The Battle of Chroberz, one of many skirmishes 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 March 17, 1863, near the village of Chroberz in southwestern corner of 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. I ...
. A party of 3000 Polish insurgents commanded by
Marian Langiewicz
Marian Langiewicz, full name Marian Antoni Melchior Langiewicz (; 5 August 1827, Krotoszyn – 11 May 1887, Istanbul), was a Polish patriot notable as a military leader of the January Uprising in 1863.
Biography
He was born in the province o ...
, clashed with units 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 Poles managed to defeat the enemy, with heavy losses on both sides.
After the victorious Battle of Skala, Polish insurgents, who had tried to cross the border with nearby
Austrian Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...
, turned northwards and headed towards
Miechów
Miechów is a town in Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, about north of Kraków. It is the capital of Miechów County. Population is 11,852 (2004). Miechów lies on the Miechówka river, along European route E77. The area of the town is ...
. When Poles were camping in Chroberz, they found out about a Russian unit, which marched towards them from Pinczów, along the
Nida river
The Nida is a river in central Poland, a left tributary of the Vistula river, into which it flows near Nowy Korczyn). The Nida has a length of 154 kilometres and a basin area of 3,844 km2.François Rochebrune and his Zouaves of Death to cover the march of the main group of Polish forces. When another Russian unit appeared on the left bank of the Nida, Langiewicz sent there infantry under Colonel
Dionizy Czachowski
Dionizy Feliks Czachowski (born April 6, 1810 in Niedabyl, died November 6, 1863 in Jawor Solecki) was a Polish general and commander of the Sandomierz Voivodeship during the January Uprising in Congress Poland.
Dionizy, through his mother, w ...
. Meanwhile, Rochebrune burned a bridge over the Nida, and joined Langiewicz. All Polish forces began to retreat, protected by Czachowski's infantry. The Russians followed them, and the battle continued for several hours.
All together, Polish rebels lost 300 men, Russian forces also recorded 300 killed and wounded.