'Report on the Persian Army' [‎25r] (49/170)

39
General Yermoloflf was unable to come to an understanding
with the Persian authorities, and the frontier questions con
tinued to cause difficulties and were only settled by the war
which ended with the Treaty of Turkmanchai in 1828. Colonel
Johnson, who saw much of what was going on while Yermoloff
was in Persia, says
“ General Yer mol off’s endeavours have not had any result. The Persians
imagine that the small increase of their army makes them powerful enough
to oppose the Russians. They speak of their former successes against the
Russians, and explain YermolofTs mission as having been dictated bv fear.
They forget the want of union which reigns amongst themselves, and do not
seem to be aware of their political decline. They ignore the great change
which has taken place in the Russian army, th*- great superiority of talents
which distinguish its officers, and, above all, the experience which the
Russian commanders have acquired in the last war. They consider all the
reports of the immense forces which Russia has to-day as empty boasts raised
for political purposes, and, unfortunately, the authorities share the ignorance
of the people.’’
Colonel Johnson also deprecated the institution of a regular
army for Persia, and adds :—
“ Persia possesses natural means of defence which European armies
cannot surmount, and whenever she intends to attack or to plunder she is
certain of finding a great number of intrepid champions among the nomad
tribes, who from the heights of their inaccessible strongholds always hail the
approach of regular troops equipped with all modern luxuries with joy, for,
as they themselves have nothing to lose, it promises them abundant booty
without risk.”
Iii a campaign in Khorassan in 1818, according to a state
ment of the Armenians at Astrakhan quoted by Jaubert, a
body of regular infantry was defeated by an equal number of
undisciplined Turkomans. In 1819 the regulars of Azerbaijan
under Abbas Mirza consisted, according to Moritz Wagner
(“ Reise naeh Persian,” Leipzig, 1852), of six corps of infantry,
and a small number of cavalry under Lieutenant G. \\ illock.
There were also 36 guns and howitzers.
After 1819 the British officers gradually left the Persian
service, and only Captain Hart remained as commander of Abbas
Mirza's bodyguard. Then ensued a long period of apathy,
until, in August, 1826, war with Russia broke out on the north
western frontier. The effects of this apathy were soon
visible, and Persia cut a very sorry figure on the battlefield.
During the first few weeks of the war, when Yermoloff, the
Russian commander-in-chief, had taken no measures to guard
against surprise, the Persians carried all before them and caused
heavy losses to the Russians, but Persian reverses, unfortunately
hastened by treachery and divisions in the Persian camp, soon
followed, and the Persians, in spite of much bravery on the
part of some troops that was fully recognised by Paskievitch,*
* Colonel Stu ti t (p. 389) says : “ Paskievitch certainly acquired a good
reputation in Persia by his conciliatory manners and the maintenance of
strict discipline among the troops. He says he had never more than 15,000
men in his army. At Genjeh the Persian serbaz behaved at first with great
gallantry ; he thought it right, for the sake of morale, to leave a good
position and attack the Persians in the plain ; the latter advanced to