Zedif War
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| Zedif War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Talaharan infantry defending Zedif | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Talahara |
 Awakar | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Aksil Tabat Yabdas Arris |
Izaw ag Sinim Tarzawa Carras ag Hannou Akhter (WIA) Yughrazal ag Naqvi Kalat | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8,200 | 6,000–10,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 330 killed and wounded | 500–2,700 killed, wounded, or captured | ||||||
The Zedif War, also known as the Zedif Expedition or the Ninva Border War, was an armed conflict between the United Communes of Talahara and the Awakar Confederation. The war saw the United Communes reclaim the trading post town of Zedif in the Ninva Desert which was the southernmost point of influence of the Third Talaharan Kingdom. While the town had few valuable natural resources, it occupied a strategic position in the desert, particularly before the development of steam locomotives and railroads which would later redefine travel across the Ninva.
The conclusion of the war also saw the establishment of a formal border between Talahara and Awakar. Before the war, the boundary between the two countries was porous and undefined, with competing zones of influence over the vast expanses of sparsely populated desert.
Background
Situation in Talahara
During the Talaharan Civil War (1834-1838), Talahara had lost significant territories to foreign occupation, capitalizing on the chaos and lack of legitimate government in the country. These territorial exchanges included the occupation of the Third Talaharan Kingdom's outposts in the Ninva Desert. Since the dissolution of Ihemod's empire, Awakar ruled the Ninva as a rump state and its border with Talahara was ill-defined with significant expanses of sparsely inhabited desert separating the two, punctuated with trading posts, nomadic camps that didn't care for borders, and some small oasis communites. The town of Zedif was established in the 1680s as a Talaharan trading post, trafficking in trade goods from the south, as well as slaves. While the slave trade had significantly declined by the 19th century, Zedif remained a significant settlement and the southernmost reach of Talahara's control over the Ninva.
In December 1836, the Talaharan royalist faction, which already had poor relations with its southern neighbour, suffered a massive blow in the Talaharan Civil War with the surrender of the Royal Talaharan Army at Takalt. While the republican government controlled most of the country at that stage, there was little international recognition of the new government. Furthermore, in 1835 the Kingdom of Yisrael had successfully annexed a region of northwestern Talahara and formed a colonial protectorate. To the south, the Awakar Confederation likewise moved soldiers north to occupy the town of Zedif, aware that the prospects of the Talaharan royalists were rapidly declining. The republican government would soon fall to anarchists, who established a socialist government in 1838.
After the war, Talahara was in a period of drastic political and economic reorganization, gradually stabilizing by the late 1840s and early 1850s. With the basic survival of the United Communes secured, many political leaders and veterans of the civil war began to push to reclaim territories lost in the war. Combined with concerns regarding territorial defence, a turn to a hawkish government led to the foundation of the Talaharan Army Corps in 1854, initially comprised of former Black Guard units, expanding to a force of 40,000 by 1860. While the Protectorate of Taršiš remained well-defended and supported by Yisrael, the Talaharan government became increasingly concerned with the situation to the south.
In addition to the occupation of Zedif, the United Communes had endured a tense relationship with Awakar for the duration of its existence. Clashes between different authorities and movement along the permeable, undefined border had roused tensions over the previous decade and a half. In November 1862, a closed session of the National Legislative Council secretly approved an expedition to reclaim Zedif and impose a defined border with the Awakar Confederation. While an official communiqué was forwarded to Agnannet in advance stating a list of demands, no ultimatum or formal declaration of war was issued.
Situation in Awakar
Preparation and expedition
A Talaharan expeditionary force of 8,200 soldiers was assembled in March 1863 in Alud and departed for Zedif soon after. The majority of the Talaharan soldiers were mounted infantry equipped with rifled muskets which the Army Corps had begun to issue as standard in 1855. In addition, the force included a flying battery of 18 gun-howitzers capable of firing 4 kg (8.8 lb) shells or round shots on a flat trajectory up to 1.5 km (0.93 mi) or further when elevated to fire as a howitzer, though they carried limited ammunition. 2,000 troops were dedicated cavalry armed with sabres, revolvers, and musket carbines.
The Zedif Expedition covered the 270 km (168 mi) march from Alud in 14 days and advanced immediately on the town. The expeditionary force alone outnumbered the permanent population of the town and overwhelmed the Awakar garrison on April 4. In addition to its mudbrick houses forming a rough wall around the periphery of the town, the town centre featured a traditional beehive fort comprising a short tower with a mudbrick dome, featuring firing ports all around its walls. When the Awakar defenders garrisoned the beehive fort, the Talaharan artillery bombarded the fort, with a well-placed shot from the first volley, causing the dome to collapse in on the defenders. The survivor surrendered to the Talaharans and the town was occupied. The task then fell to the expeditionary force to hold Zedif against a possible reprisal, fortifying the town. Scouts were also dispatched across the desert and supplies were collected in to support the expeditionary force over the summer as the Talaharan government awaited a response from Awakar.
