THE BATTLES OF BUSHIRE, KOOSHAB, AND MOHAMMERAH.
1856-57.
It is a platitude to say that the kingdom of Afghanistan is, on its
Asiatic side, the bulwark of British India. Yet upon this important,
if well-known, fact depended the Persian campaign of 1856. A brief
recapitulation of history will show clearly the causes which led to the
British invasion.
On the fall of the Mogul dynasty in India, the plains of Afghanistan
were divided between Persia and Hindoostan, but as the power of their
conquerors gradually declined the Afghans rose, under Ahmed Shah, a
native officer, and after a successful invasion of Hindoostan, in 1773,
founded the modern Afghan kingdom. After varying fortunes, however, the
only portion of the once famous kingdom that remained under the sway
of Ahmed Shah’s descendants was the principality and town of Herat.
At this time Mohammed Shah ruled over Persia, and on Prince Kanwan
of Herat refusing to pay his accustomed tribute to Persia, the Shah
prepared to make war upon him.
Such a quarrel, while looked upon with great favour by Russia, could
only end in the weakening of the British outposts of India, and,
accordingly, Britain did all in her power to hinder the Persian
expedition to Herat, while Russia fomented the quarrel. Through
British influence, Herat proposed to submit to an arbitration by our
Government, but, egged on by Russia, the Shah declined to favour any
half measures, and accordingly, in December, 1837, Herat was besieged
by the forces of the Shah.
Well knowing the importance of Herat, and fearing for the consequences
should it fall into the hands of Persia, our representatives strongly
urged the interference of the British Government at this juncture.
Two other causes now combined to make critical the situation in Persia.
One was the seizing by Persian high officials of a British envoy,
returning from Herat; the other the personal insult offered by an
intoxicated Indian dervish in the town of Bushire to Mr. Gerald of the
British residency. The man in question, without provocation, openly
insulted Mr. Gerald in the street, ultimately knocking off his cap.
Mr. Gerald very promptly retorted by severely handling his assailant,
with the result that the latter appealed to the Governor of Bushire
for redress. The British Government, on the other hand, demanded
compensation for the insult to one of its representatives.
The tendency of these incidents was to put a severe strain upon
Anglo-Persian relations, and at this time the activity of Russia was so
marked that Mr. McNeill urged upon the Government the advisability of
some show of force to restore our prestige in the affected districts.
At length, therefore, a force from India was despatched to the island
of Karrack, in the Persian Gulf, and a corresponding consternation was
perceptible throughout Persia, while, at the same time, the Shah was
given clearly to understand that the continued siege of Herat would
lead to an open rupture with Great Britain.
For a time then, the siege of Herat was raised, and some form of
apology tendered to the British Minister, but once more Russia (always,
however, unofficially) stirred up the embers of war, which threatened
at this period to cool.
Petty annoyances and minor outrages upon British subjects were at this
time of constant occurrence, and at length Sir Frederick Maitland,
commander-in-chief of our naval forces in India, on the 25th March,
1839, landed some men from the Wellesley at Bushire. These men were
fired upon by the Persians, but, as the result of prompt action on the
part of our troops, a serious affray was averted. On the 29th, however,
Captain Hennell, the British resident, was conveyed to Karrack with his
staff, it being deemed unsafe for any British officials to remain in
the country unprotected.
Eventually, as a result of pressure and the refusal of the British
Government to receive the Persian envoy to the Queen’s coronation, and
other similar uncompromising measures, peace was more or less fully
restored in 1841. But history proverbially repeats itself.
Russian influences were at work, and by 1856 the Persian army, upon
pretext of settling local quarrels, was once more in front of Herat,
and subsequently captured it. This, with other petty annoyances too
numerous to mention, led, in November of that year, to a definite
declaration of war against the Shah.
As early as July or August, 1856, instructions had been sent to the
Governor-General of India to collect at Bombay an adequate force, with
transport, to occupy, in the event of negotiations breaking down, the
island of Karrack and the city and district of Bushire, the commercial
capital of Persia.
