"Let's go, brothers, and break it!" How 2 miraculous heroes of Kotlyarevsky crushed the 30th Persian army

Aslandus battle. Rice. M. Andreeva

General situation

The war with Persia has been going on since 1804. Two great powers fought for the future of the Caucasus. Persia sought to stop the successful advance of the Russians in the region, which they considered their fiefdom. The Persians were incited by the British and French.

Russia traditionally acted in the Caucasus with small forces and at the same time maintained order in the newly reconciled country. In addition, she was associated with wars with Turkey and France. In 1805, Russian troops repulsed the Persian invasion of Georgia. The Karabakh, Shirvan and Shchekino khanates, the Shuragel sultanate were annexed to the empire. In 1806, Gudovich conquered Derbent, the whole of Dagestan, the Baku and Cuban khanates. The Persian attack was repulsed.

In 1806, Russia went to war with Turkey and tried to make peace with Persia. England signed an agreement with Persia directed against Russia. The Persian army is reinforced by English officers and advisers. The British help Persia create a modern regular army. In 1808 the fighting continued. The Russian army failed to take Erivan. In 1809, fruitless negotiations were again conducted with the Persians. The war took on a protracted character. Due to insufficient forces, we could not launch a decisive offensive and end the war. Also, they could not fully use their successes.

At the same time, the Russians continued to beat the enemy in small numbers. So, in June 1810, Colonel Pyotr Kotlyarevsky, with one battalion of rangers of the 17th regiment, took the impregnable by nature and heavily armed fortress of Migri. Then the miraculous heroes of Kotlyarevsky destroyed the 10th Persian corps, which was trying to recapture the fortress, with a night attack. The brave and decisive commander was appointed chief of the Caucasian (Georgian) Grenadier Regiment. On December 7, 1810, with a sudden attack, Kotlyarevsky, leading the soldiers of his regiment through mountain goat trails, took the fortress of Akhalkalaki, the last stronghold of the Turks in Transcaucasia. Then he conquered the entire Akhalkalaki region and received the rank of general. This case ended the war with Turkey in the Caucasus.

Pyotr Stepanovich Kotlyarevsky (1782–1851) - general of infantry, conqueror of Transcaucasia

New Persian invasion

In February 1812, the Persian army under the command of Prince Abbas-Mirza invaded Karabakh with the aim of raising an uprising of local tribes and defeating the insignificant Russian forces. The Persians were able to destroy and capture the 3rd battalion of the Trinity Infantry Regiment in a fierce match at Sultan Buda. But the Persians could not develop the offensive. Commander Paulucci sent a detachment of Kotlyarevsky against the enemy. The general arrived in the Karabakh khanate in a forced march and began to exterminate individual enemy detachments. Abbas-Mirza withdrew his troops beyond the Araks.

The further situation in the Caucasus was close to critical. The approach of the war with France and the invasion of Napoleon's Great Army in June 1812 diverted all the forces of Russia to fight the invaders. The French entered Moscow. They didn't even think about Araks. Petersburg ordered negotiations and even concessions. Envoys from the Caucasian Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Rtishchev, Major Popov and court adviser Vasily Freigang, arrived at Abbas-Mirza's headquarters.

The situation was remarkable in that they were met by the British Ambassador, Sir Gore Ouseley (Owsley), who negotiated on Tehran's behalf. The demands of Persia were excessive. Russia would have had to give up many previous successes for which a heavy price had been paid. The ambassadors returned with nothing. Robert Gordon, Uzli's secretary, arrived in Tiflis with them. The Shah added a new demand - to give up Georgia. Russia tried to continue negotiations, the Persians were offered to moderate their appetites and find a compromise. But no agreement could be reached.

Meanwhile, the Persians were preparing for a new invasion. Abbas Mirza recruited an army of 30. 350 British officers and non-commissioned officers arrived to reinforce it. The Shah's army was given 12 guns and 30 guns. London financed the war with Russia. The Persian leadership, knowing the weakness and problems of the Russians, had no doubts about success.

The Persian prince himself was already tired of the war. But the Shah and the British demanded an offensive. On July 27, 1812, Rtishchev wrote to Chancellor Count Nikolai Rumyantsev:

“... Abbas Mirza’s desire to turn to the world is sincere ... but the influence of a foreign power, i.e. England, has a very strong effect on the Tehran cabinet ... With the arrival of the English ambassador to Tabriz, the honorary official promised by the heir of Persia from his side was not sent to me, the captured Russian officers and soldiers have not been handed over, the collection of troops has begun again.

