Battle The
Circassians gathered 20,000 men and women, mostly local villagers,
Abreks, and tribal horsemen. The
Imperial Russian Army advanced from four sides with 250,000 soldiers, mostly
Cossacks and
Russians. Circassian fighters attempted to break through the Russian lines, but were hit with artillery before they managed to reach the front, and were soon defeated by Russian infantry.
Aftermath A military parade was held after the battle and 100 surviving Circassian warriors were publicly executed. Russian troops then continued raiding and torching Circassian villages, driving many of their inhabitants into the
Black Sea and destroying much of the landscape to prevent them from returning. The ensuing
Circassian genocide saw millions of Circassians and other
Caucasians killed or expelled from
Circassia and the rest of the
Caucasus. Most of the deportees were sent to the
Ottoman Empire, but many succumbed to injuries, disease, or starvation and exhaustion. The annexation of Circassia by the
Russian Empire marked the end of the
Caucasian War and thereby the
Russian conquest of the Caucasus. == Notes ==