Warsaw Uprising (1794)
Warsaw Uprising of 1794 | |||||||
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Part of the Kościuszko Uprising | |||||||
Fighting on Krakowskie Przedmieście by Juliusz Kossak (top) Historical reconstruction in the Saxon Garden (bottom) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Poland (Kościuszko insurgents) | Russian Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Stanisław Mokronowski Jan Kiliński | Iosif Igelström | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
3,000–3,500 soldiers, ~2,500 militia[1] | 8,000 soldiers[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
507 soldiers killed and 437 wounded, ~700 militias and civilians killed |
2,000[1] or 2,250[2] to 4,000 killed[3] 1,500[2] to 2,000[4] taken prisoner |
The Warsaw Uprising of 1794 or Warsaw Insurrection (
Although the Russian forces had more soldiers and better equipment, the Polish regular forces and militia, armed with rifles and sabres from the Warsaw Arsenal, inflicted heavy losses on the surprised enemy garrison. Russian soldiers found themselves under crossfire from all sides and from buildings, and several units broke early and suffered heavy casualties in their retreat.
Kościuszko's envoy, Tomasz Maruszewski, and Ignacy Działyński and others had been laying the groundwork for the uprising since early 1793. They succeeded in winning popular support: the majority of Polish units stationed in Warsaw joined the ranks of the uprising. A National Militia was formed by several thousand volunteers, led by Jan Kiliński, a master shoemaker.
Within hours, the fighting had spread from a single street at the western outskirts of
Prelude
Following the
After losing the
Upon receiving news of Kościuszko's proclamation in Kraków (24 March) and his subsequent victory at Racławice (4 April), tension in Warsaw grew rapidly.[10] Polish king Stanisław August Poniatowski was opposed to Kościuszko's uprising, and with the Permanent Council issued a declaration condemning it on 2 April.[11] The King dispatched Piotr Ożarowski, who as Grand Hetman of the Crown was the second-highest military commander after the king, and the Marshal of the Permanent Council, Józef Ankwicz, to Iosif Igelström, Russian ambassador and commander of all Russian occupation forces in Poland, with a proposal to evacuate both the Russian troops and Polish troops loyal to the King to a military encampment at Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki.[12]
Igelström rejected the plan and saw no need for the Russians to evacuate Warsaw.
The Russian forces prepared a plan to seize the most important buildings to secure the city until reinforcements arrived from Russia. General Johann Jakob Pistor suggested that the barracks of "unsafe" Polish units be surrounded and the units disarmed, and the Warsaw Arsenal captured to prevent the revolutionaries from seizing arms.[16][20] At the same time bishop Józef Kossakowski, known for his pro-Russian stance, suggested that the churches be surrounded on Holy Saturday on 19 April with troops and all suspects attending the mass be arrested.[21][13]
On the Polish side, weakened by the arrests of some of its leaders,
Among the most influential partisans of the uprising was General
Opposing forces
As a large part of the Polish forces consisted of irregular militia or regular units in various stages of demobilisation, the exact number of the troops fighting on the Polish side is difficult to estimate.[35] Pay rolls of the Russian garrison have been preserved, which give a fairly accurate number of regular soldiers available to Igelström.[35]
The Polish regular forces consisted of 3000 men at arms and 150 horses.
The Polish forces included a variety of smaller units in various stages of demobilisation, among them the
The Russian garrison of Warsaw had a nominal strength of 11,750 men, including 1500 cavalrymen, at least 1000 artillerymen with 39 guns and an unspecified number of
Although the Russian force was more numerous than the Polish units left in the city after the Polish–Russian War of 1792, Russian soldiers were dispersed all around the city, guarding numerous warehouses or manning outposts in front of residences of their officers.[43] In addition, their orders in case of an armed uprising were often contradictory and did not take into account the possibility of fighting against regular Polish units.[45]
17 April
Opening moves
After the Russian plan of surrounding the churches on Saturday was discovered by the Poles, it was decided that the uprising should start immediately.
