In the winter of 1847-1848 the empire built fortresses that locked in Lesser Chechnya (the lowland-piedmont western part of Chechnya). Imperial officer Poltoratsky, a participant in the winter expedition of 1847-1848, wrote: "By the building of the forward Sunzha Line, from Groznaya to Vladikavkaz, we greatly constricted Lesser Chechnya, but by now constructing fortresses on the Martan, the Valerik and the Assa we were finally carrying out her death sentence"[1]. Historian N. I. Pokrovsky records the continuation in 1848: "at the beginning of August the fortification of Urus-Martan was founded"[2]. The stanitsas settled Cossacks on the sites of burned auls; the fortresses kept troops on that same land.