Conflict: | Battle of Kobyłka |
Partof: | the Kościuszko Uprising |
Date: | October 26, 1794 (15th OS) |
Place: | Kobyłka, Masovian Voivodeship |
Result: | Russian victory |
Combatant1: | Russia |
Combatant2: | Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
Commander1: | Alexander Suvorov Ivan Fersen |
Commander2: | Stanisław Mokronowski Col. Wolan |
Strength1: | up to 4,000 |
Strength2: | Byszewski: 2,500 Wolan: 1,000 |
Casualties1: | 153 killed and wounded |
Casualties2: | 450 dead and 846 captured acc. to Polish sourceAlmost all of Meyen's unit acc. to Russian source (incl. 1,073 prisoners of war, 9 cannons & 1 standard) |
The Battle of Kobyłka 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.
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.
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.
Russian General 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.
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.
. Штурм Праги Суворовым в 1794 году . Типография Штаба войск Гвардии и Петербургского военного округа . 1894 . 978-5-4460-5018-5 . St. Petersburg . The storming of Praga by Suvorov in 1794 . 7 October 2023 . Nikolay Orlov (military writer).