Ter-Poghosyan, Arsen

Arsen Samsonovich Ter-Poghosyan (05.19.1875, Ara village of Aparan region , Armenia - 1938, Bucharest , Romania ) - national military leader of Armenia , colonel of the Greek army (1920).

On May 22-29, 1918 he organized the defense of Aparan , united the peasants of the region into a detachment of militias, who stopped the invasion of the regular Turkish army on Yerevan . The militia held out for two and a half days, until the army under the command of Drastamat Kanayan (Dro) arrived in time for help. Arsen Ter-Poghosyan is the son of the prototype of the hero of the historical novel “Hent” by the Armenian writer Raffi Samson Ter-Poghosyan and Anna Ter-Tadevosyan.

For those times he received a good education. He studied at the parish school of his native village of Ara, graduated from the Yerevan teacher's seminary, St. Petersburg special military school. At the end of the 19th century he returned to Armenia, went to Western Armenia, and in the ranks of the troops under the command of Andranik Ozanyan participated in many battles for the liberation of the western part of the homeland. He was distinguished by incredible courage and resourcefulness. Later, in 1905 , on June 4th, on the orders of Nikola Duman, he returned to his group of militants in Aparan, the village of Artashavan, joined local forces, about 150 horsemen and infantry fighters, organized the defense of the population of the villages of Aparansky and Ashtarak districts from the Turks living in the villages at the foot of the mountains Aragats and Ara. In the detachment of the general commander Arsen Ter — ​​Poghosyan there were only 98 soldiers, as well as more than 40 armed peasants. 1907, once again transporting weapons to Western Armenia, at the crossing of the Araks River he was arrested by Russian border guards. All efforts, the futile attempts of Samson Ter-Petrosyan to free his son from Kars prison, were unsuccessful. Arsen was sentenced to 7 years in prison, in 1908 he was exiled to Siberia . In 1917, he was released from prison and returned to Armenia. In 1917 - Chairman of the National Council of Armenia. Aram Manukyan, taking into account his experience, devotion, uncompromising position in relation to injustices, appointed him the head of the paramilitary police under the command of commandant Arsho Shahkhatuni: on May 17, 1918, by order of Aram Manukyan, with a detachment created by fighters from Aparan, to organize in case of an attack by the Turks protect the province and stop the movement of the Turks. On May 17-22, 1918, with the head of the Aparan province, Sedrak Jalalyan and the spiritual pastor of the district, Hovhannes Ter-Minasyan, he carried out extensive preparatory work among the population of Aparaan and neighboring areas, linking the collection of militias, preparing strategic positions, and mitigating the general atmosphere of panic in the region. On May 22-23, he directly led the first battles of the Aparan defense and blocked the road of the Turkish division by militia forces. The invasion of the regular Turkish army on Yerevan was stopped. The militia held out for two and a half days, until the help of government troops arrived under the command of Drastamat Kanayan (Dro). Arsen Ter-Poghosyan was especially distinguished by a prepared trap on May 22 on the bridge near the village of Mirak. The reconnaissance battalion of the Turkish army, not meeting resistance, went ahead and was ambushed, and was destroyed by militias, between the hills of the villages of Nigavan and Ukhtasar. In the following days, he also skillfully controlled more than four thousand militias entrusted to him.

Son - Poghosyan Samson Arsenovich. ^[one]