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Amir of Afghanistan Sher Ali with his princes and khans - John Burke, 1869

Translator’s Introduction

Below is a translation of a first hand account of an informal diplomatic trip by General Prasolov, the Russian commander of the Kuskha fortress (modern Sehertabat, Turkmenistan), to the Afghan khan just across the border in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese war. The author, Anatoly Shemansky, joined this trip as General Prasolov’s aid.

As Shemansky states early on, the purpose of this trip was to assess what effect news of Russia’s defeat in Manchuria had on the Afghans, both those immediately across the frontier and also those elsewhere in the country. Despite the great distance between Manchuria and Central Asia, Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese war could potentially have had profound consequences for Russian-Afghan relations. First, Russia’s power in Asia was largely based upon its prestige, or more accurately put, how strong it appeared in the eyes of natives, both those within the Russian Empire and those beyond its borders. If they believed Japan had revealed that Russia was not as powerful as they had previously thought it was, they might feel embolden in challenging its power and authority.

Second, both the war in Manchuria and Prasolov’s trip to Afghanistan must be understood within the context of the Great Game, the 19th century rivalry between Britain and Russia for mastery over Asia, a predecessor of sorts to the later Cold War. With the Anglo-Japanese alliance of 1902, Britain saw Japan as “containing” Russian ambitions in the Pacific, and during the Russo-Japanese war Britain provided both diplomatic, intelligence and financial support to Japan. In other words, Britain used Japan as a proxy state to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, which rolled back Russian power from the Korean peninsula and southern Manchuria, confining Petersburg’s penetration of China to the Chinese Eastern Railway zone in northern Manchuria (Manzhouli-Qiqihar-Harbin-Suifenhe), with the rest coming under Japanese influence (everything south of Changchun).

Both prior to 1905 and after, Russia feared that Britain might support Afghanistan in a similar manner as it did with Japan, in other words, using it to roll back Russian power in Central Asia. It is interesting to note that despite the Khan being sensitive to Russia’s political and security interests, English trade seems to have fully penetrated Afghanistan right up to the Russian frontier, with Afghan soldiers even having English weapons and supplies.

The author of this text Anatoly Shemansky was born in 1868 and served as a staff officer with various units across the empire before and during the First World War. He also served as a staff officer in the Red Army after 1917. He died in Leningrad in 1942 during the blockade of the city. This text was published in the military journal “Razvedchik” (Scout). The source for this translation can be found here. The original text can be found here.

For more on Kushka and its significance to Russia and Britain, see my other translation about Herat.

Map of the Russian frontier with Iran & Afghanistan

To Afghanistan

“Today after lunch we will go to Afghanistan,” General Prasolov said to me, the commander of the Kushka fortress as I came to him with a report in the morning. This was during the climax of our failure in Manchuria, in autumn 1905.

My comrade, General Staff Colonel Zapolsky, Saint George cavalier of the Peking expedition, the former commander of the Kushka fortress - he had left to fight in the Japanese war and had valiantly died during those terrible days at Mukden at the village of Podyaza at the head of a brigade from a march battalion.1 I filled his position as the staff commander at the Pushkin fortress. As success in the war with Japan gave hope for further success, work continued at Kushka to prepare for a possible war with England, the secret backer of Japan. During these days, about which I will discuss, all hopes for success in Manchuria and conflict with England faded, and all that was left for us to do was to monitor what influence news of our misfortune in the war with Japan was having on Afghanistan. From Askhabad and Tashkent we were sent an explanation for events in Manchuria. We sent these broadsheets over the Afghan frontier whenever it was convenient “in order to combat the spread of perverse information about our failures, which were being distributed by our detractors in Middle Asia.”

With the goal of personally investigating what influence these broadsheets were having on the minds of our neighbors, the commandant of the fortress decided to go visit the neighboring Afghan khan, in the village of Childukhter, which lies (amid farms) about 20 verstas2 up the valley of the river Kushka, near our border, at some 1/2 to 1 1/2 verstas from the frontier sign № 24 and the frontier post also located there.

The Southern Cross monument at Sehertabat (formerly Kushka), Turkmenistan

Entering Afghanistan as a Russian citizen, generally speaking, is strictly forbidden, “even under the threat of death or imprisonment,” but at many points along the border exceptions were made due to the necessities of life. Among these, one exception was made by the long-standing friendship between General Prasolov and the Childukhter khan. The khan had fought Prasolov in the famous battle on the River Kushka on 18th March 1885. There, they got to know each other and began to fraternize. Every year now the khan sends a Christmas tree to the military forces at Kushka, which is difficult to get in the distant and wild mountains of the Hindu Kush. More than once he came to visit this tree and admired its decoration, as well as the outfits and beauty of the Kushka ladies and the freedom they enjoy, which is so unusual in the Muslim east. Once he was given a beautiful gift in the form of expensive enamel boots.

The khan knows the commander’s family by name and by appearance, and envoys are always asked about them. He was a honored and distinguished military commander, a standard type of voevoda3 from before Peter’s time. We set off to go see him.