Interestingly, when Napoleon invaded Russia, England again became an ally of St. Petersburg. In July 1812, the Treaty of Örebrus was signed, which ended the Anglo-Russian war and created an anti-French alliance between England and Russia. But in the Caucasus, the British still spoiled Russia.

In August 1812, the Persians launched an offensive, planning to raise an uprising of the highlanders and Turks. Abbas-Mirza occupied the Talish Khanate and Lenkoran, having received the opportunity to develop an offensive against Shirvan and Baku. On October 10 (22), 1812, Persian troops reached the Araks River near the ford near Aslanduz. The Persian commander-in-chief had 30 men with 12–14 guns and 50 falconets.

British delegation at the court of Feth Ali Shah: J. Malcolm, H. Jones and G. Ousl

Defeat

Russia's future in the Caucasus was in jeopardy. Kotlyarevsky saved the situation. He took with him the tested troops - the Georgian Grenadier Regiment, the rangers of the 17th regiment, the Trinity regiment (about two companies), the Don Cossacks and the artillerymen of the 20th artillery brigade (6 guns). Just over 2 people. And moved on to the enemy. The enemy had 200 times more troops. Russian miracle heroes had to win or die in an unequal battle.

Kotlyarevsky decided to crush the enemy army with an unexpected blow, not giving him the opportunity to use his numerical advantage. On October 18 (30), 1812, before the start of the march on the enemy, the brave general turned to his soldiers:

“Brothers! We must go beyond the Araks and defeat the Persians. There are ten of them for one - but the bravest of you is worth ten, and the more enemies, the more glorious the victory. Let's go, brothers, and we'll break it."

He also ordered to attack the Persian troops even if he died.

On the night of October 19 (31), Russian soldiers crossed the Araks. When crossing the river, one gun got stuck, and the soldiers could not pull it out.

“Oh, brothers,” the commander said, “if we fight well, then we’ll beat the Persians with five guns, and then, when we return, we’ll pull it out, and if we don’t return, then we don’t need it at all.”

Bypassing the enemy posts, in the morning the Russians suddenly appeared in front of the Persians. The enemy was unaware of the approach of Kotlyarevsky's detachment, everyone went about their daily business. The Persian prince was talking with English officers and, seeing an unknown cavalry (Kotlyarevsky sent mounted police in front to disguise himself), he said:

“Look, some khan is coming to visit me.”

However, it soon became clear that this was the enemy.

First, the Russian troops knocked down the Persian cavalry from the dominant height. Guns were placed on it, which began shelling enemy positions. The Persian commander-in-chief tried to lead the troops on a counterattack, starting a roundabout maneuver. The Persian infantry went to the Araks to outflank the Russians. Kotlyarevsky foresaw the maneuver of the enemy and organized a flank attack. The Persians could not stand it and, having an exaggerated idea of ​​\uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbthe enemy's forces, began to retreat. With difficulty, Abbas and his commanders managed to restore order and withdraw units to the fortifications at the Aslanduz ford.

The Russian general decided to attack, preventing the enemy from recovering. Make a night attack. He ordered not to take prisoners, to beat everyone except the commander. A non-commissioned officer who had escaped from enemy captivity offered to lead the troops to that side of the camp where the enemy had no artillery.

"To the guns, brother, to the guns!",

Kotlyarevsky said.

On the night of October 20 (November 1), in complete silence, Russian grenadiers, rangers and Cossacks made their way to the enemy camp. The Persians missed the blow. The attack was crushing for the Persian army. Soldiers shouting "Hurrah!" rushed into the bayonet at the enemy. The Cossacks cut off the path to retreat. In the darkness of the night, the Persians were unable to organize resistance, panicked, fired at each other and tried to escape.

Scheme of the battle at Aslanduz

It was a complete rout. Abbas, with a few bodyguards, was able to escape. The English officers were killed. Was pierced, etc. "Russian regiment" - "bogatyr regiment", made up of Russian deserters and captives. Only a few were able to escape. According to Kotlyarevsky's report, the Persians lost 1 people killed, and more than 200 were taken prisoner. According to other sources, Russian soldiers killed 500-9 thousand people. Kotlyarevsky himself said:

"In vain to write 9 - they will not believe."

5 banners, 12 (14) guns and 35 falconets, the entire treasury and property of the Persian army were captured. Losses of Russian troops - 127 people killed and wounded.

Value

This battle was of strategic importance.

Firstly, the Russians repulsed the enemy invasion with small forces, which threatened to lose most of the Caucasus.

