The previous article ("Warsaw Matins" of 1794 ") told about the beginning of the rebellion in Poland and the tragic events that took place in Warsaw, where on April 6 (17), 1794, 2,265 Russian soldiers and officers were killed (the death toll later increased). Now we will continue this story, ending it with a report on the third and final section of the Commonwealth.
Suvorov's triumphant return to Poland
According to eyewitnesses, Catherine II, having learned about the massacre of unarmed soldiers by the Poles, including in Warsaw churches, fell into a state of hysteria: she shouted loudly, banging her fists on the table. She instructed Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev to avenge the treacherous murder of Russian soldiers and officers and restore order in Poland. For health reasons, he avoided this duty, instead of himself sending General-in-Chief A. V. Suvorov, who at that moment was in Ochakov.
Upon learning of this appointment, Suvorov said:
"Let's go and show how the Poles are beaten!"
Suvorov could say so with good reason: he knew how to beat the Poles, which he demonstrated during the campaign in Poland in 1769-1772. It was here, by the way, that he received his first general rank: having started the war with the rank of brigadier, he ended it as a major general.
More than twenty years have passed since then, but the Poles did not forget Suvorov and were very afraid - so much so that the leaders of the rebellion decided to deceive their supporters. They began to spread rumors among the rebels that Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, known to him for his military leadership talents, was either killed near Izmail, or was on the border with the Ottoman Empire, which was about to attack Russia. To Warsaw, according to their assurances, the namesake of this commander should have come. But the real Suvorov was going to Warsaw, who on August 22, 1794 ordered his troops:
“I strongly recommend that all gentlemen, regimental and battalion commanders, inspire and interpret the lower ranks and privates so that they do not do the slightest ruin when crossing towns, villages and taverns. To spare those who are calmly and not to offend in the least, so as not to harden the hearts of the people and, moreover, do not deserve the vicious name of robbers."
Meanwhile, the Russians, even without Suvorov, had already fought well, and on August 12 the city of Vilna surrendered to the Russian troops. On August 14, its residents signed an act of loyalty to Russia. And on October 10 (September 29), in a battle with a detachment of the Russian general I. Fersen near Matsejovice, the "dictator of the uprising and generalissimo" Kosciuszko was wounded and captured.
Prussian and Austrian troops also took part in this war.
The Austrians, commanded by Field Marshal Lassi, took the city of Chelm on June 8. Prussian troops led by King Frederick Wilhelm II himself, in alliance with the corps of Lieutenant General I. E. Fersen, occupied Krakow on June 15, and on July 30 approached Warsaw, which was besieged until September 6, but, failing to take it, went to Poznan. where the anti-Prussian uprising began.
Suvorov, having only about 8 thousand soldiers with him, advancing towards Warsaw, in August-September 1794 defeated the Poles near the village of Divin, near Kobrin, near Kruchitsa, near Brest and near Kobylka. After Suvorov's victory at Brest, where the Poles lost 28 guns and two banners, Kosciuszko, a few days before his capture, ordered the use of barrage detachments in a new clash with the Russians:
“That during the battle part of the infantry with artillery always stood behind the line with cannons loaded with buckshot, from which they would shoot at the fleeing. Let everyone know that going forward, he receives victory and glory, and giving the rear, he meets shame and inevitable death."
And Suvorov, having united with other Russian units operating in Poland, and bringing the number of his army to 25 thousand people, on October 22 (November 3) approached the Polish capital.
Storming of Prague
The very next day, the Russian commander threw his troops to storm Prague - the well-fortified right-bank suburb of Warsaw. For the rebels, who recently withstood more than two months of siege by the allied Prussian and Russian troops, this came as a complete surprise: they were determined to a many months (if not many years) war. Indeed, according to all the canons of the art of war, storming Prague was madness. The Russians had about 25 thousand soldiers and officers and 86 guns, among which there was not a single siege one. Prague, well fortified in the months after the start of the uprising, was defended by 30 thousand Poles, who had 106 artillery pieces.
