The Battle of Iłża, 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 January 17, 1864, near the town of

Iłża Iłża () is a small town in Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. In 2006 Iłża had approximately 5,165 inhabitants. The town belongs to the historical region of Lesser Poland, and from its foundation until 1795, it was part of Lesser Poland’s Sandom ...

, 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 ...

. A party of 830 Polish rebels, commanded by Karol Kalita, clashed with a 400-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 ...

. Poles lost 5 men, while Russian losses were much higher. The battle began when Russian infantry and

Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

under Colonel Sukhonin attacked three rebel companies of Polish 3rd Stopnica Regiment, which were stationed in the village of Lubienia. The Russians probably underestimated strength of rebel units, as soon after their attack, two additional Polish companies entered the battle, with two more attacking Russians from their rear. Sukhonin and his soldiers put up a fierce fight, but after some time, he was pushed towards Iłża, where Russians defended themselves in houses. As darkness fell, the skirmish came to an end, and Polish commandant Karol Kalita ordered his men to head towards Prędocin. The battle of Iłża was commemorated on Warsaw's

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...

, with the inscription “IłŻA 17 I 1864".

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. . Ilza 1864 in Poland Ilza History of Masovian Voivodeship January 1864 events {{Russia-battle-stub