Says Captain Hunt, in his capital narrative of the Persian
campaign which he himself went through with his regiment, the 78th
Highlanders:--“Bushire is itself a place of much importance, and covers
considerable ground. It is defended by a wall, and has no ditch. As a
fortress it is inconsiderable--position and trade giving it all its
value; and yet as a commercial town, none in the world has perhaps been
oftener attacked.”
Bushire, then, was the first objective of the British expedition,
which, starting from Bunda Abbas in India, arrived in the Persian Gulf
on the 29th November, 1856. Once in the roadstead, the British war
vessels with their transports made so great a display of force that
the Persian Governor of the town despatched a messenger to Commander
Jones, the then British Resident, “begging to be apprised of the object
of their visit.” Commander Jones’s reply, which was addressed from
the Admiral’s flagship, conveyed to the unlucky Governor the scarcely
welcome intelligence of the proclamation of war, and intimated that
diplomatic relations were at an end.
The next move on the part of the British force was the occupation of
Karrack Island, to the north of the town, an operation which met with
no opposition, and then on the morning of 7th December preparations
were made to disembark the troops in Kallila Bay, some ten miles to the
south of Bushire.
Now at length the enemy began to show fight, and appeared in some force
in a grove of date palms, near the spot chosen for disembarkation,
but they were speedily driven from their positions. As our officers
and men sat down to breakfast on the morning of the 7th, previous to
disembarking, they were startled by a furious cannonade from the ships’
guns, and, on going on deck to find the cause, discovered the grove of
date palms in question to be the object of a heavy fire, which soon
dislodged the Persians. From that time on the landing was effected
without a casualty, the total firing occupying only a few minutes. A
day was spent in resting the men, getting stores and so on, and by
the morning of the 9th, General Stalker, who was in command, ordered
a general advance towards the town of Bushire, the fleet meanwhile
proceeding to approach the city from the sea, and holding itself in
readiness to join in the attack.
Early in the morning an advance party proceeded to reconnoitre, and
soon returned with the intelligence that a band of the enemy, some 400
strong, had entrenched themselves in the old Dutch fort of Reshire,
which lay between our army and the town of Bushire. The enemy had
opened fire with matchlocks upon our men.
The fort consisted largely of old houses and garden walls, and afforded
good enough cover, so a general assault was ordered, the fort being
encircled by our men except towards the sea, where cavalry were posted
to cut down any of the enemy attempting to escape.
The columns of the 64th and 20th regiments under General Stopford
advanced to the attack, and the enemy’s fire at once became heavy.
The affair was over in a few moments, and the Persians ran out at the
rear of the work and up the beach, anywhere away from our rifles and
bayonets, taking no heed of, or probably not understanding, the summons
to surrender, and many were shot down while endeavouring to escape.
General Stopford himself was killed by a bullet from a matchlock while
leading the assault.
Colonel Malet, in command of the slender cavalry force, met his death
by treachery. Seeing one of his troopers about to cut down a Persian
who, kneeling on the beach, implored mercy with outstretched arms,
Colonel Malet bade the trooper spare the wretch, and passed on. No
sooner was his back towards the two when the Persian he had spared
seized his matchlock from a bush where he had concealed it, and shot
the Colonel in the back.
Inside the fort many Persians were found hiding, and some of these
were killed, while others made good their escape. Here also were
found a large store of dates, of which our troops partook heartily,
till a rumour was set on foot that they were poisoned. For some time
considerable panic ensued, but the report was, to everyone’s relief,
proved to be unfounded.
Our troops then bivouacked near the captured fort, while the fleet,
with our wounded on board, moved slowly and cautiously down towards
Bushire to commence a bombardment the following morning. In the
meantime, Commander Jones had proceeded, in a small steamer carrying
a flag of truce, to approach the town from the sea, with a view to
summoning the Persian Governor to an honourable surrender, but on
entering the narrow channel leading to the roadstead he had been fired
upon by the town batteries. Accordingly the orders were given to
reverse engines, and Bushire lost its final opportunity of effecting
an amicable settlement. Early on the following morning the sound of
heavy firing from the town apprised the British camp at Reshire that
the fleet had commenced their share of the day’s operations. By nine
o’clock the land force was under arms, and marched to within a mile of
the land force of Bushire, where they were halted to await the issue of
the bombardment.