Secondly, the main forces of the Persian army were destroyed or dispersed, the remaining detachments were demoralized by the bloody massacre. The Persians could only hope for defense, for strong fortresses, in particular - Lankaran. Soon Kotlyarevsky will put a winning point in the war, taking Lankaran.

Thirdly, the highlanders, Caucasian peoples and tribes, seeing the power of the Russian Empire and the Russian weapons, renounced uprisings and unfriendly actions against Russia.

Fourth, Britain lost a round of the Great Game in the Caucasus.

Comments

[Fon elia]

The glorious history of the victories of the Russian soldier. And now, like 200 years ago, history repeats itself. Transcaucasia is again on the brink of a big war.
Peace for everyone. ✌️

[Romanovski]

https://ru.armeniasputnik.am/20221015/mnogie-ostalis-voevat-do-pobednogo-kontsa-istorik-o-russkoy-armii-v-bitvakh-za-armeniyu-49764302.html
--
Erivan fortress was taken 195 years ago. On the liberation of Eastern Armenia and the role of the Russian army in the struggle of the Armenian people against Persian and Turkish rule, we talked with Doctor of Historical Sciences Sonya Mirzoyan.
Pavel Ghevondyan, Sputnik Armenia
The Armenian military-political elite of the early XNUMXth century actively helped the Russian army and the tsarist government, as they realized that only together with Russia could they free themselves from both Persian and Turkish rule. This was stated in an interview with Sputnik Armenia by Doctor of Historical Sciences Sonya Mirzoyan, who worked for several decades in the National Archives.
In October 1827, the Russian troops under the command of General Ivan Paskevich took the Erivan fortress, which was considered the most significant symbol of Persian power on the territory of the Armenian Highlands.
The capture of the Erivan fortress during the Russian-Persian war of 1826-1828 marked the liberation of all of Eastern Armenia.
"The Lazarev brothers, Nerses Ashtaraketsi, Harutyun Alamdaryan, the Argutinsky-Dolgorukovs, Khudabashyans, Yusufyans, the monastic order of the Mkhitarists - these are all those people who represented the elite of the Armenian people. They lived mainly in Russia and Venice. All of them, in principle , fought for Eastern Armenia to be annexed to Russia. They understood that at that time the only way to liberate both the Persians and the Turks was in the annexation of Eastern Armenia and, by the way, Western too, to Russia. Therefore, they tried their best to help imperial power," Mirzoyan said. She noted the great contribution of the local Armenian population, which supplied the Russian army with food and intelligence for several months, which made it possible to carry out a swift assault on the fortress - in less than two hours.
"We must remember that the Russian army has always been with us," says the historian. We are talking about the decisive role of the Russian troops in the national liberation struggle of the Armenian people. She recalls that the Russian army helped the Armenians under Peter I, during the Persian campaign of 1722-23.
"The liberation and annexation of the Kars region to Russia during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 was very important. This region changed hands three times - during the campaigns of 1828-29, 1855-56 and, finally, in 1878 the region finally joined Russia.In Kars, a lot of Armenians took part in the collection of intelligence data, supplying the Russian army with food, etc. This became a very important event in the fate of the Armenian people.But, unfortunately, after the First World War and the subsequent Through a series of tragic events, Kars was again lost to Armenia and the Armenians," Mirzoyan notes.
Several thousand Armenians took part in the battles on the Caucasian front of the First World War as part of seven militia units. The militia are people who can hold rifles in their hands, but do not know the art of war. Therefore, according to the historian, the Caucasian Front, first of all, is the Russian army.

"Officially, the Russian army left the front in December 1917, but this does not mean that it did not fight. Already at the end of December - in January 1918, Tovmas Nazarbekyan headed the Armenian Corps. Not only Armenians fought there. There were many Russian soldiers in the unit and officers who decided to stay in Armenia and fight the Turks to the bitter end. There were also representatives of other nationalities living here, "says the historian.
She complained about the fact that today few people remember such important events in the history of Armenia as the siege of Bayazet in 1877, the capture of Kars during the war of 1855-1856...
"We must talk about the victories that we achieved together with the Russians. I regret that so little is said about this, as a result we have what we have," she stressed.
Speaking about today's moods prevailing in the Armenian society, Mirzoyan notes with regret that "no one wants to think that the land should be defended by ourselves." If someone comes to help, you have to stand next to them, and not ask them to fight for your land. She is sure that neither the Americans, nor the British, nor the French, nor the Russians will help us if we do not do it ourselves.

[BAI]

An example of duplicity and hypocrisy of England. Be an ally of Russia in the West and spoil Russia in the South. For England, the day when the nastiness of Russia is not done is a day spent in vain.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: BAI

An example of duplicity and hypocrisy of England. Be an ally of Russia in the West and spoil Russia in the South.

