War and Revolution in Asiatic Russia
Khoy in Persia, approached Van by way of Serai from the East. Another, starting from the Alashgert, crossed the Ala-dag range and approached Van from the North. A third column, from the 4th Russian Army Corps, went by the Eastern Euphrates valley to Melashgert and to the Mush plain. The advance was highly successful. Djevdet Pasha, seeing himself threatened from the North, and knowing that Halil Bey had retired from Persia, evacuated Van; and so the besieged Armenians were relieved on May 19th. Melashgert was occupied, and advanced Russian patrols reached the plain of Mush. Thus the second Turkish offensive ended unsuccessfully, and the Russians came into possession of the eastern portion of the Van basin.
But the Turkish command was not inactive for long. Again the energetic Halil Bey organized a fresh force at Bitlis of two divisions, and by July 20th was advancing up the valley of the Eastern Euphrates into the Alashgert again. The Russians speedily evacuated Melashgert, and, owing to a misunderstanding, they also retired from Van, though its communications with Persia were secure. When the Turks reached Kara-kilisse on July 30th, the Russian command thought that Van would have to be abandoned; but before long a Russian counter-manœuvre from the Passan plain brought Halil Bey's advance to a standstill. A Russian division, formed from the 1st Army Corps in the Passan plain between Sary-Kamish and Erzerum, crossed the Sharian-dag into the valley of the Eastern Euphrates, and so threatened Halil Bey's rear, causing him to retire quickly to the Mush plain. The effect of this Turkish move was very disastrous for the Armenian population of the
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