This was not long in coming. Terrified by the heavy ordnance from the
British warships, and paralysed by a sight of the land force, now drawn
up in line and giving an extended front, the Persian Governor held a
hurried council on the rampart.
A writer in “Blackwood’s Magazine” of that period has given amusing
extracts from that momentous conclave:--
“‘They stretch from sea to sea,’ said one councillor. ‘Their guns are
innumerable,’ said another; while a third observed, ‘They will kill us
all if we resist!’”
Small wonder that the sadly perplexed and harassed Governor decided,
most humanely, that discretion was the better part of valour, and
“pulled down his flag, or rather ordered the flagstaff to be cut down,
agreeably to the inconvenient fashion of his country, which gives the
victors the trouble of putting it up again.”
The cannonade had lasted four hours and a half, but the damage done was
slight, owing to the long range of firing necessitated by the shallow
waters which surround the town, and it is worthy of note that the
British Residency, which had been specially marked out to be avoided by
our gunners, was in point of fact the most damaged building in the town!
So soon as the firing ceased, with the lowering of the Persian flag,
General Stalker marched the land force into Bushire, and received
the formal surrender of the town. As our men approached, many of the
terrified Persians succeeded in making good their escape, while others
were drowned in so doing. The remainder laid down their arms before
the British lines, and to the number of nearly 2000 regular troops
were seated on the ground in rows. Thus, under a guard, they passed
the night, and it is somewhat ludicrous to learn that every time the
sharp words of command rang out for changing guard during the night,
the valiant soldiers of the Shah bawled loudly for mercy, under the
impression that their last hour had come!
In point of fact, in the morning they were set free, General Stalker
deciding that it was useless to retain them prisoners.
The British casualties at the taking of Bushire were nil, the whole
operation being effected by the guns of the fleet, though considerable
gallantry was displayed by both soldiers and sailors.
As the low-lying marshy district of Bushire itself is far from healthy,
the camp of the British army of occupation was pitched some mile and
a half from the city walls, and here, entrenched, our men awaited
both the arrival of reinforcements and a possible Persian attack from
Shiraz, where large numbers of troops were known to be collecting.
On the 30th January, 1857, the welcome reinforcements, the 2nd Division
of the British army in Persia, arrived in camp from Bombay, and with
them appeared General Sir James Outram, in supreme command of the
forces.
The accession of numbers due to the arrival of the 2nd Division brought
up the strength of our army in Persia to some 3500 men, with 18 guns.
The new arrivals consisted of the 14th King’s Light Dragoons, one troop
of horse artillery, a thousand Scinde horse, the 78th Highlanders,
and two regiments of native infantry. Captain Hunt of the 78th, whose
admirable record of the campaign is indeed the standard work upon the
subject, was one of the incoming men, and he describes the state of the
camp at Bushire at this time, and the uncertainty which prevailed as to
the objective of future operations:--
“Supplies of all descriptions,” he says, “were plentiful in camp, and
the inhabitants both of the town and neighbourhood were evidently
pleased at the British occupancy; indeed they could scarcely be
otherwise; for, irrespective of the pecuniary advantages of the
presence of a large force which paid heavily, and on the spot, for
everything, the orderly look and appearance of soldiers who visited
the town, without even sidearms as a protection, contrasted most
advantageously with the previous garrison, which had notoriously lived
upon what could be stolen or extracted from the citizens.”
Sir James Outram was not a man to let the grass grow under his feet,
and it was by this time ascertained that a considerable Persian force
was assembled at Shiraz, a town situated above the passes, some 150
miles from Bushire. Moreover, the Persian Government was known to have
collected supplies of flour and ammunition at the villages of Borasjoon
and Chakota, in the low country--the former forty, the latter twenty
miles from Bushire.
