughter. But it is with the
English officers we have to do:--"No sign of despondency clouded the
honest face of General Williams. His `Good morning' salutation was as
cheerful as on the morrow of the first little victory. He was thin--he
could not well be thinner: no wonder, for he never seemed to sleep.
Long ere daylight he was with the sentries of Major Teesdale's battery,
the point nearest the Russians, and his glass learned every movement;
anon he was encouraging the Bashi-Bazouks and settling their
differences, or arranging some plan for feeding the townspeople; and in
his confidential conversation with his officers on the state of affairs,
he would impress on them the duty of maintaining a bright and hopeful
bearing, since all the garrison looked up to them for encouragement,
Thompson lived altogether on the Karsdagh, and his glass ranged the
horizon from early morning until night; nor did he then go to a quiet
couch; for, though he turned in, yet, after an hour's light slumber, he
would visit each sentry round the whole works, and no part of the
position was as well guarded as that where this Argus had taken up his
quarters. Teesdale lived with the gallant Hungarian, Kmety, and acted
as chief of his staff. Besides his graver duties, he was constantly
harassing the Cossacks with parties of riflemen, or menacing and
attacking the Russian cavalry with a company of rifles and a couple of
guns." Thus day after day skirmishing went on, but provisions became
more and more scarce; scurvy, the cholera, and fever broke out; numbers
died, but the courage of the brave leaders never flagged. There was no
longer provender for the horses, and some of the cavalry, with a fearful
loss, cut their way through the enemy and escaped.
But the day of battle was not longer to be delayed--that day which was
to win the renown a soldier covets for the gallant strangers who led the
Turkish forces. On the 29th of September, before daybreak, one of the
advanced sentries of the chief battery, nearest to the enemy, heard a
sound in the distance, something like the rumbling of wheels and the
tramp of infantry. Kmety was soon on the spot. He applied his ear to
the ground, and recognised the rumble of artillery-wheels; while still
the measured tread of infantry was heard advancing nearer and nearer up
the valley. The night was moonless, and very dark. Again all was
silent. The Zebek riflemen look well to their percussion caps; the word
is passed to the artillery-men, "_peshref_" (grape); the advanced posts
creep into the lines with the ominous words "_Ghiaour gueliur_" (The
infidels are coming). A dark mass, faintly seen through the gloom, is
observed. It is moving; it is a column of men! A gun is pointed in the
direction, the match is applied, and a hissing shower of grape flies
into the mass. An unearthly scream of agony from mangled human frames
follows the thunder of the gun, when both are drowned by a loud hurrah
which rises on all sides, and soon the whole line of breastworks is
assailed in front and flank. All surprise is at an end. The Russians
advance in close column on the breastworks and redoubts, while some
Russian batteries, well placed on a commanding eminence opposite, pour
shot, shell, and grape into the redoubts. Steadily each column
advances, while grape, round-shot, and musketry are pelted into them.
They still rush on; their officers, with wondrous self-devotion, charge
in front, and, single-handed, leap into the redoubts only to fall
pierced with bayonets. Their columns, rent and torn, retire to reform.
Meantime, on the left flank and rear of the position, the breastworks
are carried; a number of tents are occupied by Russian troops, while
their officers, ignorant that the redoubts are closed, flatter
themselves that the position is won. Kmety now, however, hastily
gathers together a formidable body of his best troops; Teesdale turns
some guns towards the rear and works them vigorously; Kmety's riflemen
pour into these partially victorious Russians a continued and
well-directed fire, which holds them in check, and woefully thins their
ranks. Meantime, the son has risen, and shows each position of the
enemy. A sulphurous cloud envelops the scenes of fiercest conflict,
while reserves in formidable numbers crown the distant slopes. Fresh
columns of the enemy charge again and again the front line of
breastworks and batteries, from which they are at first driven back:
they are received with a deadly and withering fire; and thus the fight
continues. But this is not the only struggle going on. The line of
breastworks and forts protecting the heights on the north of the town
are attacked simultaneously by overpowering numbers, and being defended
only by a weak force, mainly of Laz irregulars, are carried and occupied
by Russian troops, who pile arms and wait for further orders; while the
Russian artillery-men employ their time in busily shelling the town,
which they now command. Meantime, General Williams from the centre of
the camp is watching events. He despatches a body under Kherim Pasha,
which appears suddenly on the flank of a large body of Russians now
gaining ground in the rear of the Turks on the chief battery. A loud
yell arises of triumph and vengeance. Baba Kherim waves his sword; his
troops pour a volley into the enemy; Kmety and his men, hitherto
overpowered, raise a responsive cheer: they rush on, crying, "_Sungu_!
_sungu_!" (The bayonet! the bayonet!) Teesdale pours fresh grape into
the staggering masses; the Russians waver--they give way--the havoc
slacks not. The Turkish artillery hurl round-shots into these columns
of brave and devoted men. Captain Thompson, on the extreme east, is
with might and main working a heavy gun, and keeping the enemy in check.
Once, and once only, there is a slight sign of giving way, but General
Williams despatching reinforcements, changes the backward into a forward
movement. The loud hurrahs of the Russian hosts are mingled with the
yells of the Turks, who tight like tigers, charging repeatedly with the
bayonet. White-turbaned citizens are seen plunging into the fight,
hewing with their scimitars; athletic and savage Lazistan mountaineers
fight with the clubbed rifle, or hurl stones at the advancing foe, while
the latter, ever obedient to a stern discipline, advance again and again
to the deadly batteries, and are blown from the very mouths of the guns.
Strong proof is there of the excellence of Colonel Lake's batteries.
For seven and a half hours the furious contest rages; when about mid-day
the Russian columns are seen running down the hill, their cavalry and
artillery steadily protecting their retreat. A confused mass of
citizens follows them with the utmost temerity, firing into their
retreating ranks. But where was the Turkish cavalry? Two thousand
horsemen would have destroyed the Russian army, but none remain. The
enemy reform, and march off unmolested.
The victory was complete, and the brave garrison looked forward with
hope to relief, but relief did not come--cholera did, and famine. The
provisions decreased, and many soldiers died of starvation, of cholera,
sometimes fifty in a night. News, however, came that Selim Pasha had
landed at Trebizond, and was advancing to their succour, and so our
brave countrymen resolved not to yield. Still the relief did not come.
Famine, disease, and death stalked round the camp. Human endurance
could last no longer. The 25th of November arrived, and General
Williams and his aide-de-camp, Teesdale, rode over, under a flag of
truce, to the Russian camp, to propose a capitulation. They were well
received by the humane Mouravieff. Terms most honourable to the brave
garrison were speedily arranged; private property was to be respected;
the troops were to march out with colours and music, and surrender
themselves prisoners; "and write," said the Russian General to his
secretary, "that in admiration of the noble and devoted courage
displayed by the army of Kars, the officers shall be allowed to retain
their swords, as a mark of honour and respect."
Thus was Kars defended chiefly by the wisdom, courage, and perseverance
of a few Englishmen, gallantly supported by the Turkish troops; and thus
it fell, not before the arms of Russia, but in consequence of the
mismanagement, roguery, and pusillanimity of Turkish generals and
officials. It would be difficult to point out to young soldiers an
example more worthy of imitation than that set by the gallant officers
who have been mentioned in these pages.
Story 13--CHAPTER ONE.