News of the capture of Zedif followed the arrival of Talahara's telegram by only three weeks and a detachment of the Awakar Army was already en route from Ekelhoc to reinforce Zedif's garrison when Awakar was poised to react. The Awakar cavalry arrived on April 10 but held back from advancing on the town after determining that it was already under Talaharan control. Riders were dispatched to obtain further instructions from Ekelhoc. While waiting for reinforcements, the Awakar troops engaged in a campaign of disruption around the town, guarding avenues for caravans; intercepting supplies and commerce. Probing attacks followed to misdirect the defenders and ascertain weak points in the defences, though the number of Talahara troops occupying the town likely remained unknown to the Awakar forces.
Fortification
After occupying the town, the Talaharans under the direction of General Aksil Tabat immediately set about constructing defences and fallback lines, anticipating a response from the Awakar Confederation. The first line of defences was a set of four earthwork redans to the north, south, east, and west of the town, in-between which several imperfect lines of "deer horn" anti-cavalry defences were constructed.
The town itself was established on a natural promontory and featured mostly mudbrick construction, with interconnected buildings forming somewhat of a solid exterior wall with six or seven main entrances leading to the town centre. Some fortifications were built up atop the escarpment of the promontory and barricades and wagons filled with sand were positioned to block the streets entering the town.
When faced with the decision to repair the beehive fort, the Talaharan military engineer assigned to the detachment elected to further demolish the structure and open space to set up the artillery in a grand battery. The gun-howitzers were assembled in the centre of the town, with pre-ranged in positions for indirect howitzer fire and lines of sight for direct fire down the main avenues of the town. To supplement the limited amount of round shot and shells that the Talaharan artillery had, the troops jury-rigged additional loads of canister shot from stone debris and scrap metal to be used as a last resort.
Defence of Zedif
The Awakar reinforcements arrived on May 1 in the form of two cavalry regiments composed of local warbands, with which it was intended to storm the town. Further reinforcements in the form of two infantry regiments with light artillery support were anticipated within the next two weeks, though the expectation was that the second wave would serve as a reinforced garrison after the battle, and soon after arriving the Awakar forces attacked the entrenched Talaharans. The line infantry regiments of the Awakar Army, while ostensibly more professional than the traditional cavalry warbands, were equipped with a medley of smoothbore and rifled muskets that did not have interchangeable ammunition and Awakar infantry doctrine was underdeveloped compared to centuries of cavalry tactics. The Awakar artillery brought to Zedif was lighter, firing only 1.8 kg (4 lb) round shot with 100 m (328 ft) less range than the Talaharan guns.
First defence
The Awakar cavalry advanced on the town in a three-pronged assault from the south, east, and west before the sunrise on May 3, 1863. Talaharan soldiers stationed at hastily-constructed earthwork redans sounded alarm horns, mobilizing the rest of the defenders. Earlier probing movements by the Awakar had identified the deer horn defences and the Awakar cavalry were able to navigate through gaps in their advances and overwhelmed both the southern and western redans, killing or capturing two companies worth of Talaharan troops. The advance on the eastern redan was repulsed, however, as the glow of the rising sun below the horizon allowed the Talaharan troops to identify targets and fire relatively accurate volleys from their rifles upon the Awakar. Nevertheless, by approximately 10 o'clock the northern and eastern redans were abandoned as the troops retreated to the fortified town centre.
As the sun rose, the Talaharans held off on sustained artillery fire until the Awakar troops approached the ranged-in positions. The Awakar forces were reorganized by noon after pushing the Talaharans from their first defence lines, but held off on launching a further attack until later in the day, anticipating that forcing the Talaharans to stand watch in the desert sun after being woken early in the day would fatigue the defenders. At six o'clock in the evening, the Awakar forces resumed the assault on the encircled town. Possible due to inexperience with mass-employed infantry rifles, an Awakar colonel held troops within range of the defenders who were massed on the rooftops of mudbrick houses on the periphery of the town. The Awakar riders, most of whom were also equipped with long rifles, fired back on the Talaharans, but were outpaced by the rate of fire of the defending infantry and the fortifications meant few casualties were suffered on the defenders' side. This exchange led to significant attrition for the attackers before the main advance at approximately seven o'clock.
The Awakar assault up the escarpment around the town suffered heavy casualties as many riders who weren't cut down by bullets were unhorsed and pinned down by the volleys of rifle fire. As some Awakar troops took cover under the crags and berms around the promontory, the pre-sighted artillery fire also had devastating effect. The Awakar forces along the western and southern axis of the attack were definitively routed by sunset, but the attackers from the north were able to reach the walls of the town, only to be halted by a line of sand wagons which were hastily rolled to block the avenue as the attackers approached before the defenders hacked the wheels off the axles with hatchets. Unable to enter the city through the streets, an Awakar squadron dismounted and breached through several mudbrick walls and engaged in a prolonged melee with the Talaharan infantry. To the east, a large detachment of Awakar cavalry breached the barricaded avenue and routed Talaharan defenders from the barricades, but were either cut down or forced to retreat by enfilading fire from the roof tops and direct shots from the artillery in the town centre.
