Siege of Kars

Siege of Kars
	Part of the Crimean War
	; The Capitulation of Kars, Crimean War, 28 November 1855, painting by Thomas Jones Barker
Date	June – 29 November 1855
Location	Kars, Ottoman Empire
Result	Russian victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire; British Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
William Fenwick Williams ; Christopher Teesdale ; Vasıf Pasha ; Ismail Pasha; Hurshid Pasha; Emir Bey; Nassim Bey	Nikolay Muravyov-Karsky
Strength
Regular militaries: 17,000 to 20,400; Bashi-bazouks: up to 6,270; Local conscripts: ~1,330; Militias: ~2,000; Total: 33,000	• Infantry: 19,275; • Cavalry: 6,450; Total: 25,725; ; 96 cannons,; 16 rocket launchers
Casualties and losses
18,500 total losses 8,500 killed and died of disease; 10,000 prisoners and defectors (12 pashas captured); 3,000 escaped to Erzurum; ; 114 – 136 guns; 60 standards	>6,500–7,478 in the storming on Sep. 29

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.