Arshak Ter-Gukasov was born in the
Havlabar district of
Tiflis,
Georgia in 1819 to an
Armenian family of clergymen originally from Shamkhor (today
Şəmkir,
Azerbaijan). Ter-Gukasov attended the local Armenian
Nersisian School. To continue his education, Ter-Gukasov moved to
Saint Petersburg and studied at the
St. Petersburg State University of Communication where he graduated in 1839. As an engineer, Ter-Gukasov was assigned to build roadways for the Russian army in the
Caucasus between the years 1842 to 1850. He was then appointed as the 2nd Communications Manager of the Caucasus.
Military career War in the Caucasus Ter-Gukasov joined the Russian military in 1850. He then became part of the Apsheron 3rd Infantry Regiment. Due to his relative success in subsequent battles, notably in engagements with
Chechen and
Daghestani tribesmen in Dilim and Burtuna, he was promoted to the General of the Apsheron Infantry Regiment in 1859. Demonstrating success on the battlefield, Ter-Gukasov was bestowed the
Order of St. George. It was the forces under Ter-Gukasov, numbering at around 13,000 soldiers, stationed near
Yerevan, that commenced the first assault into Ottoman territory by capturing the town of
Bayazid on 27 April 1877. Capitalizing on Ter-Gukasov's victory there, Russian forces advanced, taking the region of
Ardahan on 17 May; Russian units also besieged the city of
Kars in the final week of May, although Ottoman reinforcements lifted the siege and drove them back. Along the way to Erzurum, Ter-Gukasov managed to capture the villages of
Karakilise, Diadin, and the
Eleşkirt valley. With a limited number of Russian troops garrisoned in Beyazid, Ter-Gukasov marched to Beyazid on 8 July to assist in its defense. After a brief siege, Ter-Gukasov successfully repulsed Ismail Shah's troops. The Russian soldiers are widely regarded as being "saved" from an inevitable defeat by the Turkish army. Ter-Gukasov's relief of Beyazid was a key factor in Russia's hold on the city, turning the tide of war in Russia's favor. With a low loss of 100 men during the confrontation, historians
William Allen and Paul Muratoff called Ter-Gukasov's engagement a "really brilliant operation". In January 1878, Ter-Gukasov was appointed commander of the
Akhaltsikhe regiment.
Post-war and death After the Russo-Turkish War, Ter-Gukasov was appointed commander of troops in
Transcaucasus. Thereafter, he was assigned as the Caucasian Corps commander. Meanwhile, his rank was assigned as General-Adjutant, an assistant who attended the Tsar, a field marshal or a general. By this time, however, Ter-Gukasov's health greatly deteriorated. He traveled abroad to be treated, but the treatment ultimately failed. After returning to Tiflis, he rested at the London Hotel where he died on 8 January 1881. The Russian government paid for Ter-Gukasov's funeral expenses. He was buried in
St. Kevork Armenian Cathedral next to Russian-Armenian military commanders he fought alongside during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–78: Mikhail Loris-Melikov, Ivan Lazarev and Beybut Shelkovnikov. His funeral was attended by many nobility including
Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia. ==Legacy==