'Report on the Persian Army' [‎15r] (29/170)

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broken out the Persians would have completely lost all military
knowledge, and perhaps been subjugated by their neighbours.
It is true that the military spirit, which the genius of Nadir
Shah had to some extent revived, was in part kept alive by the
tirst Kajar monarch, Agha Muhammad Khan, who, “although
neither an intrepid warrior nor a clever general ” (Dr. Olivier),
once more raised the prestige of the Persian arms, conquered all
the rebellious provinces of Persia, captured Tiflis, etc.; but
his successor, his nephew Khan Baba Khan, who afterwards
took the name of Path Ali Shah, had no military inclinations
whatever, and the army was completely neglected until the
military interest was shifted from Teheran to Tabriz, from
the sovereign to the heir-apparent, Abbas Mirza, who in
preparing for a war with Russia laid the foundations of the
army as it at present exists. From the work of Dr. Olivier,
avIio was sent to Persia by the French Government, we obtain
a^ description of the Persian army under Agha Muhammad
Khan in 1796. During time of peace there was, properly
speaking, no army at ail, and during times of war the army
was generally disbanded on the approach of winter and did
not join the colours until the following spring, The household
of the Shah in itself formed quite a numerous corps always
ready for a campaign, and other fighting men were enrolled or
assigned for active service from all points of the empire and
generally reached the place they had been ordered to go to in a
short time. Men who did not come quickly Avere severely
punished, and Dr. Olivier relates that in 1796 forty men, who
had refused to join the army, had their eyes put out. Twenty-
seven Russian sailors, who had been seized in some of the
Caspian ports, were forced to execute this cruel act on the
Persians, and were later, on the 27th September, 1796, executed
before Agha Muhammad Khan in his palace. Many similar
acts of cruelty and brutal ferocity have much obscured Agha
Muhammad Khan’s quite uncommon attainments. The tribal
khans and governors of provinces were also always ready
with their own men and Avith others which they levied in
accordance Avith the royal firmans or orders. There Avere also
available for military service men of the various nomad tribes,
as, for instance, Kurds, Turkomans, Afghans, Uzbegs, Lesghis,
who Avere subdivided into branches, each Avith a particular
chief. These tribes nearly always composed the largest part
of the cavalry. The infantry, less respected and esteemed than
the cavalry, Avas composed of the rural population taken
indiscriminately from all tribes. The commander-in-chief of an
army was called Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. , the Khans, or chiefs of tribal
contingents, Avere, as with Nadir Shah, known as Sultans, while
chiefs of tribes and governors of provinces acted, Avhen appointed
by the Shah, as generals of divisions. Other officers were
commanders of 1,000, 500,100, 50, and 10 men, called Min-bashi,
Pansad-bashi, Yuz-bashi, Panjah-bashi, and Dah-bashi. The prin
cipal arms of these troops were bows and arroAvs, clubs, lances,
swords, and daggers; they were acquainted Avith firearms, but