A Truthful History

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THE BATTLE OF GENERAL MADATOV AGAINST ABBAS MIRZA AT GANJE AND THE LATTER'S DEFEAT

On the next day of the battle at Shamkhor General Madatov entered Ganjeand started settling its affairs, consoling those, who had suffered. He liberated thebesieged Armenians of Kilisakend (137a) who, fearing for their lives and possessions, hadconstructed fortifications in their district. The chiefs, nobles, and elders appearedbefore his presence to welcome him.

Two days later H. Ex. Count Paskevich arrived with a Russian army offifteen thousand soldiers, five cannons and joined the forces of General Madatov. On thewhole, there was a regular army of nineteen thousand, apart from the cavalry, the Cossacktroops, and twenty-two cannons.

Abbas Mirza took the whole of his troops near Shushi and that ofMuhammad Mirza. As a result, it became an army of sixty thousand cavalry and sarbaz regiments, and twenty-five cannons plus the five cannons of Muhammad Mirza.

Abbas Mirza ordered to shave Nazar Ali Khan ofMarand's beard, to mount him on a donkey, facing its back and make a round in thearmy to be dishonored, because he had disobeyed his order: neither had he maintained thedefence of the fortress nor gone to Muhammad Mirza's aid.

Meanwhile, it was announced in the army of Muhammad Mirza, that thetroops, which would leave their commander and flee away, would be left between the enemyand their own troops to be massacred from both sides.

Thence, Abbas Mirza marched to Zazalu, a place located aboveGanje and stayed there overnight. [They] could not sleep until the sunrise from fear andmoved here and there. In the morning they did not attack Ganje, but came to the vicinityof Sheikh Nizami's mausoleum and arranged their army there. Major Samson (Samsam)Khan, who had betrayed the Russian State and was the commander of the group of new Moslemconverts, said to Abbas Mirza:

-Once I have sworn, that I will never (137b) fight against the RussianEmperor and his army. But your salvation is to send your troops to fight from severalpoints, for, if a side is pressed, an assistance will come from the other and prevent thedestruction of your troops, as you have a huge army, and theirs' is small.

Abbas Mirza refused to accept his counsel:

- Since you have sworn, your advice won't be useful.

The Crown prince arranged his troops in one row, stretching fromImam's grave down to the bank of the Kur. The small and big cannons were placed on anedge of a hillock, in front of the army and sarbazs. He himself settled above it towatch the troops and the encounter between the rivals. The Russian army from the otherside also got together and arranged a regiment.

General told:

-If Qizilbashs attack them from two, three points it will be a littlehard to overcome them. If they fight from one point, they will be thrown back in an hour. Then, the Commander-in-Chief Paskevich set in the heart of the army and put GeneralMadatov in command of the troops.

General ordered to fill the cannons with chains and gun bullets andhide them in a pit of the battlefield. [He] ordered three soldier regiments to make afiring-line.

From this side the bravest sarbaz detachment of Marand andKaradagh were ordered to be engaged in fight. They were immediately arranged in a groupand assaulted fearlessly crying, "Ya Ali!" They skirmished with them, made themretreat.

(138a) At that time the Commander-in-Chief Paskevich wanted the drumsof retreat to be beaten, until on the other day they could devise something. GeneralMadataov did not agree:

-They are not like the European troops. As soon as you beat the drumsof withdrawal, they will immediately mount their horses and scatter our troops.

Afterwards the Commander-in-Chief ordered: "You have your will".

Then general ordered to open a simultaneous fire from the cannons inthe camp. The "dragon"[-like cannons] with huge mouths started firing from leftand right, rushing like mad gipsies with yell and shouts to every side or circling like aviolent lunatic with thousands of chains in the battlefield. A sudden turbulence occurredin Abbas Mirza's army and its brave warriors were thrown aback in a completeconfusion. Dead bodies fell one after another. The violet sky hung over them, and thedeath slapped in the face of the fate. The battlefield was dimmed from the cloud of smoke. When the air was cleared from gun and cannon smoke, those, who hid themselves from fearand remained unharmed (138b) looked for their friends, and not finding them, took toflight. Some of them even had no time for using their arms, so they retreated with gunsfilled with bullets. On seeing this Abbas Mirza descended from the knoll, where hestood, mounted his horse and took to flight riding his horse until the bank of the Arax, without stopping at any place. All the [Qizilbash] troops turned off and fled away.

The battle lasted an hour and a half, whereas the fight at Shamkhorwent on three - four hours. In the same night the fleeing troops of Abbas Mirzacovered a distance from Ganje down to the Khoda-Aferin bridge.

During the battle an army group under the command of Allahyar Khan, anoutstanding captain, made fortifications on a hillock and settled down there. After theescape of Abbas Mirza's army, they fought until the sunset showing solidity andcourage. At the close of the day General [Madatov] sent a message to them, offering tostop the useless fight and submit, thus, saving their lives.

After Abbas Mirza's retreat his two cannons were left on thebank of the Tartar River in a rice field. Oghurlu Khan was sent after them, but he couldnot bring them back. Therefore, they left it in its place and went away.

The retreating prince crossed the Arax in twenty-four hours, and, therehe had Nazar Ali Khan of Marand smothered with a cord. Soon afterwards, he went tomeet shah, who had then come and stopped at Tavila Sham. He laid the whole blame ofdefeats and misfortunes on both Amir Khan Sardar and Nazar Ali Khan (139a)for weakness, treachery and breaking the back of Iran.

Thence, Fath Ali Shah made for Araq, while Abbas Mirza -for Tabriz...

After this significant victory, the name of General Madatov became veryfamous. He was called Madatov-Iranedof and many verses were made up to praise him.