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
The corps of general Dembinski had been more fortunate than those of
Chlapowski and Rohland. That general, quitting Kurszany on the 9th of
July, returned, in obedience to the orders which we have detailed, by
means of the forests, to the environs of Szawla, leaving the enemy
upon the right, and without being observed by him;--he having advanced
with his whole force in the direction of Worna, under the belief that
our undivided forces were in that position. This corps traversed the
country between Szawla and Rosseyny, and arrived during the night of
the 15th at Janow, where they dispersed a squadron of the enemy's
cavalry and took fifty prisoners, and passed there the river Wiliia
without interruption. From thence they left for the environs of Kowno,
where, not far from Rumszyski, on the 16th, they met a brigade of
Russian infantry which was on the march from Wilno to the frontier of
Poland.
General Dembinski attacked this brigade with such impetuosity, that
they were thrown into the greatest consternation. Two cannons and
several prisoners were taken. The great forests, by which the Russians
were able to effect their escape, alone saved this brigade from entire
destruction. Having thus opened their road, they took the direction
of the town of Lida, passing the Niemen not far from that place.
Afterwards they threw themselves into the forests of Bialystok, and
in these forests the corps was reinforced by a considerable number
of Lithuanian insurgent cavalry, which had been acting with great
advantages over the enemy, by cutting off his transports of ammunition
and other modes of harassing him, during the whole of our campaign.
This force was under the command of colonel B***. General Dembinski
quitted the forests in the environs of Orla, and leaving the town of
Bielsk on his right, passed through the town of Bocki, near which
he surprised and dispersed a regiment of cossacks, and took several
prisoners, and among them a number of officers. In the environs of
Siemiatycze, where the corps arrived on the 20th of June, they were
arrested by the sudden appearance of a large body of troops. General
Dembinski halted and placed his forces in order of battle, sending his
flankers in advance. On the other side the same movement was made. The
flanking parties of the opposite forces approached each other, but
what was the astonishment of the two corps at seeing the tirailleurs,
in place of firing upon each other, rushing into each other's arms,
and rending the air with patriotic exclamations. The corps which
was thus met by that of general Dembinski, was the corps of general
Rozycki, which had been sent from our grand army to reinforce the
corps of general Gielgud. The reader will now call to mind the plan
of operations proposed by colonel Valentin after the battle of Wilno;
and the arrival of this reinforcement at the very spot which was to
have been the point of concentration aggravates the regret that his
plans were not adopted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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