Qajar Army (Ronald F. Thomson, [1868] 1871)

Qajar Army

The Persian army, according to the official returns in the Office of the Minister for War, is said to consist of―

Artillery	5,000
Infantry	70,000
Irregular Cavalry	30,000
Regular Cavalry	500
Total	105,500

Of the above troops, however, only about one-third are employed on active service, and the standing army of Persia may, therefore, be more accurately described as consisting of―

Artillery	1,500
Infantry	18,000
Irregular Cavalry	10,000
Regular Cavalry	500
Total	30,000

Infantry.―The remainder form a kind of reserve. The men are allowed to reside in their own villages and districts, where they are, for the most part, engages in agricultural pursuits, and subject to no drill or military discipline; the infantry and artillery being, indeed, usually disarmed when placed on this footing. They, as well as the Irregular cavalry, are liable to be called at any moment, and it may be repeatedly, on the requisition of the Minister for War. The usual period during which they are required to serve is three years, but this is not strictly adhered to. Each regiment is supposed to muster 1,000 men, officers and soldiers included, though the number of privates rarely exceeds 600 in reality. While not employed on service, the Persian Government allows to each soldier half his nett pay, or 3 tomans a years, which is seldom, however, paid to him, and the officers above the rank of Sultan or Captain receive full pay, and, in some instances, their allowances also.

The late Ameer-i-Nizam raised the Persian army about nineteen years ago to 94 regiments of infantry, and of these, one-third was usually on active service, but after a few years the force was reduced to its present strength. The infantry is now composed of 70 regiments. Each regiment is commanded by a

Third Serteep	Colonel	1 Adjudan	Adjutant
1 or 2 Serhengs	Lieutenant-Colonels	8 Nayebs	Lieutenants
2 Yavers	Majors	8 Second Nayebs	Second Lieutenant
8 Sultans	Captains

Exceptions with respect to the first of these officers are sometimes made, and a regiment may occasionally be commanded by a Second Serteep (Brigadier-General), a First Serteep (Major-General), or even by a Serheng, if he belongs to an influential tribe. In the Persian army, no one below the rank of Serheng occupies the social position enjoyed by officers of similar standing in Europe. They are, for the most part, men without education, and would not be permitted to seat themselves in the presence of one of the Shah’s Ministers or any Persian official of rank.

All regiments on active service, if they have the full complement of men, are further composed of―

1 Jerrah (Surgeon)	32 Corporals
1 Colour-bearer	16 Lance Corporals
4 or 7 Sergeant-Majors	12 Sappers
5 Colour Sergeants	47 Musicians
32 Sergeants	816 Privates
In all about 1,000 men

Their pay and allowances are―

	Nett Pay	Allowances	Tomans	₤ Sterling
Colonel	800	250	1,050	420
Lieutenant-Colonel	400	150	550	220
Major	160	80	240	96
Captain	60	18	78	31
Lieutenant	30	12	42	17
Second Lieutenant	25	9	34	14
Surgeon	20	18	38	16

	Annual Pay		Allowance for food		Tomans	Sterling
	Tomans	Sterling	Tomans	Sterling
Sergeant-Major	10	₤   s. 4   0	6	₤   s. 2   8	16	₤   s. 6   8
Sergeant	10	4   0	6	2   8	16	6   8
Corporals	8	3   4	6	2   8	14	5   12
Musicians	10	4   0	6	2   8	16	6   8
Privates*	7	2   16	6	2   8	13	5   4

^* The inhabitants of villages which furnish soldiers to the army contribute each a small sum annually for their support, and by this means the soldier receives several tomans a year (sometimes 6 or 7) in addition to his pay. No soldier or labouring man can subsist in Persia on less than 8 shahees (4d.) a day, or 15 tomans a year.

A Second Serteep commands two regiments and receives 980 tomans pay with the usual allowances; and a First Serteep commands five regiments and receives 1,200 tomans nett pay, besides allowances. Ten regiments form a divison, which is commanded by an Ameer Toman, whose pay is 2.400 tomans a year. In each division, the first regiment is composed of Grenadiers, “Behaderan,” and the tenth of Chasseurs, “Mokhberan.”

These regiments are organizes by provinces, tribes, or districts. A province furnishes several regiments; a tribe gives one, and sometimes two; and a district contributes one battalion to the army. The commanding officers are almost invariably selected from the Chiefs of the tribe or district from which the regiment is raised. Every appointment in the Persian army, from that of a General to the promotion of a Corporal, is disposed of to the highest bidder. The amount received for the more important post is either paid to the Crown or to the Minister for War, while the sums demanded for inferior appointments constitute a small portion of the emoluments of the commanding officers. For all the higher grades in the regiment, the Chiefs of the tribe to which it belongs are sure thus to have the preference, as it is easier for them than for a stranger to enforce payment of unauthorized exactions in their own districts, and they can, therefore, afford to pay larger sums for their places. They have no difficulty in reimbursing themselves, for when the regiment is raised, or recruits are required for the ranks, the commanding officers have full power to call for any number they please, and, by exempting all those who can pay, a very considerable amount is at once obtained, though the consequence of this must necessarily be that the regiment is formed from the most worthless characters to be found in the tribe. Besides few regiments on service anywhere but at the capita have more than 600 men (privates) on duty, if so many, the remainder being permitted to absent themselves by the Colonel, who then draws their pay and allowances from the Government on his own account. There are many other abuses of the same nature which are tolerated, and even openly connived at by the Persian authorities, but it would be tedious to enumerate them. They are common to all the other departments of the Persian Government, and are not likely to be abolished unless the whole system of administration in Persia is, however, altered and reformed.

