A Truthful History

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LIEUTENANT GENERAL RTISHCHEV'S RULE IN THE CAUCASIAN PROVINCES AND THE PEACE TREATY SIGNED WITH QIZILBASHS

In February of 1812/1228 Lieutenant General Rtishchev was appointed tothe post of Administrator-in-Chief of Caucasus and Georgia. Arriving in Tiflis he startedregulating its affairs. In October of the same year Major General Kotliarevskii, namedAghzi pare General, made a night attack from Amaras upon Abbas Mirza, who was atAslanduz, and crushed his army. The details of that event are as follows:

The General advanced with a blood-thirsty regiment, Qazakh cavalry(118b) and a group of brave warriors of Karabagh. With the guidance of Murad KhanDelaqarde (Deraghorde) they crossed the Arax by the light of a lamp and got to the camp ofAbbas Mirza. At sunrise they attacked him at Aslanduz. When the artillery fired froma side upon his camp, the Qizilbashs leaped out from sleep, threw their tents and thingsaside and ran to the fortifications constructed on the Aslanduz hill. General occupied thecamp and stopped there. In the next night they started the attack upon the fortifications. At dawn the soldiers made an assault from two sides. It was still dark and all thesoldiers stayed at their places in a row. The [Qizilbash] warriors thinking that the[Russian] soldiers had already penetrated into the fortress, were confused and startedfighting one against another. They killed their friends without recognizing them, and leftthe fortress continuing the fight. Many of them were captured by the Russians or killed. Abbas Mirza fell in a pit and remained there with dead bodies until one of hisservants noticed him and brought a horse for him. [Abbas] mounted the horse andescaped to Tabriz.

General Kotliarevskii returned with triumph and spoils of war toKarabagh. He stayed there for a while, then in January of 1813/1228 recruited an armyagain and marched on Lenkoran and Talish. The winter of that year was so cold that eventhe warm waters of the [Caspian] Sea were covered with ice. The General left the fortressShushi to attack the Argevan fortress with no fear and doubt: he fought fierce battlesthere. Although many people died there because of both the frost and the fight, and theGeneral himself got several wounds, the fortress was captured. Later, after conquering theseat of the Talish Khan, General [Kotliarevskii] was back.

In October, 1813/1229 General Rtishchev started peace negotiations. Mirza Abul Hasan came with a group of people to the enemy land for parley. The peacetreaty of Gulistan was signed. Soon afterwards, the alarmed world calmed down a little. After some time General Rtishchev was relieved of his post and instead of him Ermolov wasappointed to the post of Administrator-in-Chief.