After repelling the attacks from the Awakar, the Talaharans stood watch overnight but by morning General Tabat dispatched some troops outside the town to attempt to count dead and wounded. After interrogating some captives, the Talaharans learned of the approaching infantry and artillery contingent. Mindful of the remnants of the cavalry force which had divided into raiding detachments which still suppressed any supplies entering the town, the Talaharans attempted to rebuild their defences and sent messengers back to Alud to warn the United Communes that additional Awakar forces were headed their way.
Second defence
The infantry and artillery regiments of the Awakar Army arrived at the former siege camp on May 16. Apprised of the failed cavalry assault by retreating riders, Carras ag Hannou Akhter had resolved to bombard the defenders until they broke, even if it meant the destruction of the town. The new besiegers remained camped for several days, constructing earthworks that would permit their guns to elevate for greater range. From their vantage point atop the promontory, the Talaharans took advantage to analyze the opposing force and reorganize their defence.
On May 19, the Awakar contingent began its bombardment of Zedif. To the dismay of the attackers, however, the elevation of the promontory and concealment atop a wide berm afforded the Talaharan guns even greater range. While the Talaharan ammunition was limited, their guns were able to engage in effective counter-battery fire, disabling six out of the twelve Awakar light cannons and effectively suppressing the operation of the others. After identifying the Talaharan guns in the open, Akhter ordered his line infantry to assemble and advance on the town. This advance was repulsed by small arms fire from the Talaharan infantry. With both the bombardment and the advance failing, the Awakar contingent spent the afternoon of May 19 pulling their own guns out of range of the Talaharans. Additional messengers were dispatched back to Ekelhoc and the Awakar infantry completed an encirclement of Zedif, hoping that either the Awakar reinforcements would arrive ahead of the Talaharans or the defenders would be forced to surrender ahead of either.
However, the night of May 20-21 would prove disastrous for the besiegers. In the dark, a Talaharan cavalry detachment made a sortie to Awakar's western camp, pillaging supplies. This raid was desperate but crucial as the large Talaharan expeditionary force had taxed the town's water well. The next morning, the shock of the raid and the loss of rations from the siege camp's stores shocked the morale of the besiegers who were likewise at the mercy of the desert conditions. Following a wave of desertions, the Awakar force organized a number of probing attacks to attempt to capture some forward momentum, but were unable to make any headway.
June 1 duel
While regarded as possibly apocryphal, both Awakar and Talaharan sources reported that on May 30, the commanders of each force met under a brief truce to negotiate the end of the siege. With significant supply and morale issues on both sides, the commanders agreed to resolve the siege by a duel, the stakes of which are disputed. The after action report of General Tabat maintained the terms of the duel were that the Awakar Army detachment would depart if they lost with no collateral consequences for the Talaharan defenders should they lose. In a biography Tabat wrote after the war, he described the duel a measure for Carras ag Hannou Akhter to save face before the Awakar troops. Akhter, however, reported that the terms of the duel were strictly over the control of Zedif, for which single combat was the best avenue to overcome a superior enemy force.
Regardless, the duel was scheduled for noon on June 1 on a wide berm at the edge of the promontory. General Tabat and Akhter, with the seconds-in-command of each force serving as seconds in the duel and witnesses, Vice-General Yabdas Arris for Talaharan and Yughrazal ag Naqvi Kalat for Awakar. The chief surgeons of each force also attended. The method of dueling agreed by the participants was quickdraw revolvers at 45 m (148 ft) apart. Both commanders arrived earlier in the morning for final discussions and instructions for the seconds. With the sun at its highest, the two squared off at their measured distances and were given the signal by their seconds. Both duelists drew nearly simultaneously but it is accepted that Akhter fired first, perhaps narrowly grazing Tabat's left leg, who returned fire with a shot that connected with Akhter's right wrist, wounding him. The Awakar surgeon immediately attended to Akhter while Tabat was looked over and conferred with his second. The dueling parties moved to the shade while Akhter received care and ultimately conceded the duel.
In accordance with the agreement from May 30, the siege was broken and the Awakar Army detachment began to march back to Ekelhoc on June 3. The Talaharan defenders were also able to secure relief on June 14 with the arrival of a major supplies caravan from the north, permitting the large expedition to maintain its posture.
Aftermath
After the defeat of two large detachments of the Awakar Army, and with the prospect of additional Talaharan reinforcements, the Confederation's leadership in Agnannet was unwilling to commit more resources and lives to hold onto Zedif and an informal armistice was agreed to on July 3, 1863. Despite the lack of a formal state of war, representatives of the United Communes and the Awakar Confederation agreed to meet and the Treaty of Sumeira was officially signed on September 28, 1863, officially ceasing hostilities between the two countries. According to the terms of the treaty, the town of Zedif was formally returned to Talahara and a border between the two nations was officially delineated. While the former was perhaps regarded as redundant due to the establishment of the border, the condition of returning Talaharan was a major innovation in terms of continuity between the former kingdom and the United Communes in international relations.