The Battle of Biržai was a series of skirmishes during the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

. They took place on May 7–9, 1863, in the area of

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n town of

Biržai Biržai (, also known by several alternative names) is a city in northern Lithuania. Famous for its reconstructed Biržai Castle manor, the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries. Name The exact origin of th ...

, at the time part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

's Kaunas Governorate. Lithuanian rebels commanded by

Zygmunt Sierakowski Zygmunt Erazm Gaspar Józef Sierakowski (, ; 19 May 1826, – 27 June 1863, Vilnius) was a Polish leader of the January Uprising in lands of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Biography Youth and ed ...

, clashed here with the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

. In early May 1863, Sierakowski and his men tried to break through Russian cordon to

Courland Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were ...

, where a maritime transport with weapons was announced. Rebel forces concentrated in Biržai and , were attacked by the Russians. After several clashes, Sierakowski's unit was destroyed, which ended the insurrection in Lithuania.

Battle of Medeikai

On May 7, first clash took place near Medeikai, 10 kilometers north of Biržai. Sierakowski divided his party into three columns, and ordered to march to Biržai. They were faced by troops of the Imperial Russian Army, which included Cossacks, uhlans, infantry and Finnish riflemen. Left rebel column of Bolesław Kołyszko was attacked by the Russians. After a heavy fight, the rebels, reinforced with additional forces sent by Sierakowski, managed to kill 65 and wound 75 Russians.

Battle of Gudiškis

On May 8, Russian command sent reinforcements to the unit which had been defeated in Medeikai the day before. Near the Gudiškis village (3 kilometers southeast from Medeikai), they clashed with Sierakowski. A

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

attack was fought off by the Russians, and the battle ended in rebel defeat. Sierakowski, himself wounded, lost 200 men (killed and wounded), and ordered a withdrawal, nominating Ignacy Laskowski new commandant of the party.

Battle of Šniurkiškiai

On May 9, 1863, new rebel commandant, Ignacy Laskowski, ordered his forces to camp in a forest near . The rebels were completely taken by surprise, when the Russians attacked them. For one hour, priest

Antanas Mackevičius Antanas Mackevičius (; 26 June 1828 – 28 December 1863) was a Lithuanians, Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest who was one of the leaders and initiators of the January Uprising in Lithuania. Mackevičius was born to a family of Petty nobility, ...

defended rebel positions, but was defeated and rebel survivors fled from battlefield.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Birze Conflicts in 1863 1863 in Lithuania Birze Kovno Governorate May 1863 Military history of Lithuania