'Lieut.-General Sir James Outram's Persian campaign in 1857; comprising general orders and despatches relating to the military operations in Persia, from the landing at Bushire to the treaty of peace; also, selections from his correspondence as commander-in-chief and plenipotentiary during the war in Persia.' [‎30] (49/454)

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On the 27th ultimo, I landed at Bushire, and assumed the com
mand of the army, issuing on the occasion the order, of which copy-
is annexed. The vast preparations of the Persian Government for
the recovery of Bushire then came to my knowledge. Shooja-ool-
Moolk, who commands the Persian troops, had assembled a force, as
per margin,* at the town of Borazjoon, forty-six miles distant fiom
Bushire^and entrenched his position. This army was well supplied
with food and ammunition, of which considerable magazines had been
collected. It was intended that this force should form the nucleus of
a very large army, to be assembled for the re-capture of Bushire. I
therefore deemed it imperatively necessary to strike a blow in this
quarter, before prosecuting operations at Mohumra or elsewhere.
The 1st brigade, 2nd division, which arrived on the 31st ultimo,
and 1st instant, was landed immediately; and on the evening of the
3rd, the troops, as per margin,f marched from this camp, without
tent's or extra clothing of any sort, each man carrying his great coat,
blanket, and two days' cooked provisions; the commissariat being
provided with tftree days' in addition; the protection of the camp and
town of Bushire being duly provided for by a detachment ol troops
under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Shepherd, reinforced by a
party of seamen from all the ships in the harbour, which the senior
naval officer was so good as to place at my disposal.
After a march of forty-six miles in forty-one hours, during
which the troops were exposed to the worst of weather, cold nights,
and deluging storms of rain, they reached the enemy's entrenched
position on the morning of the 5th, and found it abandoned. The
enemy, on hearing of our approach, had evacuated his entrenchments
the previous night so precipitately, that his tents and camp equipage
and ordnance magazines were left behind. Ihe former were being
rapidly carried off by village plunderers, operating for some hours
\yg arrived. I endeavoured to intercept the retreat of sonic of
the Elkhanee's horse, who had held the camp during the night and
were still in sight, and a little skirmishing took place, but eventually
they made off.
The enemy having succeeded in withdrawing their guns to the
stron"- passes, where I did not deem it prudent to follow them, and
being 0 satisfied with the moral effect of our occupying their position
for two days, I decided upon moving the troops back to Bushire. The
return march was accordingly commenced on the night ot the / th,
first destroying their magazines, found to contain about 40,000 lbs. of
powder, with small-arm ammunition, and a vast quantity of shot and
* Guards 900; 2nd Karragoozlar Regiment, 1,500; Shiraz Regiment, 200; 4th
Regiment of Tabriz, 800; Arab Regiment, 900; Kashkhai Regiment, 800; total
Infantry, 5,100. Tufengchees, 1,000. Cavalry, 300; Elkbanee Horse, 500;
total Cavalry, 800; guns (said tobe), 18.
t 3rd Cavalry, 243; Poena Horse, 176; total, 419 sabres, 64th Foot, 780;
2nd Europeans, 693; 78th Highlanders, 739; total, 2,212 Europeans. Sappers,
118- 26th N 1, 442; 4th Rifles, 523; 26th N.I., 479; Beloochees, 460; total, 2,022
N 1 '• 3rd troop Horse Artillery, 6; 3rd Light Field Battery, 6; 5th Light Field
Battery, 6; guns. Camp.—378 Europeans; 1,466 N.I.; 1 company European
artillery; 14 guns.