The Persian soldier’s pay is usually in arrears, though it is eventually paid to him while he is active service, some small deduction being occasionally made by the Colonel of his regiment. His allowances for ratios are paid with tolerable regularity.

The force now on duty in various parts of Persia consists of―

In Tehran	6 regiments	Sheeraz	1   „
Khorassan	3   „	Kermanshah	1 regiment
Asterabad	3   „	Kerman	1   „
Tabreez	2   „	Seistan	2 regiments
Ispahan	1 regiment	On special services	2   „
Total		22   „

The Persian troops are armed with old-fashioned French muskets, which are purchased in Paris for about 25 francs each, old muskets purchased in England twenty years ago, and a few thousand which been made in Tehran. Each soldier receives annually two uniforms, one of coarse woollen, and the other of coarse cotton cloth.

Staff.―There is a general staff at Tehran composed of Generals, Colonels, and Majors, but their appointments are regulated more by payment and favour than by merit. The officers, generally, in the Persian army are said to be most ignorant and inefficient. The soldiers, however, are described as being obedient, sober, intelligent, and capable of enduring great fatigue^*.

Fr infantry drill and manæuvre, the system adopted in Persia is that used in France, with certain modifications. The only books which they have for the instruction of the troops are translations made from European works by the French officers who were employed here from 1857 to 1862, and by the Italian instructors, three in number, who are now in Tehran.

Cavalry.―It is impossible to ascertain the number of Irregular Cavalry which the Persian Government could muster on an emergency. During ordinary times each tribe has to furnish a certain number of horsemen whenever they are required, and, while employed on active service, each receives from 15 to 25 tomans a year from the Goverment.

The following is a list of the force which is thus available under the requisition of the Minister for War:―

Persian Irregular Cavalry

Afshar of Azadabad	200	Hedavendee	251
Asterobadee	400	Beiravend Shahsevar	200
Koord Toorkee of Mazanderan	1,002	Karachooloo of Verameen	350
Khajehvendee	456	Nanakelee of Khar and Verameen	200
Abdool Melekee	100	Chehardowlee	450
Cheghanee	1,500	Shahseven-i-Koordbekloo	305
Cazveen Eelyats	2,500	Shahseven-i-Eenanloo	610
Ahmedvend-i-Bedevee	250	Shahseven-i-Doweeran	750
Zinjabee	300	Shahseven-i-Baghdadec	650
Koolyaee	402	Shahseven-i-Aphar	603
Nanakalee of Kermanshah	1,550	Chehardowlee	100
Bukhtiar Bajetanee	830	Afshar i Bekeshloo	250
Khemsaee	700	Husseinloo of Khar	350
Gondaree of Bestam	350	Kelatee of Khorassan	200
Nardeenee	280	Khorassan Horse	4,500
Afshar of Souj Boulak	400	Kermanee	200
Karraghanee	1,550	Azerbaijan Horse― Mehajeree Afshar of Oroomiah Afshar of Sainkala Chehardowlee Proojloo Shaderanloo Mokedem Ardebeelee and Mishkeenee Makooee Karapapakh Shekkee Sheghaghee Chelebeeanloo	1,400 500 300 500 203 202 303 500 100 430 103 300 200
Hoord Bachah	251
TOTAL		29,030

Each of the above detachments is under the command of one of the Chiefs of the tribe to which it belongs. The men are armed with such weapons as they can procure for themselves. Most of them carry the long-barrelled Persian flint gun, mounted on a thin, awkwardly made stock, or lances, and many have swords and pistols besides.

Artillery.―It is said that there are large numbers of cannon stored in the Persian arsenal, but it is probable that there are not more than a hundred in the whole country mounted and fit for service. With the exception of eight rifled guns (carrying a 4lb. ball), cast and bored in Tehran on the model of a small Belgian rifled gun brought to Persia five years ago, these cannon are all smooth-bored, and of small calibre, varying from 6 to 12 lbs.

Zembooreks.―There is also a small detachment of Zembooreks which ought perhaps to be noticed as forming a part of the Persian military force. They are mounted on camels, and are armed with light swivel 2lb. guns fastened to the pack saddles on which they ride. Some years ago this camel artillery numbered 600 men, but they are now reduced to 200. They are perfectly useless as at present armed, and are only intended as an escort for the Shah; but if they were furnished with the long rifles (Shamkhals) used by the Afghans, they might be formidable when employed against the Turkomans, or any irregular troops.

^* Persian soldiers march twenty-four and twenty-six miles frequently when merely changing stations. Last summer, when travelling with the Shah’s camp in Khorassan, I saw several regiments perform stages of twenty-four miles for days together, and on one occasion they marched thirty-six miles over a sandy desert in the plain of Tankhass without a drop of water on the road, and under a burning sun, when the thermometer stood at 102° in a double-fly Indian tent.

(Signed) RONALD. F. THOMSON, Chargí d'Affaires, Teheran.

Appendix to Memorandum of Persian Affairs. Part II. Report on the Population, Revenue, Military Force, and Trade of Persia. By Ronald Thompson, Esq., H. M.’s Secretary of Legature. // James Talboys Wheeler, Memorandum on Persian Affairs with a supplementary note on the Turkomans, Char Eimaks, and Seistan ― Calcutta: Office of Superintendent of Government Printing, 1871, pp. 38―43.