I WITNESSED and LIVED THROUGH

The state and the condition of the retreating troops were very sad
and hopeless. They were either spreading along the road as if they
were small liquid chains or coming together every now and then. It
was evident that fear and anxiety prevailed them. Antranik took the
lead of this chain that was gradually melting away. He managed to
straighten the retreating people up; but soon they started dissolving
again in exhaustion.
Our artillery fire continued until the evening. It ceased after the fall of
dark. With the launching of defense measures against the kurds, all
the officers were compelled to act gracefully as the circumstances of
war demanded from honorable officers. Everybody was clearly aware
of the fact that retreating at such a point would serve to libeling us
eternally with cowardice and treachery. We had to resist the attacks
at first.
Today, I learned what the Armenian forces understood from
allocation of the artillery units, and from making use of them
during the battle. My guns positioned in the Büyükkiremitli fortified
emplacements were a vest ahead of the infantry units that were
stuck in the direction of Harputkapı, and refused to go any further to
provide cover for the guns.
Moreover, on the same day, the retreating units’ not forgetting to
take some moveable properties, steal the live stocks of the villagers,
and kill the unarmed and innocent people whom they met on their
way attracted my attention, despite the state of fear and panic they
were living through since their departure from Tekederesi.
It seemed that the enemy’s advance towards the city was unexpected.
No orders were issued for battle and organization. It might have been
issued, but I assure you that I did not receive such an order. I once
heard that a scheme was devised for the infantry troops’ capturing
the main corridors of the city upon the giving of signs of alarm. I did
not receive this order either.
I was to cover the fortified region by artillery fire and to prevent the
kurdish forces from penetrating in. In the field, there were the
infantry forces and the mountain artillery guns that were not under
my command.
That day, and the day before, the police was not only gathering the
men who were capable of working but the old and disabled Turkish
men as well. When they were asked they used to say they were
“gathering workers to clean the snow covered rail tracks.”