But Suvorov believed in Russian soldiers, and they passionately wanted to take revenge on the treacherous Poles for the murders of unarmed colleagues. The Russian commander knew about the mood of his subordinates, and the order given to them on the eve of the assault read:
“Don't run into houses; to spare the enemy asking for mercy; not to kill unarmed; not to fight with women; do not touch youngsters. Which of us will be killed - the Kingdom of Heaven; glory to the living! glory! glory!"
He also guaranteed protection to all Poles who would come to the Russian camp.
But the Russians, remembering the fate of their comrades, were not inclined to spare the rebels, and the Poles, suspecting that there would be no forgiveness for treachery, defended themselves desperately, in fact, hiding behind the civilian population of Prague. And this fierce resistance only embittered the storming troops.
The battle for Prague lasted only one day, but the participants in this operation compared it to the storming of Ishmael. Even seasoned eyewitnesses were amazed by the bitterness of the parties. Suvorov General Ivan Ivanovich von Klugen recalled:
“One stalwart Polish monk, covered in blood, grabbed the captain of my battalion in his arms and tore out part of his cheek with his teeth. I managed to knock down the monk in time, thrusting my sword on the hilt into his side. About twenty hunters rushed at us with axes, and while they were raised on bayonets, they hacked many of ours. It is not enough to say that they fought with fierceness, no - they fought with fury and without any mercy. In my life I was twice in hell - at the storming of Ishmael and at the storming of Prague … It's terrible to remember!"
He told later:
“They shot at us from the windows of houses and from the roofs, and our soldiers, bursting into the houses, killed everyone who came across to them … Fierceness and thirst for revenge reached the highest degree … the officers were no longer able to stop the bloodshed … Near the bridge there was another massacre … Our soldiers fired into the crowds, not discerning anyone - and the shrill screams of women, the screams of children terrified the soul. It is rightly said that shed human blood arouses a kind of intoxication. Our fierce soldiers saw in every living being our destroyer during the uprising in Warsaw. "Nobody's sorry!" - our soldiers shouted and killed everyone, not distinguishing either age or gender."
And here is how Suvorov himself recalled that terrible day:
“This matter is similar to that of Ishmael … Every step on the streets was covered with beaten; all squares were covered with bodies, and the last and most terrible extermination was on the banks of the Vistula, in view of the Warsaw people."
The Polish composer M. Oginsky left the following description of this assault:
“The bloody scenes followed one after another. Russians and Poles mingled in a common battle. Streams of blood poured from all sides … The battle cost many victims both the Poles and the Russians … 12 thousand inhabitants of both sexes were killed in the suburbs, did not spare either the elderly or the children. The suburb was set on fire from four sides."
The result of this battle was the death of 10 to 13 thousand Polish insurgents, approximately the same number were captured, the Russians lost about 500 people killed, up to a thousand were wounded.
Suvorov, whom the Poles and Europeans sympathizing with them later accused of terrible cruelty, actually saved Warsaw by ordering the destruction of the bridges across the Vistula - so as not to allow the troops engulfed in the excitement of battle to enter the Polish capital. The same goal was pursued by the barriers set up by Suvorov on the way to Warsaw.
Capitulation of Warsaw
The Russian commander gave the Warsaw people the opportunity to capitulate on honorable terms, and they, shocked by the storm of Prague that unfolded before their eyes, hastened to take advantage of this offer. On the night of October 25, a delegation from the Warsaw magistrate arrived at the Russian camp and dictated the terms of surrender. 1,376 Russian soldiers and officers, 80 Austrian and more than 500 Prussian were released. Moreover, only Russian servicemen were handed over without shackles - the rest remained tied until the last minute: in such a simple way, the Warsaw people tried to show their humility and apologize to their victors.
It is curious that the bridges across the Vistula that were burned down on the orders of Suvorov were restored by the Poles themselves: it was through them that the Russian army entered Warsaw. The inhabitants of the city surrendered the capital according to all the rules: on October 29 (November 9), Suvorov was greeted by members of the magistrate, who handed him a symbolic key to the city and a diamond snuffbox with the inscription “Warszawa zbawcu swemu” - “To the Deliverer of Warsaw” (!). According to Russian tradition, Suvorov was also presented with bread and salt.
