Sykes' History of Persia Vol 2 (pdf) - Heritage Institute

3 82 HISTORY OF PERSIA CHAP.
to seize the commanders of the garrison and of the
citadel. He then communicated with one of his brothers,
who excited a mutiny in the army. Lutf Ali, deserted
by his officers, retired on Shiraz, which he hoped to
recover, but he was deserted by all his soldiers and forced
to flee to the coast. The Shaykh of Bushire who had
formerly befriended him was dead, and his successor was
hostile, but, nothing daunted, he collected a small force
at Bandar Rig, and after defeating first the Shaykh of
Bushire and then the Governor of Kazerum reappeared
before Shiraz.
The Campaigns of Lutf AH Khan against Aga Mohamed.
The military qualities
of Lutf Ali Khan shone brilliantly
in the unequal struggle
that followed. He was first
victorious over a force detached by Aga Mohamed to
support Haji Ibrahim at Shiraz. A powerful army sent
to avenge this disaster had actually defeated the Zand
Prince, when, rallying his men, he charged the Kajar
troops who were looting his camp and turned his reverse
into a decisive victory. Aga Mohamed at length took
the field in person with his main force, but the gallant
Lutf Ali charged and scattered the advance-guard. Then
by night he penetrated the Kajar army, which partially
dispersed, and he would have entered the royal tent, but,
he decided to
being assured that his enemy had fled,
await the dawn in order to make sure of the treasure.
To his dismay the Muezzin sounded the call to prayer,
which proved that Aga Mohamed had not fled, and, his
Arabs having scattered in search of plunder, the ill-fated
prince was compelled to retreat, and so lost the throne of
Persia.
Upon reaching the province of Kerman he set about
collecting a new force, but his Kajar pursuers were too
numerous to be faced, and he fled to Tabas, where Mir
Hasan Khan * espoused his cause. With a small body of
two hundred men he crossed the Lut to Yezd, whose
Governor he defeated, and then marched to Abarguh on
the northern borders of Fars. Being joined there by his
1
Malcolm terms him Husayn, but I have the authority of the present chief for
writing Hasnn.