Battle of Miechów 1863
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 17 February 1863 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1863 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Poland | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | January Uprising | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 50.3578, 20.0325 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Miechów took place on February 17, 1863, near Miechów in Małopolska, Poland (at the time Congress Poland), during the January Uprising.
Polish units under Apolinary Kurowski numbering around 2,500 troops attacked the town in an attempt to gain control of the so-called border triangle - an area at the crossroads of the Austrian, Prussian and Russian partitions which would have allowed the insurgents access to supplies and troops from outside the Congress Poland where the uprising proper was taking place. They were hoping to surprise Russian troops. However, the Russian garrison (2 companies, 550 men) was stronger than expected by insurgents. Either the Russian commander guessed the intent, or the strategic plan of the Poles was somehow betrayed. As a result, they bolstered their defenses.
Initial engagements were favorable to the Poles. These included a successful charge by the Zouaves of Death, a unit organized by Francois Rochebrune and led by Wojciech Komorowski in this battle, on Russian positions in the local cemetery. However, charges by the Polish cavalry through the narrow streets of the town resulted in very high casualties in the face of concentrated fire from the Russians and eventually a panic of the Polish troops.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Miechów (revision 1370269405), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the January Uprising
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- Battle of Ciołków 1863
- Battle of Genėtiniai 1863
- Battle of Grochowiska 1863
- Battle of Huta Krzeszowska 1863
- Battle of Kobylanka 1863
- Battle of Krasnobród (1863) 1863
- Battle of Krzykawka 1863
- Battle of Krzywosądz 1863
All 36 battles of the January Uprising →
Browse more: battles in Poland · Europe · 19th century battles