Accordingly, on the afternoon of the 3rd February, towards evening, the
entire force, with the exception of a camp guard, moved out of Bushire
towards Chakota.
Here in the end of December General Stalker had already blown up a
magazine of the enemy’s ammunition, but had not deemed it necessary to
occupy the town, preferring to direct his operations from Bushire.
At Chakota, then, arrived our now largely increased force by nine
o’clock on the morning of the 4th February, and a halt of some hours
was indulged in, the troops loading arms and making preparations for an
immediate engagement. By four o’clock the march was resumed, and the
enemy’s videttes in the neighbourhood of Borasjoon were sighted by noon
on the following day.
The enemy had been steadily falling back, and up to the present our
men had encountered nothing more formidable than heavy rain and
thunderstorms. Now, however, the army was halted, positions for attack
assigned, and final orders given, when, “to the disgust of all, the
entire army in our front was descried in full retreat, and going off
at such a pace as to render it hopeless to overtake them.” Some of our
cavalry, however, managed to get into touch with their rearguard, and a
few wounds were received by our troopers.
The majority of the enemy, however, were quickly out of sight, having
taken to the hills, where it was impossible to follow them, the hills
hereabouts being “formidable and of great height, and, except at two or
three pathways, utterly impassable.”
The 6th and 7th were spent by our men in the enemy’s vacated camp,
during which time stores were destroyed and some treasure was
discovered, together with many horses and carriage cattle.
An amusing incident was reported at this time. On the night of the 6th,
an alarm was raised that the enemy was at hand, and in point of fact
a half-hearted attack was commenced but came to nothing. During the
“turn-out,” however, the picket of one regiment, observing a suspicious
appearance in the darkness ahead of them, surrounded the spot with
extreme caution, and gallantly captured--an old house-door which had
been accidentally left propped up against a bush! There was much
laughter in the morning over this “daring exploit.” On the night of the
7th, the return march to Bushire was commenced.
Up to midnight all went well, but shortly after, a sharp rattle of
musketry was heard in the direction of the rearguard, and a halt was
at once called. In about half an hour, however, all was pandemonium.
Little could be seen, the night being intensely dark, but the enemy
were heard screaming like fiends on every side. Horsemen galloped
almost up to our lines, bugles were blown, and everything done to cause
confusion. From the first moment of attack our troops behaved with
admirable steadiness. The necessary movements were perfectly executed,
in spite of the darkness, and the formation of a hollow square, in
which to await the break of day, was rapidly performed.
Sir James Outram himself was, in the confusion, thrown from his horse,
and somewhat severely hurt, but Colonel Lugard, his chief of staff,
assumed the command promptly and effectively. Shortly before daybreak
the desultory firing ceased, and many have placed on record the almost
tearful anxiety with which our men prayed that the enemy might not
have withdrawn before they should have a chance of “getting their own
back.” At last the morning broke, and to the glee of all ranks the
Persian army, under the Shooja-ool-moolk, its commander, was descried
“in position,” drawn up in line, “its right upon the walled village of
Khooshab, its left resting on a hamlet with a round fortalice tower.”
As early as possible our artillery were moved up to the front, and
murderous volleys were loosed upon the enemy’s right, while our
infantry were getting into line.
“All night long,” says one account, “our cavalry had lain down beside
their horses, watching the glare of the Persian guns, and wondering
whether they would have an opportunity to seize them as trophies.” The
opportunity came soon enough. Whether from impatience or some mistaken
order, before the infantry could get within musket-shot, our horsemen
hurled themselves upon the right wing, and cut their way clean through
the Persian force with awful slaughter, and without the assistance of a
shot from our infantry, soon had it in full retreat.
