Siege of Kars

The Siege of Kars was the last major operation of the Crimean War. In June 1855, attempting to alleviate pressure on the defence of Sevastopol, Emperor Alexander II ordered General Nikolay Muravyov to lead his troops against areas of Ottoman interest in Asia Minor. Uniting disparate contingents under his command into a strong corps of 25,725 soldiers, 96 light guns, Muravyov decided to attack Kars, the most important fortress of Eastern Anatolia.

Late in 1854, British General William Fenwick Williams had been sent to Kars to assess the situation and report directly to Lord Raglan , the commander-in-chief of the British expeditionary forces in the Crimea. Williams found the city in a deplorable state. The Ottoman forces included many newly-conscripted recruits, the men had not been paid in months and many had obsolete weapons. Support services such as hospitals were nonexistent. Many of the senior Ottoman officers were absent and lived in Istanbul. Morale was low and desertion high. Appalled by the situation, Williams took command along with several other foreign officers. He quickly set to work to institute discipline, train the troops and reinforce the city's defences. By the spring of 1855, 17,000 troops in high spirits stood ready to defend Kars.

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