At 05:00 the planned Russian assault on the Arsenal started, but was repelled by unexpected opposition from Polish forces.
The initial clashes caused much confusion as not all forces involved had been notified of the plans of both sides. Among such units was the Royal Foot Guard unit, which broke through to
The assault on Leszno Street was aimed at the Russian battalion occupying positions before the Carmelite Church.[54] After several hours' heavy close-quarters fighting, the Russian forces were forced to retreat to the church itself, where fighting continued. The Russian soldiers surrendered, and only a small detachment, mostly of officers, continued the fight inside the church, where most of them perished.[16] Also the Russian battalion under Major Titov, stationed at Bonifraterska Street, had been attacked around 07:00 by the Poles. After four hours' fighting, the Russians retreated towards the city's western outskirts.[16]
At 06:00 the
City centre
The victory of the 10th Regiment marked a turning point in the uprising, as it broke the morale of the Russian forces.
In the meantime, the king and some members of the Targowica Confederation took refuge in the
At the same time General
The retreat of the Russian unit allowed the Poles to repel other assaults by Russian forces as well, including an attack by a thousand men from
In these circumstances the Poles began a counter-attack aimed at capturing Igelström's palace and the positions of the forces that he had around him.[72] These included a battalion under Johann Jakob Pistor; a battalion drawn from Marywil commanded by Colonel Parfyeniev; a battalion of the famed Siberian Regiment; and some cavalry under Brigadier Baur.[72] All but Parfyeniev's men had previously been involved in the failed assaults at the Arsenal and towards the Royal Castle, and all were battle-hardened. As the Poles took several buildings along Senatorska Street opposite the palace and fired at the Russians from the windows, the Russians could not reorganise their ranks and hid in the palace and the nearby Capuchin Church. Before 16:00, Działyński's Regiment reached Senatorska Street and began a frontal assault on the palace, but was bloodily repelled by the Russian defenders.[73] Constant fire from the windows and roofs of nearby houses prevented them from mounting a counter-attack and both sides reached a stalemate.[73] Because of that Igelström was left with little option but to await reinforcements from the outside, which did not happen.[73] After dark a small unit under Major Titov broke through to Igelström, but his force was not strong enough to break the stalemate.[68]
Unable to reach the palace, the Poles assaulted the Russian positions in front of the Capuchin Church and the adjoining monastery. The Russians withdrew to the courtyard, from where the fighting spread to the entire monastery.[74] The Poles secured the courtyard and placed a cannon there, which allowed them to storm the monastery, but fierce hand-to-hand fighting, with heavy losses on both sides, continued until late evening.[74] In the coming night, some smaller Russian units lost cohesion and attempted to retreat on their own.[74] Many soldiers engaged in looting, and Krasiński's Palace was among the most prominent buildings looted by the soldiers during the Uprising.[74]
18 April
Overnight the fights in various parts of the city continued. The isolated Russian units defended themselves in houses in various parts of the city.
