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'Report on the Persian Army compiled in the Intelligence Branch of the Quarter Master General's Department in India by Lieutenant J.A. Douglas 2nd Bengal Lancers' [112v] (14/22)
The record is made up of 1 file (10 folios). It was created in 1892. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
4
Recapitulation
strength.
Distribution.
" Nominally this is a large force, only called out in case of dire emergency>
In reality it is an insignificant and contemptible body of men, armed with
obsolete weapons, and performing with much reluctance the duties of local
guards.’ ’— (Cur 2 on .)
Colonel Smith gave the number in 1883 as 1,300. Mr. Curzon gives 2,000
as their effective strength.
Camel Artillery .—The camel artillery or 11 Zamburakchis ” consisted of a
small body of men (90) mounted on camels and working swivel
guns from their backs. They appear to exist only on paper.
The Austrian Corps .—The Austrian corps was formed by the detach
ment of Austrian officers who were engaged for three years
(1878-81) in the Persian service. The idea was that the corps
should serve as a nucleus of a new system for the whole army.
The idea, however, came to nothing, and the only survivors are the
European-trained native officers who are sent as instructors to
various infantry regiments.
To sum up the foregoing, the total strength of the army is approximately
as under. I give Mr. Curzon’s figures, which are the latest, and do not differ
materially from previous reports :—
Strength.
Regular infantry
Nominal.
. 63,700
Effective.
25,000
Semi-regular cavalry
.
%
• 2,493
2,493
Irregular cavalry
•
•
• 16,350
12,427
Artillery . .
.
•
4,000
1,800
Miscellaneous .
• 3,849
2,169
1
9°,392
43,889
Finally, the number actually serving with the colours is considerably less
than the above, probably about 30,000 men. Mr. Curzon states that in the
spring of 1891 not more than 15,000 were under arms.
As regards the distribution of the Persian army, there is little reliable
information. Mr. Herbert gives the following in 1886 :—
Teheran ....
Battalions.
7
Men
4,800
Tabriz ....
2
1,400
Miandoab ....
i
600
Ardebil and Meshgin .
1
700
Suj Bulak ....
1
700
Russian frontier along river
Oraxe
1
700
Kotour frontier .
1
600
Sarakhs ....
1
600
Astrabad ....
3
1,500
Kain ....
1
600
Baluch frontier .
1
600
Euseli ....
1
400
Isfahan ....
3
2,600
Mohamrah ....
1
700
Mashad ....
1
500
Kilat-i-Naderi .
1
600
Kirmanshah
4
1,800*
Bushire and Bandar Abbas
1
600
Shiraz ....
2
1,400
Kurdistan ....
1
700
Kurdish frontier
1
700
Luristan . . . .
•
2
1,100
Total
•
38
23,000
* In winter only.
About this item
- Content
This file is a report on the structure of the Persian Army. Compiled in the Intelligence Branch of the Quarter Master General's Department in India by Lieutenant James Archibald Douglas, the report gives the British perspective of the strength and weaknesses of the Persian Army.
The report is broken down into: infantry (organization, strength, method of recruiting, armament); semi-regular cavalry (Cossack brigade, Russian officers); irregular cavalry (General Gordon's opinion); artillery (mule batteries, artillery horses); micellaneous bodies (militia, camel artillery, the Austrian corps); recapitulation of strength distribution (breech-loading rifles, Werndl rifles; Berdan rifles, Chassepot rifles, Gobelin rifles, magazine rifles, and breech-loading ammunition); the army's pay; the army's uniforms; the state of the army; fighting campaigns against the Bakhtiaris, Lurs, and Arab tribes.
Included is a slip regarding the custody and disposal of secret documents (f 108).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (10 folios)
- Arrangement
The contents of the file have been arranged chronologically.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 106, and terminates at f 116, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'Report on the Persian Army compiled in the Intelligence Branch of the Quarter Master General's Department in India by Lieutenant J.A. Douglas 2nd Bengal Lancers' [112v] (14/22), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F111/694, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100076241287.0x00000f> [accessed 6 July 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F111/694
- Title
- 'Report on the Persian Army compiled in the Intelligence Branch of the Quarter Master General's Department in India by Lieutenant J.A. Douglas 2nd Bengal Lancers'
- Pages
- 106r:116v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence