The Second Battle of Chruślina, one of many clashes of the

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

, took place on August 4, 1863, near the village of Chruślina, which at that time belonged to Russian-controlled

Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...

. An insurgent unit of 1,400 infantry and 200 cavalry under

Michał Heydenreich Michał Jan Heydenreich (Heidenreich), also known under the pseudonym Kruk (19 September 1831, Warsaw, Russian Empire – 9 April 1886, Lviv), was a Polish general who took part in the January Uprising. He was a Podpolkovnik in the Russian Imperi ...

clashed with a 1,300-strong detachment of the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

. The battle ended in Polish victory, with Polish losses estimated at 2 dead and 30 wounded. General Michal Heydenreich (

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Kruk) commanded a large insurgent unit, which however lacked weapons and ammunition. His forces camped at Chruslina, which at that time was located near the border between Congress Poland and Austrian

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

. When Heydenreich received news of a Russian unit, which approached his camp, he decided to fight the enemy. Polish insurgents formed two lines, and the battle began at 11 a.m. After first Russian attack was repelled, their commandand Mednikov pushed forward all his forces, attacking both Polish wings. Russian assault failed, and at 7 p.m. Mednikov ordered his forces to withdraw. Polish

kosynierzy Scythemen, also known as scythe-bearers is the term for soldiers (often peasants and townspeople) armed with straightened war scythes. First appearing in the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794, scythemen quickly became one of the symbols of the strugg ...

approached the towns of Krasnik and Urzedow, but did not capture them due to lack of ammunition.

Sources

Stefan Kieniewicz Stefan Kieniewicz (20 September 1907, in Dereszewicze – 2 May 1992, in Konstancin) was a Polish historian and university professor, notable for his works on the 19th-century history of Poland. During his work at various universities he became ...

: Powstanie styczniowe. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1983. . Conflicts in 1863 1863 in Poland Chruslina History of Lublin Voivodeship August 1863 events {{Russia-battle-stub