Igelström requested permission to capitulate around 10:00,[75] having been unable to command most of his troops during the uprising.[4] After being granted a truce, he withdrew to the Prussian camp near Warsaw in Powązki,[1][61][75] and then further away from the city, towards Karczew.[76] The exact number of troops that retreated with Igelström is unknown and varies from source to source, but most estimates place it at between 300 and 400 men, with 8 cannons.[76] As soon as Igelström's retreat was discovered, the assault on Russian positions was resumed.[76] The remaining troops defending the embassy and covering Igelström's retreat eventually ran out of ammunition and their positions were overrun by 17:00 by the forces of the 10th Regiment under Kalinowski, aided by Kiliński's militia.[76][33] Polish forces released political prisoners held by Russians in the basement and were able to secure most of the embassy's secret archive, covering all of Russian secret operations in Poland since 1763.[76] Among the prominent captives taken during the final fights for the embassy was Colonel Parfyeniev.[76] Among the captured documents were the lists of various Polish officials on the Russian payroll;[77][78] many of them were later executed. The Polish forces also captured the treasury of the Russian ambassador, exceeding 95,000 golden ducats.[76] This Polish victory marked the end of the uprising, with the last Russian units either routed or in retreat.[76] The last small spots of Russian resistance were eliminated or surrendered on that day.[76]
Casualties
During the chaotic battle the Russian force lost 2,265 men killed and around 2,000 wounded.[note 4][76] In addition, 1926 Russian soldiers were taken prisoner of war, including 161 officers.[note 5]
Losses among Polish regular forces amounted to between 800 and 1000 dead and wounded;[76] civilian casualties and losses among various irregular militia units did not exceed 700.[76]
Aftermath
Several factors contributed to the Russian defeat and losses. Igelström had reduced the size of the garrison, sending some of units to deal with Kościuszko's main forces, and posted his remaining regiments so incompetently that they were easily cut off from each other and overwhelmed by the Polish forces.[4] From the onset of the insurrection, the Polish forces were aided by the civilian population and had surprise on their side;[79] after the crowd captured the city arsenal, Russian soldiers found themselves under attack throughout the city.[80]
The uprising in Warsaw marked a significant victory for the entire cause of Kościuszko, and echoes of the victory in Warsaw spread across the country.
The National Militia of Warsaw grew to over 20,000 men at arms and constituted a large part of the Polish Army fighting against Russia.[33] This included 1200 horsemen organised by Peter Jazwinski and 6000 under Kiliński.[86]
The uprising was also openly commented upon in Russia. As a result of this defeat, Igelström was recalled in disgrace,
The Warsaw Uprising is commemorated on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, with the inscription "WARSZAWA 17 IV – 4 XI 1794".
References
Footnotes
- ^ The number of civilians in that troop was most probably no greater than 150 people, though Kiliński in his memoirs seriously overstated both the Russian and Polish numbers.[57] In his memoirs he cites the Russian force of 4000 and the militia unit of 5000.[58]
- ^ A popular legend has it that Gagarin perished in a fight with certain blacksmith's pupil, who killed him with an iron pole.[58][59]
- ^ Kukiel mentions 60 to 100 men,[61] Pistor 50 to 60, with 2 artillery officers.[62]
- ^ Williams cites 2,000 dead,[1] Kukiel 2,250.[2] PWN Encyclopedia cites "over 4,000 soldiers lost", but this number includes both dead and wounded.[3]
- ^ Kukiel cites 1,500 prisoners,[2] Rambaud and Saltus mention 2,000.[4]
- ^ In the words of Zhukovich: On Thursday of the Holy Week in 1794 in Warsaw the conspirators attacked several Russian detachments, placed far apart from each other. This started a massacre of an unheard of scale. In one church 500 soldiers that came unarmed for Eucharist, were killed. The crowd besotted by the bloodshed ransacked the arsenal and Russians were shot endlessly from all windows and roofs, those in the streets or those running out from their houses. No one could walk along the streets. The crowd snatched anyone in the Russian uniform and beat them to death. The King's troops took part in this repugnant massacre. The king himself had neither the courage to lead the uprising nor to take steps to stop it. In the end, the remnants of the Russian troops had to leave Warsaw.[87]
- ^ Estimates vary, see article on Battle of Praga for details.
Citations
- ^ a b c Williams, Google Print p. 418.
- ^ a b c d Kukiel, p. 186.
- ^ a b "Igelström Iosif A.", ¶ 1-2.
- ^ a b c d Rambaud & Saltus, Google Print p. 122.
- ^ Kukiel, pp. 173–175.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 52.
- ^ a b Bideleux, p. 161.
- ^ a b Zahorski, pp. 17–36.
- ^ Tokarz, pp. 43–45.
- ^ Bartoszewicz, pp. 188–190.