Surrendered Warsaw and its citizens escaped revenge for the murder of Russian soldiers and officers. Moreover, Suvorov turned out to be so magnanimous and was so confident in himself and in the fear of the Poles that he almost immediately freed 6,000 enemy soldiers who had recently fought against him, 300 officers and 200 non-commissioned officers of the royal guard. Outraged by his gentleness, State Secretary of Catherine II D. P. Troshchinsky wrote to the Empress:
“Count Suvorov the greats rendered services by taking Warsaw, but on the other hand he annoys him unbearably with his incongruous orders there. All general Poles, not excluding the main rioters, are released freely into their homes."
But the main "defenders of Prague" Suvorov could not be forgiven: Polish generals Zajonczek and Vavrzecki, having abandoned their troops, fled even before the end of the assault.
Europe's opinion
All this did not save Suvorov from the "opinion of the enlightened Europe", which declared him no less than a "half-demon". And even Napoleon Bonaparte was not shy in expressions when he wrote about Suvorov to the Directory in the fall of 1799: "The barbarian, drenched in the blood of the Poles, brazenly threatened the French people." The Poles, in contrast to the Russians, did not show their European political correctness even during the Warsaw Pact and CMEA, calling the events of that day the "Prague Massacre".
It must be said that the Polish and European version of those events (about the complete and merciless beating of the civilian population of Prague) was traditionally accepted by many representatives of the liberal Russian intelligentsia. Even A. Pushkin wrote in his poem "To Count Olizar":
And we about the stones of the fallen walls
The babies of Prague were beaten
When trampled into bloody dust
To the beauty of Kostyushkin's banners.
The poet reports this with some pride, but does not deny the fact of the "beating of the Prague babies".
By the way, much later, A. A. poems by F. M. Tyutchev:
The humane grandson of a warlike grandfather, Forgive us, our handsome prince, That we honor the Russian cannibal, We Russians - Europe without asking …
How can I excuse this courage to you?
How to justify compassion for
Who defended and saved Russia intact, Sacrificing everyone to his calling …
So be shameful evidence to us too
A letter to him from us, his friends -
But it seems to us, prince, your great grandfather
I would have sealed it with my signature.
(The poem is dated November 12, 1863, first published in the Kolokol magazine by A. Herzen on January 1, 1864).
Actually, it is thanks to the quoted lines of Tyutchev that this dubious grandson of Suvorov is sometimes remembered today.
Another point of view on the events of 1794 was presented by Denis Davydov:
“It is easy to condemn this in the office, outside the circle of fierce battle, but the Christian faith, conscience and the humane voice of the leaders are not able to stop the fierce and intoxicated soldiers. During the storming of Prague, the frenzy of our troops, burning with revenge for the traitorous beating of their comrades by the Poles, reached extreme limits."
Suvorov knew what they said and wrote about him in European capitals, and then said:
“I was considered a barbarian - seven thousand people were killed during the storming of Prague. Europe says that I am a monster, but … the peace-loving field marshals (Prussian and Austrian) at the beginning of the Polish campaign spent all their time preparing stores. Their plan was to fight for three years with the indignant people … I came and won. With one blow I gained peace and put an end to the bloodshed."
Suvorov's actions in Poland in 1794 are really surprising. G. Derzhavin wrote this about Suvorov's strike at Prague:
He stepped - and conquered the kingdom!
It was for this campaign in Poland that Suvorov received the rank of field marshal, and Catherine II told him that it was not she, but he who "made himself with his victories as field marshals, violating seniority."
Other awards were an estate with 6922 serfs, male "souls", two Prussian orders - the Black and Red Eagle, and a portrait with diamonds sent by the Austrian emperor.
What is good for a Russian …
F. Bulgarin, referring to the story of von Klugen, already familiar to us, argued that it was in the captured Prague that the famous saying “What is good for a Russian, death for a German” appeared and that it was written by Suvorov himself. The commander spoke this way about the death of a German regimental doctor (according to other sources, a horseman), who, together with the Russian soldiers, drank alcohol found in one of the pharmacies. However, nothing is reported about the state of health of the Russian soldiers who drank this denatured alcohol: it is quite possible that they, too, then, to put it mildly, were not very good.
The bitter fruits of the Polish adventure
The fall of Prague and the surrender of Warsaw led to the complete defeat of the demoralized Poles. All the rebel squads laid down their arms within a week. Their last detachments retreated to the Sandomierz Voivodeship, where they surrendered to General Denisov near the town of Opochno and to General Fersen near the village of Radochin (here General Wawrzecki, who became the Polish commander-in-chief, was captured and became the commander-in-chief).
In total, by December 1, 25,500 Polish soldiers were taken prisoner, along with 80 cannons. But already on November 10, Suvorov notified Prince Repnin (under whom he was formally subordinate):
“The campaign is over, Poland is disarmed. There are no insurgents … They scattered in part, but with excellent service they put down their rifle and surrendered with their generals, without bloodshed."
The results of this adventure for Poland were terrible and sad.
On October 24, 1795, representatives of Austria, Prussia and Russia, gathered at a conference in St. Petersburg, announced the liquidation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and even banned the use of the very concept of "Polish kingdom".
On November 25, 1795, on the birthday of Catherine II, King Stanislav Ponyatovsky abdicated the throne.
What is the attitude of the Poles towards “their” participants in those events? The last legitimate monarch of the country, Stanislav August Poniatowski, they always despised and did not love until now, calling it the "straw king". In 1928, an urn with the ashes of King Stanislaw Leszczynski, who had no special merits to Poland, was solemnly buried in the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow. And the remains of Stanislav Poniatowski, transferred by the Soviet authorities to Poland in 1938 (thus the leaders of the USSR hoped to improve relations with their neighbors), were buried in a modest church in his hometown Volchin and only in 1995 were transferred to Warsaw's St. John's Cathedral.
But it was Poniatowski who had every chance to keep at least part of the Commonwealth independent, if not for the active opposition of people who are considered heroes in Poland. It was these "patriots", on whose coat of arms the motto "Dementia and courage" can rightfully be written, were the culprits of the terrible geopolitical catastrophe of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Kosciuszko and his associates by their actions provoked the Third (and last) partition of Poland. They did not die along with Poland and did not live in poverty after the defeat. Let's talk about some of them.
The fate of the rebels
General Jozef Zajoncek fought with Russia back in 1792. In 1794 he fought against Russian troops in three battles (near Racławice, Chelm and Golków), was a member of the Military Court and the head of the defense of Warsaw. After the defeat, he fled to Galicia, from where a year later he moved to France, where he entered the service of Napoleon Bonaparte. He took part in the Egyptian campaign, was the commander of the Northern Legion, which consisted mainly of Poles, and rose to the rank of divisional general. In 1812 he again fought against Russia and lost a leg while crossing the Berezina, which is why he was taken prisoner in Vilno. Alexander I took him into the Russian service, conferred the rank of General of Infantry, and in 1815 appointed him his governor in the Kingdom of Poland. Zayonchek received three Russian orders: St. Andrew the First-Called, St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Anna I degree. He died in Warsaw in 1826.
Another Polish general who fought against the Russian troops in 1794, Tomasz Wawrzecki, took an oath of allegiance to Russia in 1796, was a member of the Provisional Council that ruled the Duchy of Warsaw, senator and minister of justice of the Kingdom of Poland.
Jan Kilinsky, one of the ideologists and leaders of the "Warsaw Zatreni" (recall that then he personally killed two Russian officers and a Cossack), was released by Paul I, took an oath of allegiance to the Russian Empire and continued to engage in subversive activities already in Vilna. Was arrested again - and released again. After settling in Warsaw, he received a pension from the Russian government until his death in 1819.
After his arrest, Tadeusz Kosciuszko lived quite comfortably in the house of the commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress, until he was pardoned by Paul I who came to the Russian throne. The new monarch also gave him 12 thousand rubles. Kosciuszko later returned this money, which raises very interesting questions about which people (and which states) supported the Polish hero and patriot all this time: after all, he did not have his own sources of income. He lived in the USA and Europe, died in Switzerland in 1817. At present, this leader of the uprising that buried the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, despite everything, is considered one of the main national heroes of Poland.
