Karyagin's raid, also known as the Persian campaign of Colonel Karyagin (Russian: Персидский Поход Полковника Карягина), and as the Qarabagh-Ganjeh campaign in Iranian sources, was a military campaign that took place during the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813).
In 1805, a Persian army under the command of Abbas Mirza tried to conquer Russian territories in the Caucasus. To stall the advance of the Persians, Pavel Tsitsianov send small detachments to reinforce several garrisons in the region. One detachment of consisting of Jägers from the 17th regiment under the command of Pavel Karyagin was intercepted by the Persians in the mountains.
For the next three weeks, Karyagin's small army would repel numerous Persian attacks while performing a strategic retreat. Karyagin's campaign stalled the advance of the Persian army, which prevented the Persians from capturing Russian territories in the Caucasus.
Background
Persian invaision of Karabakh
In 1805, the Treaty of Kurakchay was concluded, according to which Russia annexed Karabakh. However, at the same time, the War of the Third Coalition was taking place in Europe. Russia took an active part in them and therefore could not maintain large forces in the Caucasus or send reinforcements to the region. The Iranians planned to take advantage of this and retake the territory of Karabakh. To do this, they tried to raise 100,000 troops. In June 1805, the Persian army of Abbas Mirza crossed the Qarqarçay river and invaded the Karabakh region. Such an action was anticipated by Tsitsianov, the Russian chief commander in the region.
Near the Qarqarçay river Major Lisanevich, commanded a garrison near Shusha, at a place called Khan-bagh. He had the battalion of the 17th Jäger Regiment and two hundred cavalry, a total of 500 men, set out along the road toward the river. However, the Persian army already crossed the river using a different ford and invaded the territory. A Persian vanguard numbering 3000 men secured a lodgement before Major Lisanevich could stop them. Soon, the bulk of the Persian army, numbering 10,000 men, passed the bridge near which Lisanevich was stationed. The Persians engaged with Lisanevich’s small detachment, but they were repelled with accurate artillery and rifle fire. After failing to defeat Lisanevich, the Persian vanguard retreated across the river, where they received reinforcements and reentered into southern Karabakh. The Persians started to quickly gain territory and occupy villages.
Meanwhile, Major Lisanevich, who lacked cavalry to stop the Persians on the river, retreated from Jabrayil toward Shusha. From there, he sent a message to Tsitsianov about the Persian invasion. Upon receiving news of the Persian invasion, Tsitsianov ordered Colonel Karyagin, commander of the 17th Jäger Regiment, to head to Shusha with reinforcements. There, Karyagin was supposed to assume command of Lisanevich’s detachment and, with the assistance of Armenian allies, to halt the Persian invasion near Shusha. This action was supposed to buy time for Tsitsianov to gather his forces.
When Karyagin marched out of Elisavetpol, his detachment consisted of the following:
- 354 jägers
- 113 Tiflis musketeers
- 26 artillery crew
- 2 guns
- 68 horses
Total: 493 men, 2 guns, and 68 horses.
Campaign
Karyagin’s march to Shusha and first encounter with the Persians
Tsitsianov knew Karyagin well, the two served together for a long period. Tsitsianov hoped that Karyagin and Lisanevich could perform a double-pincer attack and force the Persians to retreat. However, Lisanevich’s hasty retreat to Shusha disrupted Tsitsianov’s ambitions at the very outset. On June 18, Colonel Karyagin departed from Elisavetpol and marched towards Shusha, which was located about 100 versts away.
On June 24, beyond the Khachenaget stream, Karyagin encountered the Persians. His army first encountered a scouting party before meeting the vanguard of 3000 Persian cavalrymen. Karyagin formed his troops into a square, while skirmishers under the command of Kotlyarevsky occupied nearby heights. In such formation, Karyagin’s army continued marching towards Shusha. The Persian cavalry repeatedly attacked the Russian detachment, but each time they were repulsed with accurate rifle volleys. The Russian army continued advancing in their squared formations for six hours, they marched 14 versts during those six hours. Then, the Russians reached the Qarqarçay river. There, Karyagin spotted a kurgan burial mound near the tract Kara-agach-Baba. On top of the kurgan, there was a cemetery, which was enclosed by earthworks on every side. Karyagin ordered his army to make camp in the cemetery.
At about five o’clock in the afternoon. A Persian army of 10,000 men was spotted in the distance. It was only a part of Abbas Mirza’s army. The Russian jägers had barely enough time to recover or to make fortifications. At about six o’clock in the evening, the Persians launched an assault.
June 24 to June 27 - Defense at the cemetery
Karyagin allowed the Persian cavalry to approach within range, and then he repulsed it with coordinated volleys from muskets and artillery. For the next three hours, until nightfall, the Persians launched a series of attacks. All Persian attacks were beaten back by the accurate fire of the jägers and musketeers. Despite being outnumbered, the Russian army had a terrain advantage. The kurgan provided an uphill advantage, which slowed down Persian attacks. The cemetery earthworks provided good cover against Persian artillery. Finally, the mountainous terrain of the region prevented the Persians from using all of their forces at once – only a small part of the Persian army could actually attack the Russian positions. The same day Karyagin managed to send messengers to Major Lisanevich and to the Khan of Karabakh. In both messages, Karyagin requested assistance. Even after three days, no reply came from anyone. Lisanevich believed it was too risky to leave Shusha. The Khan of Karabakh allied with the Persians.
