The Columbus journal., 1886-07-14
THE PERSIAN ARMY.
The Help 1t Could Give England i'm . War
with Russia.

w..
with Russia.
have of late been surprised (D st the
orderly regularity of their camps; (2)
at the fair show Of discipline and neat
ness of dress when on duty; (O ut the
cleanliness of their rifles. which in the
regular army are all breech-loaders.
though not Of the best and latest pat
terms; (4) at the intelligence and smart
ness pf some of their officers. There is
now a military college at Teheran, at
which the superior class OF officers are
instructed in branches of military edu-
cation similar to those taught at most
European military academies. The in
ferior class of officers is drawn in the
main from the middle or lower grades
of the Persian people, and is as rule by
no means highly educated. Many of
them. however, are capable and intelli-
gent; though Others, and, l fear, the
majority, are the very reverse. This
class never, Or hardly ever, rises above
the grade of Yawar or Major. There
are SO battsiions of Persian infantry,
each nOminally 1000 strong. Perhaps
we may be not far wrong il we assume
the actual average strength of each to
be 500, thus making total of 10000.
The Shah has only three regiments of
regular cavalry, drilled and disciplined
by Russian officers on the COssack sys-
tenn He has at Teheran several bat
teries of artillery (guns of modern
make) also under European officers,
while scattered over his kingdom are a
collection of antiquated pieces of ord
nance worked by artillerymen more
or less proficient in the duties they are
called on to perform. To the above
may be added an almost unlimited
number Of irregular cavalry, but very
indiherently armed. Their arms are
their weak point. They are good
hOrsemen, well mounted on horses
capable Of enduring much hard work.
and are entirely independent of trans
port and dcOmmisSariat. AmOre mobile
force could not be found, and, COM
posed as it is of kurds, Turks, Bakhti-
aris, Hazaras, Jamshidis, and all the
best and bravest fighting element of
Persia. one not to be despised. But it
must be better armed in time of war.
That portion of the Persian army which
is under the Zill-us-Sultan at Isfahan
has q good name for drill, discipline,
and general efficiency. All considered,
then, we should be justified in placing
somewhat greater faith in the efficscy
of Persian military resources than most
recent writer's have displayed. Iwould
not argue that a Russian corps d'armee
marching on Teheran would be likely
to find the Persian forces more than =
match for it; but in the event of war
between England and Russia it would
be q great advantage to the former If
the latter were obliged to detach a
corps d'armee, whether to watch the
Persian frontier or to repel Persian
attack. Moreover, with a hostile Persian
on her right flank, the operations of
Russia from the Caspian via Askabad
and Sarakhs against Herat would be,
if not paralyzed, at least seriously ham,
pered. Let not. then. England despise
. Persian allilnce. But, be it remem-
bered, that alliance will be conditional
upon the successful debarkatiOn of .
British army in the Caucasus-which
means Turkish cooperation II and
probably. also on the presence of
powerful force from India at Herak-
National ReUieU.