'Report on the Persian Army' [‎26v] (52/170)

42
“ It is evident that you have had much sorrow and suffered great losses
from my Government both in the first and in this last war, and as you are
the heir-apparent and will, no doubt, occupy the throne one of these dajs,
vou will certainly always think of revenge and ways to retrieve your losses,
hut permit me'to tell you, as your sincere friend always consider the
friendship of the Emperor and peace with Russia as of greater advantage to
you than anything else, and believe that a war with Russia will always be
the worst that could happen to you. I hope you will never forget this.
It was but natural that after the war, when the treasury was
exhausted, the army should have been neglected and con
siderably reduced, and if serious troubles had not broken out m
the interior of Persia, to suppress which necessitated resource
to armed force, the army would probably have altogether
ceased to exist. Under the year 1840, Jehangir Mirza v utes.
“The army has been neglected for two years, the payments are
much in arrears, and the total force consists ot only 14 toj am
. r >0 guns.” But Abbas Mirza, who soon after was also appointed
Governor-General of Khorassan, was a man of lesomces,
obtained money, as Jehangir Mirza relates, by appointing now
deputy-governors to all sub-provinces and distncts am
getting a pishkash from each, paid the troops, and got toget hi
quite a respectable army, with which he quickly restored ordei
in flic revolted provinces. 4 * *llis successes, liowevet, Imd <1
most unfortunate effect upon the temper of the Persians, who
became inflated with unreasonable pride and thought them
selves good enough to conquer any enemy without European
assistance.”
J. U. Stocqueler, who travelled in Persia in 1831, gives the
following information on Persian military matters at this period
(“Fifteen Months’ Pilgrimage,” London, 1832) :
“The disciplined forces of Azerbaijan consist of about 12,000 infantry,
1,200 horse artillery, and one regiment of lancers, drilled and organised
according to European fashion. These are divided into 10 battalions of
Persians and 2 of Russians, deserters from the army in Georgia. * The
1823 ; commander-in-chief Persian war, 1826-28, Turkish war 1829, Polish
campaign 1831, Hungarian campaign 1849, forces on Danube 1854;
Governor-General of Poland until his death 1st February, 1856. He was
honorary field-marshal of Austria and Prussia since 1850, his jubilee of oO
years’ military service.
* One of the most curious elements in the Persian army at this time was
this corps of Russian deserters. Already,quite at the beginning of bath Ali
Shah’s reign, a number of Russian deserters served in Abbas Mirza s army, and
introduced the first ideas of European tactics into Persia. In 1822 f raser
estimated their number at 700 to 800. In 1826 a few hundred Russians were
taken prisoner at the battle of Khunzerukh, and enlisted themselves in
Persian service ; Conolly in 1829 believed “that there were seven to eight
thousand Russian deserters in Persia, 3,000 serving with the army . . .
they were all Mussulmans.” Jehangir Mirza mentions 400 as “ just having
arrived from Russia,” iu 1833. Those in the infantry were called Bahaduran
(grenadiers) and were many years commanded by Samson Khan, a Russian
sergeant-major, who deserted his countrymen, married the daughter of the
Vali of Georgia, betook himself to Persia, and rose to high rank. He was
wounded at the siege of Herat in 1836, and died some years later. The
deserters were well paid, and fought well for their new masters until finally
disbanded about 1840. Colonel Stuart described them in 1835 as “ weaving
heavy shakos with high green plumes, red coutees with wings of blue cloth
and white lace, loose white trousers, and high boots."