The left wing of the enemy was thunderstruck. Without pausing for
an instant, they fell back, the two wings thus gradually converging
until they became a disordered stream of fugitive infantry, without
sufficient discipline to rally, yet without sufficient sense to
separate from one another, and so avoid, to some extent, the fearful
fire with which our artillery now plied them.
The eighteen guns opened with a roar, and the carnage began. For three
long miles dozens of the wretched Persians dropped in their tracks,
plied alternately by horse artillery and cavalry, and their retreat
became almost a massacre. Indeed, in once instance, since it was found
that many of the wounded fired upon our men after their lives had been
spared, a group of forty fugitives were cut down to a man, though
making signs of wishing to surrender. Again and again throughout the
Persian campaign did the enemy behave in this treacherous manner, and
the giving of quarter became a precarious leniency.
By eleven o’clock the fight and pursuit alike were at an end, and the
battle of Khooshab was won.
The British loss was nearly a hundred killed and wounded; the Persians
left seven hundred dead upon the far-extending field. Immense
quantities of arms and ammunition fell into our hands, and high
praise was bestowed by Sir James Outram on all ranks at the highly
satisfactory conclusion of the fight.
After a tedious march, during which they were much hampered by rain,
darkness, almost impassable country, and, in one instance, by the
mistaken leading of a native guide, our army returned to Bushire, and
for several days a well-earned rest was indulged in. Heavy rains fell
during these days of waiting, but, when the weather was fine, cricket
and occasional race meetings kept up the spirits of our men in camp,
and another brush with the enemy was the dearest wish of every one of
our gallant soldiers, white and coloured alike.
At this time General Havelock, destined to win fame in India, arrived
and took command of the 2nd Division.
Meanwhile, rumours that the enemy was gathering in force at Mohammerah
began to come to hand, and as this fort stands at the head of the
Persian Gulf, some thirty hours north of Bushire, and commands the
entrance to the Tigris and Euphrates, it was felt to be of great
importance, and so preparations were soon on foot for its reduction.
In miserable weather, and hampered by sand-storms, our men erected
five strong redoubts for the defence of Bushire, and here General
Stalker was left in command, with two field batteries, the entire first
division cavalry, some of the 64th and Highlanders, together with some
native troops.
The remainder, to the number of 3000, were embarked upon the transports
and war vessels, and, under Sir James Outram himself, set sail for
Mohammerah.
The 6th March saw the sailing of the sloop Falkland for the Euphrates,
and the ships engaged in the expedition composed the sloop Circe, with
the frigate steamers Ajdaha, Feroze, Semiramis, Victoria, and Assaye.
Transports were numerous, and included the Kingston and Bridge of the
Sea. These, together with the steamers Pottinger and Pioneer, newly
arrived from India, with a fresh troop of horse artillery and the
Scinde Horse, made up the fleet.
Mohammerah lies on the north side of the river Kanin, close to its
junction with the Shat-ul-Arab, a branch of the Euphrates, and is
about thirty miles from the sea. For a quarter of a mile from the
river’s mouth strong earthworks lined with artillery and musketry
guarded its approach. Now, while the left bank of the Shat-ul-Arab
belongs to Persia, the right, for sixty miles, is Turkish territory,
and accordingly the attitude of Turkey was somewhat apprehensively
regarded, since a hostile demonstration in the river might be
regarded by that Power as an infringement of the laws of neutrality.
Accordingly, no time was lost so that Mohammerah might be taken before
Turkey could have time to interfere. In point of fact, several Turks
were killed in the engagement, the inhabitants of the Turkish territory
crowding to the river’s banks to watch the issue of the fight.
By the 8th, most of the vessels had arrived in the mouth of the
Euphrates, and the remainder were expected in the course of the next
few days. A tedious wait followed, but by the 17th, Sir James Outram,
with the remainder of the force, arrived in the river, and an advance
was hourly expected.
Sir James brought bad news. In a fit of mental derangement, both
General Stalker and Captain Ethersay, the commodore of the Indian
squadron serving in the Persian Gulf, had died by their own hands at
Bushire, and considerable gloom was cast over the fleet by these sad
events.
