Antoni Giełgud ( lt, Antoni Gelgaudas, 1792-1831) was a Polish-Lithuanian military officer, a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

during 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 ...

Early life

Giełgud was born into the Giełgud ( Gelgaudai) family in 1792. He was a son of , member of the

Permanent Council The Permanent Council () was the highest administrative authority in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1775 and 1789 and the first modern executive government in Europe. As is still typically the case in contemporary parliamentary poli ...

, and Eleonara Tyszkiewicz, daughter of Stanisław Antoni Tyszkiewicz, castellan of Samogitia.

Napoleonic Wars

During the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

, he financed and commanded the creation of the 21st Infantry Regiment of Army of the Duchy of Warsaw, which he led since 29 August 1812. He took part in the defence of

Modlin fortress Modlin Fortress ( pl, Twierdza Modlin) is one of the largest 19th-century fortresses in Poland. It is located in the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in district Modlin on the Narew river, approximately 50 kilometers north of Warsaw. It was ori ...

November Uprising

In 1818 he was appointed as a general of the of

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 ...

army by Grand Duke Konstantin. During the

he returned to active service and initially served as a commanding officer of the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division under

Jan Krukowiecki Count Jan Stefan Krukowiecki (; 1772–1850) was a Polish general and chairman of the Polish National Government (prezes Rządu Narodowego) during the November Uprising and general during Napoleonic Wars fighting in the troops of Napoleon. ...

. A hero of the battles of Wawer and

Białołęka Białołęka (, from ''biały'' - ''white'' and ''łąka'' - ''meadow'') is one of 18 districts of Warsaw, located in the northern part of the city. Until October 27, 2002 Białołęka was a gmina. The name ''Białołęka'' comes from a nobleman ...

, he was given command over the entire 2nd Infantry Division. He covered the retreat of Polish-Lithuanian forces after the battle of Ostrołęka, but got separated from the main force and decided to head for Lithuania instead. He defeated the Russians in the Battle of Rajgród, but his assault of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

failed and his corps composed of his own division and the forces of

Dezydery Chłapowski Baron Dezydery Adam Chłapowski (1788 in Turew – 27 March 1879) of the Dryja coat of arms was a Polish general, businessman and political activist. Early life His father Józef Chłapowski (born 1756, died 1826) was the baron of Kościan Co ...

lost over 2,000 men in the battle of Paneriai. Unable to return to Polish-Lithuanian main forces at that time converging on Warsaw, he decided to head to

Klaipėda Klaipėda (; ; german: Memel; pl, Kłajpeda; russian: Клайпеда; sgs, Klaipieda) is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The capital of the eponymous county, it is the third largest city and the only major seaport in Lithuan ...

(Memel), where he was expecting foreign reinforcements. En route, however, all three Giełgud's columns were intercepted by the Russians and forced to cross the

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

border. Giełgud himself soon after crossing the border was shot dead by one of his staff officers, enraged by his poor command.Feliksas Sliesoriūnas. Antanas Gelgaudas. Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia, T. VI (Fau-Goris). - Vilnius: Institute of Science and Encyclopedia Publishing, 2004. 510 p. He died 31 August 1831 in the Šnaukštai (Schnaugsten) village, Lithuania and was buried in a nearby Kisiniai (Kisin) town, from

References

Bibliography

* 1792 births 1831 deaths Lithuanian generals Polish generals Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Generals of the November Uprising {{Lithuania-bio-stub