- ^ Storozynski, p. 185.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 69.
- ^ a b Bartoszewicz, p. 188.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 46.
- ^ a b Tokarz, pp. 48–49.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Bartoszewicz, pp. 190–211.
- ^ a b "Rozbicie spisku w Warszawie", ¶ 2-7.
- ^ Reszka, ¶ "Bitwa pod Racławicami".
- ^ Williams, Google Print p. 418.
- ^ a b c Pistor & Prawdzic-Chotomski, p. 150.
- ^ Wojda, p. 100.
- ^ Bartoszewicz, pp. 185–188, 190.
- ^ Bartoszewicz, pp. 185–188.
- ^ Tokarz, pp. 51–59.
- ^ a b c Szyndler, pp. 93–94.
- ^ Lukowski, p. 258.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 49.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 51.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 54.
- ^ a b c Kukiel, p. 183.
- ^ Pistor & Prawdzic-Chotomski, p. 37.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 60.
- ^ a b c Borejsza, pp. 59–60.
- ^ a b Tokarz, p. 68.
- ^ a b c d e f Bartoszewicz, p. 192.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 61.
- ^ Tokarz, pp. 61–62.
- ^ Tokarz, pp. 62–63.
- ^ a b Tokarz, p. 64.
- ^ Tokarz, pp. 65–67.
- ^ Korzon, pp. 370–374.
- ^ Bartoszewicz, pp. 192–193.
- ^ a b c d e Tokarz, p. 32.
- ^ Tokarz, pp. 32–40.
- ^ Tokarz, pp. 40–42.
- ^ Storozynski, p. 186.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 42.
- ^ a b c d e Kukiel, p. 184.
- ^ Herbst, p. 7.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 110.
- ^ Poniatowski.
- ^ Bartoszewicz, p. 193.
- ^ a b c d Kukiel, pp. 183–190.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 115.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kukiel, pp. 184–185.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bartoszewicz, pp. 194–195.
- ^ Bartoszewicz, pp. 190, 192, 195.
- ^ a b Bartoszewicz, p. 195.
- ^ Kudinov, ¶ 43 "Фёдор Сергеевич (1757–1794)".
- ^ Bartoszewicz, pp. 195–196.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kukiel, p. 185.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bartoszewicz, p. 196.
- ^ a b Kukiel, pp. 185–186.
- ^ Tokarz, pp. 157–159.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 159.
- ^ Tokarz, p. 106.
- ^ Tokarz, pp. 107–109.
- ^ a b Bartoszewicz, p. 199.
- ^ a b c d Bartoszewicz, pp. 196–197.
- ^ Bartoszewicz, p. 197.
- ^ Bartoszewicz, pp. 196–199.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bartoszewicz, pp. 197–198.
- ^ a b c Bartoszewicz, pp. 198–199.
- ^ a b c d e Bartoszewicz, pp. 199–200.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bartoszewicz, p. 200.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bartoszewicz, p. 201.
- ^ Nałęcz, p. 10.
- ^ Suchodolski & Ostapowicz, pp. 159–160.
- ^ a b Ledonne, p. 59.
- ^ a b Zhukovich, ¶ 1-13.
- ^ Storozynski, p. 188.
- ^ Storozynski, p. 197.
- ^ Storozynski, p. 192.
- ^ Davies, p. 540.
- ^ Storozynski, p. 195.
- ^ a b Storozynski, p. 196.
- ^ Zhukovich, ¶ 2.
- ^ Grygorowicz, pp. 331–332.
- ^ Shefov, pp. 79–80.
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Сражение отличалось большим упорством и кровопролитием. Русские солдаты, помня о резне своих товарищей в Варшаве полгода назад, пощады не давали никому.
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Further reading
- Andrzej Zahorski (1985). Warszawa w powstaniu kościuszkowkim (Warsaw in the Kościuszko's Uprising) (in Polish). Warsaw.
- ISBN 83-86268-11-5.