Battle of Kobyłka
{{Short description|Battle of the Kościuszko Uprising}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Kobyłka
| partof = the Kościuszko Uprising
| image = File:Сражение-при-Кобылке.png
| caption = Schematic of the Battle of Kobyłka
{{small|The history of the cavalry by M. Markov}}
| date = October 26, 1794 (15th OS)
| place = Kobyłka, Masovian Voivodeship
| result = Russian victory
| combatant1 = {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} Russia
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Royal Banner of Stanisław II of Poland.svg|border=no}} Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
| commander1 = {{flagdeco|Russian Empire}} Alexander Suvorov
{{flagdeco|Russian Empire}} Ivan Fersen
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Banner of Kosciuszko Uprising flat.PNG}} Stanisław Mokronowski
{{flagicon image|Banner of Kosciuszko Uprising flat.PNG}} {{ill|Jan Jakub Meyen|lt=Jan Meyen|pl|Jan Jakub Meyen}}
{{flagicon image|Banner of Kosciuszko Uprising flat.PNG}} {{ill|Arnold Anastazy Byszewski|lt=Arnold Byszewski|pl|Arnold Anastazy Byszewski}}{{POW}}
{{flagicon image|Banner of Kosciuszko Uprising flat.PNG}} Col. Wolan{{POW}}
| strength1 = Up to 4,000{{Efn|3{{sfn|Petrushevsky|1884|p=92}}–4,000{{sfn|Orlov|1894|p=65}}{{sfn|Petrushevsky|1884|p=92}} engaged; 10{{sfn|Velichko|Novitsky|Schwarz|Apushkin|1913}}–11,000 total, with 20 cannons{{Sfn|Bujalski|2004}}}}
| strength2 = Byszewski: 2,500
Wolan: 1,000 {{Efn|>4,000 total — up to 4,500 (according to Russian data); corps; 2,500 men and 5 cannons of Byszewski's own column involved, plus another 1,000 men of Colonel Wolan's column. General rebel forces at Kobylka were 5,560 men and 9 cannons according to Polish data.{{sfn|Orlov|1894|p=64}}{{sfn|Petrushevsky|1884|p=92}}{{sfn|Velichko|Novitsky|Schwarz|Apushkin|1913}}{{Sfn|Bujalski|2004}}}}
| casualties1 = 153 killed and wounded{{sfn|Orlov|1894|p=65}}{{efn|Perhaps "a bit of an understatement".}}
| casualties2 = 450 dead and 846 captured acc. to Polish source{{Sfn|Bujalski|2004}}
Almost all of Meyen's unit acc. to Russian source
(incl. 1,073 prisoners of war, 9 cannons & 1 standard){{sfn|Orlov|1894|p=65}}
}}
{{Campaignbox Kościuszko Uprising}}
The Battle of Kobyłka{{efn|{{langx|ru|Бой у Кобылки}}, {{langx|pl|Bitwa pod Kobyłką}}}} took place between the Russian Empire's armed forces under the leadership of Suvorov and Polish rebels under Stanisław Mokronowski north-east of Warsaw (at Kobyłka), on 26 October 1794. It was part of the Kościuszko Uprising and ended with the rebels' defeat.
Battle
When Suvorov received information from Stanisławów that the insurgent detachments were at Kobyłka and Okuniew, he immediately sent General Fersen's cavalry to Okuniew, and himself with 10,000 moved to Kobyłka.{{sfn|Velichko|Novitsky|Schwarz|Apushkin|1913}}
Polish forces of the Mokronowski's column were under General Meyen's command, but Meyen left his detachment at the very beginning and go to Warsaw; the Poles remained under the command of General Byszewski, adjutant-general of the Polish king.{{sfn|Orlov|1894|pp=63-65}}
Russian General {{ill|Georgy Shevich|lt=Georgy Ivanovich Shevich|ru|Шевич, Георгий Иванович (генерал от кавалерии)|vertical-align=sup}} forced the Polish column to retreat in two separate sub-columns, which both laid down their arms; one of them, Colonel Wolan's, followed the forest road (the right flank; it surrendered first), and the other, Byszewski's own, the great road to Warsaw. Particularly noteworthy on the Russian side was the saber strike from the dismounted light cavalry and carabineers; Suvorov later said to a French emigrant who had joined the Russian service: "If you were at Kobyłka, you would see things I have never seen either". Fersen, on the other hand, found no Poles in Okuniew, however, he sent to Suvorov 2 Cossack cavalry regiments in support, who took part in a flanking manoeuvre against Wolan. This battle is also notable for being won by the Russians almost exclusively by cavalry, with the exception of one jaeger battalion.{{sfn|Orlov|1894|pp=63-65}}{{sfn|Velichko|Novitsky|Schwarz|Apushkin|1913}}{{Sfn|Bujalski|2004}}
In this battle, captured Polish officers asked Suvorov to feed them, as being in constant and hurried movement for several days, they were always hungry. Suvorov ordered to feed them as well as the captive soldiers with anything possible, which was performed by the Pereyaslav Horse-Jaeger Regiment, and the soldiers willingly shared with the prisoners of the meagre stock, which they had with them.{{sfn|Petrushevsky|1884|pp=89-90}}
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{Cite book |last=Markov |first=M. |title=История конницы. Часть 4-я. От Фридриха Великого до введения нарезного оружия. Отдел I |trans-title=The history of the cavalry. Part 4. From Frederick the Great to the introduction of rifled weapons. Section 1 |year=1890 |place=Tver |publisher=Типо-Литография Ф. С. Муравьёва}}
- {{Cite book |last=Petrushevsky |first=Alexander |author-link=Alexander Petrushevsky |url=https://archive.org/details/libgen_00294790/mode/2up |title=Generalissimo Prince Suvorov |date=1884 |publisher=Типография М. М. Стасюлевича |edition=1st |volume=2 |place=St. Petersburg |language=ru |access-date=27 October 2023}}
- {{Cite book |last=Orlov |first=Nikolay Aleksandrovich |url=https://archive.org/details/libgen_00846991 |publisher=Типография Штаба войск Гвардии и Петербургского военного округа |year=1894 |isbn=978-5-4460-5018-5 |title=Штурм Праги Суворовым в 1794 году |location=St. Petersburg |trans-title=The storming of Praga by Suvorov in 1794 |access-date=7 October 2023 |authorlink=Nikolay Orlov (military writer)}}
- {{Cite book |last1=Velichko |first1=Konstantin I. |last2=Novitsky |first2=Vasily F. |last3=Schwarz |first3=Alexey V. von |last4=Apushkin |first4=Vladimir A. |last5=Schoultz |first5=Gustav K. von |url=https://archive.org/details/bmk-brz-13/page/n5/mode/2up |publisher=Типография Т-ва И. Д. Сытина |volume=13. Кобленц – Круз |location=Moscow |year=1913 |page=4 |language=ru |title=Военная энциклопедия Сытина |trans-title=Sytin Military Encyclopedia |access-date=25 September 2023 |author-link2=Vasily Fedorovich Novitsky}}
- {{Cite journal|first=Mirosław |last=Bujalski|title=Ostatnia bitwa Powstania Kościuszkowskiego|journal=Niedziela|year=2004|accessdate=2017-08-18|volume=43/2004|url=https://niedziela.pl/artykul/33654/nd/Ostatnia-bitwa-Powstania|language=pl}}
{{coord missing|Masovian Voivodeship}}
Category:Battles involving the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Category:Battles involving the Russian Empire
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