A gentleman west of Suez is not responsible for what a gentleman east of Suez does. ©
In the sense that the big powers in Europe can even kiss each other, but this does not prevent them from fighting for zones of influence in the colonial regions outside Europe. For it's different, you need to understand. ©

[Nephilim]

The Persian commander-in-chief had 30 men with 12–14 guns and 50 falconets.

Strange as it may seem, yet another soul-saving delirium from Samsonov did not attract the attention of the turbo-patriotic crowd.

[Andrei from Chelyabinsk]

Quote from Nephilim

The Persian commander-in-chief had 30 men with 12–14 guns and 50 falconets.

What was wrong? I don't know this historical period/region well in terms of ground wars. I will be grateful for the clarification

[Nagaibak]

Nephilim "Another soul-saving delirium from Samsonov, oddly enough, did not attract the attention of a turbo-patriotic crowd."
Well, you probably have some other data so share it.)))

[etnetn]

In the German edition of KAW, the size of the Persian army under Aslanduz is estimated at 20 thousand people[26]. In the English "The Annual Register [en]" with reference to the dispatch of Sir G. Owsley - up to 14 thousand.[7] Also in English sources there is an opinion that about 5 thousand infantry participated in the battle

[Nagaibak]

etnetn (alex evelgarten)
"The size of the Persian army under Aslanduz is estimated at 20 thousand people [26]. In the English "The Annual Register [en]" with reference to the dispatch of Sir G. Owsley - up to 14 thousand. [7] Also in English sources there is an opinion, that about 5 thousand infantry participated in the battle." No matter how much I have come across European data, research facts, with rare exceptions, I have met something objective in relation to Russia.))) You read their work jamb on jamb. Either the names are confused, then the people, then the facts, then the dates.) The top of objectivity ..))) Moreover, it doesn’t matter whether the French or the British. And recently Ukrainians have joined them.)))

[Rome]

That is, in your opinion, Macedonian with 10000 soldiers can defeat 300000 Persians in hand-to-hand combat, and a Russian general with 2200 cannot cope with 30000?
Suvorov, without hesitation, went on the attack with 7000 Russian soldiers against 100000 Turkish troops, so there was nothing unusual in the actions of Kotlyarevsky for the Russian army!

[TIR]

Jaegers in those days were considered special forces. They knew how to fight alone. Ordinary infantry, when they did not feel the elbows of their comrades in the chain and teams, immediately turned into a crowd. And irregular units in such a situation simply run. Moreover, night battles for rangers were considered quite an ordinary battle. For line units, only daytime battles were fought. So the victory here is quite natural. Kotlyarovsky used his strengths and completely nullified the strengths of the enemy. It is in the planning of the operation that the main merit

[Mikhail3]

Kotlyarevsky said a few pathetic words. "To the guns, to the guns!" Attacked at night. And what, the rest did not say pathetic words? And you didn’t think to attack at night? So HOW did the "miracle heroes" crush the enemy? By a miracle? Chatter. Analysis, reflection, not a single gram of data. Chatter.

[faterdom]

Quote: Mikhail3

Kotlyarevsky said a few pathetic words. "To the guns, to the guns!" Attacked at night. And what, the rest did not say pathetic words? And you didn’t think to attack at night? So HOW did the "miracle heroes" crush the enemy? By a miracle? Chatter. Analysis, reflection, not a single gram of data. Chatter.

He acted paradoxically, unexpectedly and illogically for the enemy. But decisively.
Could lose, according to the calculated data at 90% probability.
But he was in the other 10%.
And the Transcaucasus became ours for almost 200 years, there were also Bayazet, Kars and other things, but only Gorbachev and Yeltsin could. About .. to lose Transcaucasia. Now it is decided - permanently or not, with the hands of Pashinyan.

[Ulan.1812]

I first learned about Kotlyarevsky from Pikul's miniatures.

[freddyk]

In my opinion, the whole point of those events is this

. Thirdly, the highlanders, Caucasian peoples and tribes, seeing the power of the Russian Empire and Russian weapons, refused to rebellion and hostile actions against Russia.

And now let's compare it with modern events. The softness of our power only exacerbates everything

[Nord11]

The Britons have always been the most consistent and implacable enemies of Russia.

[Tarasios]

"London financed the war with Russia. The Persian leadership, knowing the weakness and problems of the Russians, had no doubts about success.
The Persian prince himself was already tired of the war. But the Shah and the British demanded an offensive"
Nothing changes....