The Battle of Krzywosądz was one of the battles of the January Uprising. It took place in the village of Krzywosądz, Congress Poland, on 19 February 1863, when a poorly armed party of 500 Polish insurgents, under

Ludwik Mierosławski Ludwik Adam Mierosławski (; January 17, 1814 in Nemours, Seine-et-Marne – November 22, 1878 in Paris) was a Polish general, writer, poet, historian and political activist. Took part in the November Uprising of the 1830s, after its fall he emig ...

, clashed with a 1,000 strong unit of the Imperial Russian Army. On the night of 17-18 February 1863, an Imperial Russian Army unit, stationed in

Włocławek Włocławek (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Leslau) is a city located in central Poland along the Vistula (Wisła) River and is bordered by the Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park. As of December 2021, the population of the city is 106,928. Loc ...

was alarmed by the news that Polish insurgents concentrated near the village of Niszczewy in the region of

Kuyavia Kuyavia ( pl, Kujawy; german: Kujawien; la, Cuiavia), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three ...

. The Russians, commanded by Colonel Yuri Schilder-Schuldner, immediately marched to Służewo, where they joined Russian border guards. Altogether, their forces had some 1,000 men, with a few cannons. Colonel Schilder-Schuldner, without wasting time, decided to attack the Poles, who were still in the process of concentrating. After a skirmish that lasted several hours, Ludwik Mierosławski ordered the insurgents to retreat. The battle ended in a Russian victory, and the dead insurgents were buried in Krzywosądz and the nearby village of Dobre. Among those killed were Jan Wasiłowski (a student of Liege Technical University and brother of

Maria Konopnicka Maria Konopnicka (; ; 23 May 1842 – 8 October 1910) was a Polish poet, novelist, children's writer, translator, journalist, critic, and activist for women's rights and for Polish independence. She used pseudonyms, including ''Jan Sawa''. She ...

), and Stanisław Gay – the son of architect Jan Jakub Gay. After the battle, Mierosławski with his men headed towards

Radziejów Radziejów (Polish pronunciation: ; German 1943-1945: ''Rädichau'') is a town in Poland, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, about 45 km south of Toruń. It is the capital of Radziejów County. Its population is 5,804 (2004). History ...

, where he was joined with a unit of Kazimierz Mielecki. On 21 February Mierosławski's forces lost another battle at Nowa Wieś, and the Polish leader decided to give up his post, going to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Sources

* Stefan Kieniewicz: Powstanie styczniowe. Warszawa:

Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (''Polish Scientific Publishers PWN''; until 1991 ''Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe'' - ''National Scientific Publishers PWN'', PWN) is a Polish book publisher, founded in 1951, when it split from the Wydawnictwa Szkolne i P ...

, 1983. . Conflicts in 1863 1863 in Poland Krzywosadz History of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship February 1863 events Warsaw Governorate {{Russia-battle-stub