The Akhal-Teke Expeditions of 1879−1881 years: Historical and Statistical Study. Part 1

The article deals with the Akhal-Teke operations of the russian army in the period of 1879–1881 years. The attention is paid to the military-strategic situation on the eve of the conflict in the Trans-Caspian region, as well as to regional specifics of warfare. The first part of the article discusses the first Akhal-Teke operation of 1879. There were involved such materials as the “Collection of information about the losses of the Caucasian troops”, as well as sources of personal origin, among which there were the memories of V.A. Tugan-MirzaBaranovsky and A.V. Scherbak. The methodological basis of the study was the principles of historicism, scientific objectivity and systematicity, traditional for russian historiography. In the process of work the following general historical methods were used: problem-chronological, which made it possible to study individual facts from the history of the colonization of Asia in their historical sequence; historical and comparative, with the help of which it was possible to trace the relationship of russian military operations in Asia and the Caucasus in the second half of the XIX century. The first Akhal-Teke operation in 1879 lasted only 16 days. It relied on the technical superiority of the russian army and the psychological impact of artillery fire and the use of missiles. That's why the number of russian troops was several times smaller than the troops of the enemy. However, even a spontaneous, practically unprepared assault on the Dengil-Tepe fortress caused such losses to the tekins that by the evening of August 29 they decided to surrender to the russian army. Having sent the parliamentarians, the tekinians no longer found the russian camp, thus, the first Akhal-Teke operation became an “unrecognized victory” of russian weapons.