by the courage and capacity to endure hardship of the Iranian soldiers.
The cavalry was noted for its expert horsemanship. Riders could gal-
lop over rough terrain and then stop abruptly without being thrown.
This meant that the Iranian cavalry was far better suited to operating
in the rough Caucasian terrain than was the Russian infantry. Iranian
sabers were often of high-quality steel and were used with deadly
skill by the soldiers. Firearms, whether hand guns or artillery, were
of very poor quality, but the cavalry soldiers were superior marks-
men nonetheless. Their skills included being able to fire accurately
over their shoulders while galloping away from the enemy, a tactic
that the Russians found disconcerting.^15 (The Iranians also used the
lance and the bow and arrow.)
The quality of the military leadership varied greatly. Although
Fath 'Ali sometimes brought his troops into the war zone, more im-
mediate direction of the Iranian effort was entrusted to the heir pre-
sumptive, 'Abbas Mirza, who in 1804 was fifteen years old. At first,
the real commander was Soleiman Khan, a cousin of Aqa Mohammad,
who had a reputation for drunkenness. As 'Abbas grew older, he
took charge, immersing himself in military affairs, displaying his
courage by risking his life in battle, and punishing officers for cow-
ardice. At least two of the Iranian generals were men of notable brav-
ery and dedication. Hosein Qoli Khan, son of Mohammad Khan of
Yerevan, had played a crucial role in defeating Fath 'Ali's enemies in
the struggle for the throne and was made governor of Yerevan in
- He was allowed virtually complete autonomy and distinguished
himself as a general and an administrator for the next twenty years.
Even the Russians respected him as a soldier. The other outstanding
leader was Sadeq Khan Qajar, who was made the general of an elite
corps of European-style infantry and, with the help of two British
artillery officers, conquered Talesh in 1812. The British officers were
withdrawn soon after because of the Russo-British alliance against
Napoleon, but Sadeq showed that he could continue zealously with-
out the British. In January 1813, Sadeq, the ten generals under his
command, and 2,500 other soldiers valiantly defended Lankaran
against an attack by Kotliarevskii. The Iranians kept fighting through
five days of heavy bombardment, but Sadeq Khan and half his troops
were killed when the Russians stormed the fortress.^16
The Iranians employed several customary tactics against the Rus-
sians with considerable success. The tribal habit of raiding for booty
harmonized with the tactical necessity of avoiding the formal battles
in which Russian strengths would have been best utilized. Until the
deployment of European-style units late in the war, the Iranians relied
108 The War, 1804-1813