“No cause,” says Captain Hunt, “save over-anxiety and an oppressive
sense of their respective responsibilities could be assigned as a
reason for their rash acts.”
On the 24th, all vessels were assembled at the rendezvous, some three
miles below the enemy’s fortifications; a day was spent in transhipping
troops into rafts and light-draught vessels, and at daybreak on the
26th the bombardment of Mohammerah began.
The first shot proved highly successful, killing eleven of the enemy,
who, it was afterwards ascertained, were at their prayers; and soon
after this the action became general.
It is impossible to resist once more quoting Captain Hunt:--
“The morning being very clear, with just sufficient breeze to prevent
the smoke from collecting, a more beautiful scene than was then
presented can scarcely be imagined. The ships, with ensigns flying
from every masthead, seemed decked for a holiday; the river glittering
in the early sunlight, its dark date-fringed banks contrasting most
effectively with the white canvas of the Falkland, which had loosened
sails to get into closer action; the sulky-looking batteries just
visible through the grey fleecy cloud which enveloped them; and groups
of brightly-dressed horsemen flitting at intervals between the trees,
formed altogether a picture from which even the excitement of a heavy
cannonade could not divert the attention.”
At the end of three hours the Persian fire slackened, and the order
for the disembarkation of the troops, at a point selected above the
batteries, went forth. A few musket shots alone opposed the landing,
and by two o’clock the entire force was ashore and an advance made.
By this time the fire of the Persian forts was silenced, one of the
final shells of our ships blowing up the enemy’s grand magazine.
Forward now moved the compact scarlet lines to where the enemy’s force
under the Shah Zadeh in person were drawn up to defend their camp on
the left rear of the town of Mohammerah, and a desperate fight appeared
about to open. Suddenly, almost as if by magic, the force disappeared.
Paralysed by our fire, particularly by the size of the 68-pounder
shots, and fearing awful consequences, the Shah’s terrible army turned
and ran, and though the pursuit was engaged in for three or four miles,
only a straggler or two was cut off. At night our cavalry returned, and
reported that the enemy, at a distance of eleven miles, was still in
full retreat.
Our troops bivouacked in line of battle, but such caution proved to
be superfluous, and on the morning of the 27th the British army took
possession of Mohammerah.
Stores of grain and ammunition, 18 handsome brass guns in good working
order, arms of all kinds, and tents fell into our hands, for a total
loss of 10 killed, with one officer, Lieutenant Harris of the Indian
navy, and 30 wounded. The Persians had at least 300 killed, while many
prisoners were taken.
These latter received every kindness, but for a long time were
suspicious of their captors, expecting a fate which would probably have
overtaken any of our brave fellows who might have fallen into Persian
hands. Fortunately, such a contingency had not to be faced.
The town of Mohammerah, once a place of importance, was found to be
a filthy collection of mud huts, and apart from its fortifications
(where the guns had been admirably served, some of our ships suffering
severely as a result), was found to be of little practical use. The
moral effect of such a victory was enormous.
A small expedition under Captain Rennie was despatched up the Kanin
river to reconnoitre, while the General fortified Mohammerah to the
best of his ability before deciding upon a further plan of campaign.
By the 4th April, Captain Rennie’s expedition returned, and
reported having seen the Persian army at Ahway. After a few shots,
he had captured the town, together with immense stores of grain
and powder, the Persian army again retreating with little show of
fight. These operations were about to be turned to advantage by the
commander-in-chief when a despatch was received announcing that peace
with Persia had been concluded at Paris.
Accordingly, operations were at once commenced for evacuating
Mohammerah, though the disappointment to all ranks was keen. By the
end of May the evacuation was complete, though Bushire was held till
October, when it was handed back to the Persians.
Apart from prestige, an important factor in Eastern politics, the
Persian campaign of ’56 and ’57 may be said to have been of little
practical use, but one good result accruing must not be overlooked. It
prepared some, at any rate, of our troops for the tremendous struggle
which was even then brewing in India.