4th Infantry Regiment of Polish Army of November Uprising

The 4th Line Infantry Regiment ( pl, 4. pułk piechoty liniowej) was a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 *Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exist ...

. Formed in 1815, the regiment distinguished itself in the battles of the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...

and remains one of the best-known units of the Polish Army of the era. The soldiers of the regiment are known in Polish historical works as the ''Czwartacy''.

History

The regiment was directly descended from the Napoleonic

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...

's . After Napoleon lost control of Poland in 1812, the regiment remained loyal to the emperor and fought in battles of

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

and

Arcis-sur-Aube Arcis-sur-Aube (, literally ''Arcis on Aube'') is a commune in the Aube department in the Grand Est region of north-central France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arcisiens'' or ''Arcisiennes''. The commune has been awarded "th ...

. After his abdication and exile to the Island of

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

, the remnants of the regiment returned to Russian-controlled

with their regimental flags, swore an oath to the Russian Tsar and became the cadre of a newly-formed infantry regiment with the same number. Their old regimental flag was retired and is preserved in the Warsaw-based

Polish Army Museum Museum of the Polish Army ( pl, Muzeum Wojska Polskiego) is a museum in Warsaw documenting the military history of Poland. Established in 1920 under the Second Polish Republic, it occupies a wing of the building of the Polish National Museum as w ...

. Like its predecessor, the new regiment was based in Warsaw and its main barracks were in the Sapieha Palace. The regiment was recruited in and around

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

from a broad cross-section of society including noblemen (

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...

), burghers, and many

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

and

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

s.The matter is discussed in: Kostołowski, pp. 12-25 and onwards Because of the proximity of the barracks to the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich's palace, the 4th Regiment became one of his favourite military units and its soldiers enjoyed the status of his personal guard. This meant that the Grand Duke, very fond of his military units, while also cruel and brutal in their treatment, would march the regiment's soldiers days and nights, in every weather.Nadolski, p. 102 The maltreated regiment's morale was low, yet any sign of discontent was brutally repressed: among those punished was the regiment's Major, a freemason,

Walerian Łukasiński Walerian Łukasiński (15 April 1786 in Warsaw – 27 January 1868 in Shlisselburg) was a Polish officer and political activist. Sentenced by Russian Imperial authorities to 14 years' imprisonment, he was never released and died after 46 years of ...

. Denounced as the founder of a

secret society A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

, he was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, but eventually was held without trial for 46 years in Russian prisons, most of that in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

November Uprising

Following the outbreak of the

, the regiment rebelled against the Russian Tsar together with most of the army of the Kingdom of Poland. It fought from the very first day of the uprising and distinguished itself in the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and Second Battle of Wawer, as well as the battles of Dębe Wielkie,

Ostrołęka , image_flag = POL Ostrołęka flag.svg , image_shield = POL Ostrołęka COA.svg , pushpin_map = Poland Masovian Voivodeship#Poland , pushpin_label_position = bottom , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = ...

and the final Battle of Warsaw.Gembarzewski, p. 69

Nicknames

Officially named the "4th

Line Infantry Line infantry was the type of infantry that composed the basis of European land armies from the late 17th century to the mid-19th century. Maurice of Nassau and Gustavus Adolphus are generally regarded as its pioneers, while Turenne and Monte ...

Regiment", the soldiers of the new unit continued to use the nickname of ''Czwartacy'' ("Men of the Fourth"), which had achieved some notoriety. During the uprising the unit also was often referred to as "''Tysiąc Walecznych''" ("A Thousand Brave Men") both by the press and general populace.Krzemicka, pp. 162-163 This nickname was popularised in Europe by a German poet

Julius Mosen Julius Mosen (8 July 1803 – 10 October 1867) was a German poet and author of Jewish descent, associated with the Young Germany movement, and now remembered principally for his patriotic poem the '' Andreas-Hofer-Lied''. Life Julius Mosen (Juliu ...

, who published in 1832 a popular poem idealising the regiment and its actions during the war of 1830-1831.Domański (ed.), p. 1

Decorations

During the November Uprising, the regiment received 214

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...

crosses: five 3rd class, 55 fourth class and 154 fifth class. This made it one of the most highly decorated Polish units of the epoch.

Regimental commanding officers

* Ignacy Mycielski * Col. Ludwik Bogusławski (1818 - 1820) * Lt.Col. Wit Czajkowski, (1818, again from 18 March 1831) * Lt.Col. Stanisław Kindler (from 17 April 1831) * Lt.Col. Klemens Jórski (from 22 April 1831) * Lt.Col. Kazimierz Majewski (from 20 June 1831) * Lt.Col. Józef Borzęcki (from 22 September 1831) * Józef Święcicki

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{cite web , editor=Waldemar Domański , title=Pułk Czwarty , trans-title=4th Regiment , publisher=Ośrodek Kultury Biblioteka Polskiej Piosenki , location=Kraków , year=2011 , work=Biblioteka Polskiej Piosenki , url=http://bibliotekapiosenki.pl/Pulk_Czwarty , access-date=2013-10-18 , language=pl Infantry regiments of Poland Congress Poland November Uprising 1815 establishments in Poland Military units and formations established in 1815