Upon leaving the general, I sent at his order a Turkmen rider with a message to the khan that the commander of the fortress with his retinue would come and visit him.

After a short amount of time the khan sent a messenger with a response: “Welcome!”

We sent our riding lances to the Childukhter post, and followed behind him as a team. My adjutant brought a photography apparatus along with him, but the dull weather was not favourable to taking pictures.

Upon nearing our border post, the guard ran out with his gun. The general greeted and dismissed him. The commander of the post reported that the general’s visit had caused a great alarm among the Afghans. The soldiers were in the field at work. The khan was quickly assembling them. They were given boots, ammo, rifles and rehearsed as the guard of honor. There was smoke coming from the khan’s kitchen - they were preparing treats.

An Afghan valley - John Burke, 1878-1880

For twenty minutes we sat around the post and admired the wonderful panorama of mountainous Afghanistan that spread out before us. Down in the sandy riverbed the capricious Kushka River flowed, and beyond it where the luxurious green fields and meadows of its narrow valley. Mazanka-homes4 of the village Childukhter could be seen among groups of old trees, while the grand home of the khan stood out among firs.

We sat on our horses. We crossed the Kushka at a ford, and quickening our horses’ pace. We rushed to the residence of the khan. The Afghan-settlers who were working in the fields made a low bow, while ahead of us dashed the horsemen of the khan with all of their agility, like lighthouses on the road bringing news of our arrival to the khan. Our retinue had increased with the addition of officers from our frontier post.

Around the khan’s home, on the shore of a pond lined by tall, shady trees, we awaited the honor guard, while the khan himself in brilliant clothing stood at a distance on an open terrace of his home with his retinue.

Some sort of music from pipes, tambourines, drums and more thundered from a team, the rifles of the guard rattled, guns were assembled on the field… The khan made a bow.

The general and his retinue dismounted, went past the guard and complimented them, took a photograph with the sarbazes (soldiers), and on the flank, instead of the “shy” Afghan commander, stood our border guards. The sarbazes were flattered by the detailed inspection that the general’s retinue made of their rifles, equipment, clothing, while the general exchanged initial greetings with the khan. We noted in detail the system and state of their arms, copying precisely their brands and signatures, which were entirely English. All of the plates on their belts and ammunition were also English, with English slogans and coats of arms.

Afghan troops during the 3rd Anglo-Afghan War

Then we were led to the residence of the khan, where we were given something to eat and conversation began, during which time my adjutant wrongfully attempted to take a picture of the khan, who had not previously agreed to pose in front of the apparatus.

The sole window was directed to the khan’s garden, and was made without a frame due to warm weather. Near the window was a green field of Indian hemp, which the Afghans used to make intoxicating smoke, drink and chewing gum.

The khan was very kind, talkative, but diplomatic, and asked more about the general’s family than about things that were of interest to us. However, he clearly expressed his thoughts about the current business. He apologized that he could not attentively read the broadsheets about the Japanese war that had been sent to him, since farming did not give him enough time for this, and his eyes had become weak, but he had no doubt that in Herat and Kabul, where he sent these newspapers, they would be read attentively.

About our failures, the khan said that for such a massive state as Russia it is understandable to be despondent about such military defeats. He compared them to a mosquito bite for a lion: “The cries of the lion often reveal (he said) that the lion has been stung and agitated by the mosquito, but no one hearing the cry will doubt that the lion’s paw is just as strong and heavy as before.”

He was very interested in the Sovereign, asking about His availability, His family, and more.

Afghanistan - Lieutenant James Rattray, 1847

Next to the khan sat his civilian assistant. Both were dressed with English clothing with gold on their dresses and weapons trimmed with silver and gems. They wore golden turbans on their heads. There were both typical Afghans and dreamed that at the end of their service they would get away from this country of the Jamshidi5 and go back to their homeland, in the area around Kabul.

While listening to them speak of their homeland, I remembered to note one Afghan officer who had an English drill manual, (an elder) who had participated in the Murgab campaign in 1885.6 This manual was found on the body of its owner, who had been killed in battle at Kushka. These were its lines:

“In the land of Herat we are like servants and slaves… It is a matter of being in one’s homeland, where everyone is a king in their own home!…”

At sunset we departed from the hospitable khan and returned back “to Kushka,” to our fortress, while discussing what he saw and heard.

Our drawings and notes might be of interest to those who collect details about the Afghan army.

The Red Army at Kushka, likely returning from Afghanistan

1

Forces organized during a march, meant to support or reinforce preexisting forces.

2

An old unit of Russian measurement. 1 versta = 1.06 kilometres or 3,500 feet.

3

A military governor.

4

Clay built homes traditionally found in Ukraine.

5

A semi-nomadic Persian tribe that lives in the region of Herat.

6

A reference to the Kushka battle and other engagements. Kushka is located on the Murgab River.

The Library of Alexandria Ultima

To Afghanistan - Anatoly Shemansky, 1911