The Battle of Szczekociny was fought on the 6 June 1794 near the town of Szczekociny,

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a s ...

, between Poland and the combined forces of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

and

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

. Polish forces were led by

Tadeusz Kościuszko Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko ( be, Andréj Tadévuš Banavientúra Kasciúška, en, Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kosciuszko; 4 or 12 February 174615 October 1817) was a Polish Military engineering, military engineer, statesman, an ...

, and the Russians and Prussians by Alexander Tormasov, future eminent general of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. Tormasov was aided by Prussian General Francis Favrat, who emphasized the use of artillery, which put Russian-Prussian forces in the advantage.

Background

Following the Russian defeat at the

Battle of Raclawice A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, the Prussians entered Poland to help confront the Polish revolt. Prussia and Russia were threatened by the sanctuary Poland offered serfs and Prussia was additionally threatened by their burghers lured to Poland's promise of democracy and free-market economy. On the morning of the 6 June, General Wodzicki noted, "It is impossible that Denisov could have amassed such an army. My eyes must be wrong, but I can see Prussians." Kosciuszko had received assurances the Prussians would remain neutral. Russian forces were placed on the left wing, while Prussian army was located on the right wing.

Battle

The combined Russo-Prussian forces of 26,500 were victorious, defeating Kosciuszko's army of 15,000 with cannon fire.Storozynski, A., 2009, The Peasant Prince, New York: St. Martin's Press, Polish

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

hero,

Wojciech Bartosz Głowacki Wojciech Bartos(z) Głowacki (1758–1794), known also as Bartosz Głowacki, was a Polish peasant and the most famous member of the kosynierzy (peasant volunteer infantry) during the Kościuszko Uprising in 1794. Born as Wojciech Bartosz, he be ...

, died of the wounds he sustained during this battle. Other Polish military commanders who took part in the battle were General Adam Poninski, General

Antoni Madalinski Antoni is a Catalan, Polish, and Slovene given name and a surname used in the eastern part of Spain, Poland and Slovenia. As a Catalan given name it is a variant of the male names Anton and Antonio. As a Polish given name it is a variant of the fem ...

, General

Jan Grochowski Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

and Duke Eustachy Sanguszko. Apart from Glowacki, two other Polish generals also died in the battle: Jozef Wodzicki and Jan Grochowski. Found on the battlefield by General Sanguszko, the wounded Kosciuszko stated, "I want to die here", as he was ridden to safety.

Aftermath

Kosciuszko's rebels retreated to Warsaw while the combined Russian and Prussian force captured Krakow on the 15 June. Austria then invaded Poland from the south. The Polish revolt was reduced to defending Warsaw.

References

External links

Board game
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szczekociny Battles of the Kościuszko Uprising Battles involving Prussia