Samad bey Mehmandarov Samadbey Mehmandarov Sadykhbey oglu ( , ; October 16 , 1855 - February 12 , 1931 ) was an Azerbaijani General of the Artillery in the Imperial Russian Army and served as the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic . Early life . Samedbey Mehmandarov was born on October 16 , 1855 in Lankaran , Azerbaijan in a noble family originally from Shusha . He graduated from 2nd Constantine Military School in St . Petersburg in 1875 , was conferred the rank of podporuchik and assigned to 1st Turkestan artillery brigade . In the course of military service he was promoted to poruchik in 1877 and seconded two years later to 2nd artillery brigade in St . Petersburg . Active duty . In 1885 shtabs - kapitan Mehmandarov was assigned to 38th artillery brigade in the Caucasus , where he served 9 years . In 1894 , 38th artillery brigade was transferred to Poland , where he became a member of court martial . In 1898 , captain Mehmandarov was promoted to lieutenant - colonel and appointed the commander of 1st battery of 3rd artillery battalion . The same year , Mehmandarov ’ s battery was moved to Transbaikal region and took part in China Relief Expedition in 1901 . For the services in battle Mehmandarov was conferred the rank of colonel . In 1903 he completed a course in Tsarskoye Selo Officer ' s Artillery College . When the Russo - Japanese War broke out in 1904 , Mehmandarov was appointed the commander of 7th Eastern Siberia artillery battalion . During the siege of Port Arthur he was the commander of the Eastern Front Artillery . For the services in battle he was promoted to major general and decorated with the Order of Saint George of IV degree . After the capitulation of the fortress the garrison was in Japanese captivity . When Japanese commanders allowed the captured Russian officers to return home in exchange to signing an obligation not to fight against Japan , Mehmandarov refused and preferred to stay with his soldiers . Upon his return from captivity Mehmandarov was appointed the commander of 7th East Siberian Artillery Brigade in 1906 , and became the commander of 3rd Siberian Army Corps artillery a year later . In 1908 , he was conferred the rank of lieutenant - general . In 1910 , he was appointed the commander of 1st Caucasian Division ; in 1913 he became the commander of 21st Infantry Division and in this position entered World War I within 3rd Caucasian Army Corps . Under Mehmandarov ’ s command the division earned the reputation of one of the best in the Russian Army , and 81st Apsheron and 83rd Samur regiments especially distinguished themselves . He was decorated with the Order of Saint George of III degree for the battles of 27 – 29 September 1914 , and Saint George sword decorated with diamonds for the battle near Ivangorod on 14 February 1915 . On December 11 , 1914 Mehmandarov was appointed the commander of 2nd Caucasian Army Corps . Mehmandarov ’ s corps was engaged in the fiercest battles with German troops and during the whole war had not surrendered to the enemy a single piece of ordnance . On 22 March 1915 Samedbey Mehmandarov was promoted to the rank of the General of the Artillery . He was decorated with British , French and Romanian orders . Azerbaijan Democratic Republic . After the February Revolution in Russia Mehmandarov resigned and left for Baku . With the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918 , Samedbey Mehmandarov became the third and last Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan . He held this position until 11th Red Army troops invaded Azerbaijan in 1920 . After the fall of the national government and establishment of the Soviet rule in Azerbaijan Mehmandarov was arrested , but was released two months later . He taught in military schools and was an advisor to the Commissariat of Military and Naval Forces of Azerbaijan SSR until his retirement in 1928 . Samedbey Mehmandarov died on February 12 , 1931 in Baku . References & sources . This article incorporates material translated from Russian Wikipedia