the Russians suffered. The storming of Kars After the successes in the battles in the area surrounding the city, the Russian high command began their plans for the attack on the city of Kars. The Ottoman garrison guarding the city consisted of 18,000 infantry as well as 5,000 artillery. The Russian army, on the other hand, involved 30,000 infantry and 144 guns in the attack. Despite the numerical superiority, French attaché General de Courcy, who was advising the Russians, declared the fortress impregnable and that any attack would lead to countless Russian casualties. His opinion was shared by many in the high command as well as the majority of the troops. The city was well defended, and an all out assault would likely lead to enormous Russian casualties as General de Courcy suggested. The Russian high command, however, planned a night attack that involved careful preparation for two weeks prior and simultaneous attacks along a stretched enemy line. The first part the Russian attack was a heavy bombardment of the cities defenses and suburbs in the weeks leading up to the actual assault, with the goal of demoralizing the civilian population that already yearned for capitulation. The Russians began their assault on the city at 9pm on November 17 with simultaneous attacks on several points along the city. The complete surprise of the attack, as well as the demoralized and under equipped Ottoman forces defending the city, meant that after intense fighting throughout the night, the city fell the next day. The Russians captured 17,000 prisoners, with 4,500 of those being sick and wounded in the hospitals. The Ottoman fighting forces additionally lost 2,500 soldiers, and the Russians amassed 2,196 casualties. Aftermath of the Battle of Kars The Russian success at the Battle of Kars largely wrapped up the Caucasian front of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878. The city, along with surrounding territory governed by the Ottoman Empire up to that point, was ceded to the Russian empire after the Treaty of Berlin. The following years saw a significant amount of Armenians immigrate from the Ottoman Empire into Russian Transcaucasia, as well as Muslim Turks and Kurds immigrate from the newly annexed Russian territory into Ottoman lands. Legacy In 1880, Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky wrote a triumphal march named "The Capture of Kars" in honor of the victory. Gallery See also Battles of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Castle of Kars