The Second Battle of Chruślina, one of many clashes of 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 ...

, took place on August 4, 1863, near the village of Chruślina, which at that time belonged to Russian-controlled

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of 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 was established w ...

. An insurgent unit of 1,400 infantry and 200 cavalry under

Michał Heydenreich Michał Jan Heydenreich (Heidenreich), also known under the pseudonym Kruk (19 September 1831, Warsaw, Russian Empire – 9 April 1886, Lviv), was a Polish general who took part in the January Uprising. He was a Podpolkovnik in the Russian Imperia ...

clashed with a 1,300-strong detachment of 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 ...

. The battle ended in Polish victory, with Polish losses estimated at 2 dead and 30 wounded. General Michal Heydenreich (

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

Kruk) commanded a large insurgent unit, which however lacked weapons and ammunition. His forces camped at Chruslina, which at that time was located near the border between Congress Poland and Austrian Galicia. When Heydenreich received news of a Russian unit, which approached his camp, he decided to fight the enemy. Polish insurgents formed two lines, and the battle began at 11 a.m. After first Russian attack was repelled, their commandand Mednikov pushed forward all his forces, attacking both Polish wings. Russian assault failed, and at 7 p.m. Mednikov ordered his forces to withdraw. Polish

kosynierzy 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 ...

approached the towns of Krasnik and Urzedow, but did not capture them due to lack of ammunition.

Sources

Stefan Kieniewicz Stefan Kieniewicz (20 September 1907, in Dereszewicze – 2 May 1992, in Konstancin-Jeziorna, Konstancin) was a Polish historian and university professor, notable for his works on the 19th-century history of Poland. During his work at various uni ...

: 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 ...

, 1983. . Conflicts in 1863 1863 in Poland Chruslina History of Lublin Voivodeship August 1863 {{Russia-battle-stub