History of the Late Polish Revolution and the Events of the CampaignHordynski, Joseph
History
History of the Late Polish Revolution and the Events of the Campaign
Hordynski, Joseph
Poland -- History -- Revolution, 1830-1832
With this view, after resting a few hours at Retow, we left, by a
forced march, for Gorzdy, a small town near the Prussian frontier, at
which we hoped to overtake the corps of general Chlapowski, and at
which we arrived on the next day (13th,) at noon. But it was already
too late. The greater part of the corps of Chlapowski and Gielgud had
passed the frontier at the village of Czarna, about a half league from
the former place, and an inconsiderable part only of the corps, which
had not yet passed over, could unite with us. The other part were
already advanced a considerable distance within the Prussian territory,
and having been disarmed, were placed under a guard of Prussian
sentinels.
Such was the end of the corps of generals Chlapowski and Gielgud,
composed of our best troops, and which had performed such feats of
valor in so many battles. Those brave soldiers were led, against their
will, into the territory of a foreign nation, to seek a protection of
which they themselves had not even dreamed.
This step, which every historian of our revolution will record with
horror, when it was seen how totally without justification it was,
awakened the disgust and indignation of all. The part of the corps of
general Chlapowski which was already in the Prussian territory, when
they saw the corps of general Rohland, which they had been made to
believe was destroyed, continuing its march in an entire state, and
even with nearly 200 Russian prisoners in its train, and hearing too
the animating shouts which naturally burst from their comrades, as they
came in view of them, and who called on them to rejoin them, fell into
a state of the utmost exasperation. A great number rushed forward, and,
breaking through the Prussian guard, unarmed as they were, reached our
side of the frontier. The brave commander of the light artillery, who
was already on the Prussian territory with his battery, profiting by
the circumstance that his horses were not yet unharnessed, returned,
and joined our corps, with five pieces of cannon. Both officers
and soldiers surrounded general Gielgud, and loudly demanded some
explanation of this state of things. That general betrayed the utmost
confusion, and seemed wholly at a loss to satisfy these demands; his
manner, indeed, was such as to encourage the suspicions of treason,
which his previous conduct had but too well justified. At this moment,
one of his officers, in a frenzy of patriotic indignation, advanced
towards him, drew a pistol from his side, and exclaiming, 'This is the
reward of a traitor,' shot him through the heart. After this sad event,
general Chlapowski was sought after, and the same fate would have
probably awaited him, had he not succeeded in concealing himself. A
scene of great confusion then took place throughout the corps. General
Rohland and the other officers exerted themselves to tranquillize the
soldiers, reminding them that our situation was critical, and that
the Russians were pressing upon us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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