At nightfall, the Persians stopped attacking and withdrew. During the night, they started building artillery batteries for falconets. Meanwhile, the Russian army spent the night fortifying their position. They deepened the moat around the cemetery and raised the earthworks. The detachment’s wagons were used to build a wagon fort. The cemetery’s mosque was also fortified and manned by a small picket of skirmishers under Lieutenant Lisenko, who distinguished himself during the assault on Ganja. At dawn on June 25, four Persian falconet batteries commenced bombardment. The Russian position was struck from every side by cannonballs. Thanks to the earthworks, most of the cannonballs passed overheads. By this point, the Russians lost several killed and many wounded. Among the wounded were Major Kotlyarevsky and Karyagin. As the day progressed, the summer sun, heat, and thirst exhausted the Russians. Regardless, the Russians held firm. They were encouraged by Karyagin and Kotlyarevsky, both of whom continued to fight and work despite their wounds.
As the Persians attempted more attacks, the Russians repelled them with rifle volleys and artillery. On some occasions, the Russians performed sorties once they repelled Persian attacks. Karyagin thought of fighting his way toward Shusha, only 25 versts away, but he did not attempt it due to many of his men being wounded and many horses being killed. The same day, Karyagin was offered to surrender, he refused. By the evening of June 25, the Persians cut off the Russian encampment from water by setting up four falconet batteries on the other side of the Qarqarçay river. In response, Karyagin gathered one hundred jägers for a sortie. On the night of June 26-27, in a well-coordinated sortie, the Russian jägers exited the camp, forced the river, and overran all four batteries, which were poorly prepared for a Russian counterattack. In less than 30 minutes, the Russians overran all four batteries and captured 15 falconets. The Russians could not hold the captured positions for long, so they destroyed the falconets and threw them into the river. The one hundred jägers returned before dawn, without losing a single man.
The next morning, at dawn, a larger Persian army arrived under the command of Abbas Mirza. At this point, the Persian army was estimated to have 15,000 men. Abbas Mirza commenced artillery bombardment and ordered a cavalry attack to capture the Russian positions. The Russians repulsed the attack with coordinate rifle volleys at close range and artillery grapeshot.
The battle continued intermittently throughout the day. Both sides exchanged fire. The Persian artillery damaged Russian wagons and killed horses. At four o’clock in the afternoon, Lieutenant Lisenko, and 36 men, deserted their positions and surrendered to the Persians. Lisenko provided intel about the state of the Russian army and the defensive weakspots. With this information, Abbas Mirza launched another assault, but his army was once again repelled. Afterwards, unwilling to sacrifice more troops against the small Russian force, Abbas Mirza made no further attacks. For the rest of the day, the action was limited to both sides exchanging fire. As night fell, another 19 men deserted the Russian camp and surrendered. By the end of June 27, the Russian army was exhausted. Many men were wounded. Supplies and ammunition was running low. There were few artillery charges left for the two cannons. Karyagin made a plan to sneak out of the encirclement and capture the castle of Shahbulag, which had better defensive capabilities than the cemetery.
June 28 to July 7 - Defense at the Shahbulag Castle
Karyagin's plan to march to the Shahbulag castle appealed to his men. Before setting out, Karyagin sent a messenger to Tsitsianov. During the night of June 27-28, the Russian army snuck out of the encirclement and marched towards the Shahbulag castle, which was located about 10 versts from their position. A local Armenian ally named Vani, who knew the local terrain very well, guided Karyagin’s army. The Russian army barely had enough horses to carry the guns and the wounded. After marching a short distance, the Russian army encountered a small Persian patrol. The engagement alarmed Abbas Mirza's camp. Small Persian detachments of 2000 men tried to intercept the Russians on route to Shahbulag castle, but all detachments failed to find the Russian army in the dark mountainous terrain. By dawn, Karyagin’s army reached Shahbulag. The castle stood at the foot of a rocky hill. It had six towers and stone cliffs, small forests, and orchards surrounded it. The castle was occupied by 150 Persian soldiers, who were unaware of Karyagin’s plans.
In a surprise attack, the Russian artillery burst open the castle’s gate while the jägers charged the castle from a nearby forest. The small Persian garrison had little opportunity to defend and was soon defeated. The Persian garrison lost 30 men killed including both garrison commanders.
The Russian casualties were minimal. By capturing the castle, the Russians secured a small supply of weapons, gunpowder, artillery shells, and 17 horses. Karyagin’s army had barely enough time to repair the gates as two hours later the main Persian army arrived. Abbas Mirza ordered an assault in an attempt to capture the castle. However, the assault failed. The castle had good defensive capabilities, it was located on a hill slope, which made it harder to storm, and the Persians lacked the necessary siege equipment. After the failed assault, Abbas Mirza encircled the castle and besieged it. He was hoping to starve the exhausted Russian army. By this point, only 179 out of Karyagin’s 493 men were healthy and uninjured – the rest of the surviving men were wounded. The Russian artillery cartridges were also running low. They only had 9 cannonballs, 17 grenades, and 17 grapeshot left. Russian food supplies were depleted and men resorted to eating horsemeat. During their ten-day stay in the castle, Karyagin ordered small groups of soldiers sneak out and forage for food, but all attempts were fruitless.