The Battle of Praga or the Second Battle of Warsaw of 1794, also known in Russian and German as the Storming of Praga (Russian: Штурм Праги) and in Polish as the Defence of Praga (Polish: Obrona Pragi), was a successful Russian assault on Praga, the easternmost community of Warsaw, during the Kościuszko Uprising in 1794. It was followed by a massacre (known as the Massacre of Praga) of the civilian population of Praga.
Praga was a suburb ("Faubourg") of Warsaw, lying on the right bank of the Vistula river. In 1794 it was well fortified and was better strengthened than the western part of the capital, located on the left bank of the Vistula. Historian and professor Friedrich Christoph Schlosser labelled Praga as "the key to Warsaw". The Praga battle marked the collapse of moral and material strength of insurgent Poland.
Eve of the battle
Previous events
Russian commander Alexander Suvorov inflicted a series of defeats on the rebels: the Battle of Krupczyce on 17 September, where Suvorov's 12,000 soldiers were opposed by 4,000 Polish; the Battle of Brest on 19 September,—9,000 Russians fought here against 16,000 Poles; and the Battle of Kobyłka on 26 October, with 10,000 Russians ran into 4,500 Polish forces. After the Battle of Maciejowice, General Tadeusz Kościuszko was captured by Russians. The internal struggle for power in Warsaw and the demoralisation of the city's population prevented General Józef Zajączek from finishing the fortifications surrounding the city both from the east and from the west. At the same time, the Russians were making their way towards the city.
Opposing forces
The Russian forces consisted of two battle-hardened corps under Generals Alexander (Aleksandr) Suvorov and Ivan Fersen. Suvorov took part in the recent Russo-Turkish war, then in the heavy fighting in Polesie. General Lieutenant Baron Fersen fought for several months in Poland but was also joined by fresh reinforcements sent from Russia. Each of them had approximately 11,000 men.
The Polish-Lithuanian forces consisted of a variety of troops. Apart from the rallied remnants of the Kościuszko's army defeated in the Battle of Maciejowice, it also included a large number of untrained militia from Warsaw, Praga and Vilnius, a 500-man Jewish regiment of Berek Joselewicz as well as a number of scythemen (2,000 men) and civilians, plus 5,000 regular cavalry. The total number of irregulars was to be about 12,000 and the regular troops about 18,000. One of the sources, Suvorov's report dated 28 October [O.S. 17 October], claims 15,000 regular infantry and only 2,500 cavalry (17,500 regulars altogether) – according to the Poles–Lithuanians themselves. The forces were organised in three separate lines, each covering a different part of Praga. The central area was commanded directly by General Józef Zajączek, the northern area was commanded by Jakub Jasiński and the southern by Władysław Jabłonowski. In general, the forces defending Praga should be estimated at 22,000 to 26,000 men, although together with the townspeople involved, Praga was defended by 30,000 men, which is also indicated by Suvorov, and had 104 cannons. There is also a closer figure of 28,000 men. Suvorov came to the walls of Praga from his camp at Kobyłka with 16,000 to 18,000 footsore troops (regulars) and 86 cannons. Suvorov also had 4,000 regular cavalry and 2,000 irregular Cossack cavalry at the assault. The total number of regular troops was up to 25,000 with as many as 7,000 regular cavalrymen; Cossacks were up to 5,000 – these were the corps of Derfelden (first and second columns; 4,600 men), Potemkin (third and fourth columns; 5,800 men), Fersen (fifth, sixth, and seventh columns; 7,000 men), and General Major Shevich's reserve (4,000 men). That is, the forces may have been roughly equal overall, however, largely due to the declining morale of the Varsovians, they put up just 2,000 men — irregular soldiers — to defend the ramparts. The main force, the regular troops, stood behind fortifications as a reserve on the vast field according to Kościuszko's plan. After a reconnaissance by the Russian side, up to 24,055 men, inclusive of 41 infantry battalions and 81 cavalry squadrons, would come out for the storming together with reserve units; in the village of Okuniew a wagenburg was stationed.
Battle
The Russian forces reached the outskirts of Warsaw on 2 November 1794, pushing back Polish-Lithuanian outposts with bayonets, launching the reconnaissance and declaring the disposition. Immediately upon arrival, they started erecting artillery batteries and in the morning of 3 November started an artillery barrage of the Polish-Lithuanian defences. This made Józef Zajączek think that the opposing forces were preparing for a long stay there; the Russians disguised the forthcoming attack in order to give the rebels reason to expect a siege. The Polish artillery responded with vigour. However, Suvorov's plan assumed a fast and concentrated assault on the defences rather than a bloody and lengthy siege.
At 3 o'clock in the morning of November 4, the Russian troops silently reached the positions just outside the outer rim of the field fortifications. The defenders did not expect an attack on this day. First and second columns began preparations; besides, the Polish general fatigue and the low spirits of their leaders contributed to the fact that the Russian advance was noticed too late. The Polish forward posts, who stood at the back of the trous de loup, fled as soon as the attacker approached. Two hours later started an all-out assault.
General Wawrzecki arrived in Praga at 4 a.m. on 4 November and was talking with Zajączek. Suddenly shots rang out. Wawrzecki rushed to the left flank, where Jasiński commanded, and Zajączek to the right. Then Wawrzecki also went to the right flank. There were no orders for the reserves to operate in the inner field, and the battle turned into a random fighting, very persistent on the ramparts, but completely disorderly.
Derfelden and Potemkin's actions
Derfelden's columns took possession of the rampart without much difficulty. The Polish island batteries and on the Vistula's left bank tried to act in the flank of General Major Lacy's first column, led by the column-master Semyonov, but its shots did not reach their enemy and the 22 guns of Captain Begichev's battery answered their enemy with rapid fire. The Polish cavalry could easily hold Lacy in the open field behind the rampart, and the infantry in the narrow passage between the Vistula and the buildings; but it failed. Part of the Polish cavalry began to line up in front of the first column, but two squadrons of the Kiev Horse Jaeger under the command of Zoss "jumped over the ditch and with the greatest eagerness rushed on the crowd of enemy cavalry" and instantly knocked it down. The private reserve of the first column (Lieven's Tula Regiment) came in the interval between the columns, rushed to assault at the same time as the first column's main forces seized the rampart, and immediately began to arrange the crossing. Captain Begichev with his artillery and Brigadier Polivanov, who was covering him, bored with inaction and seeing the success of the storming, rushed forward of their own accord, crossed the passage of the Tula Regiment and began an artillery fire in flank and rear of the batteries of the third line of trenches.
Artillery Captain Sakovich (of Begichev's command) was wounded in the breast, but continued to operate his guns.
Lacy was wounded; Colonel Zherebtsov took the command instead of him, and Colonel Kokhovsky with his Phanagorians rushed to the bridge, drove his enemy from street to street and seized the head of the bridge, i.e. cut off the defender's way of retreat. Some of the Poles running in front of the column drowned in the Vistula, and some were captured. The trous de loup, the ditch, the rampart and the neighbourhood were littered with corpses. Generals Meyen and Krupiński became prisoners of war; Jasiński was killed with a sabre in his hand.
The second and third columns also took possession of the rampart almost without delay, so that in a very short time the rampart west of Piaskowa Góra (eng. "Sand Mountain") was in Russian hands. Prime Major Markov with the first battalion of the Apsheron Regiment climbed up the assault ladders on the rampart, hit the Poles from here with jaeger rifle fire, then broke into the fortress, drove the enemy in front of him, and took possession of the battery. The second battalion of the Apsheronians came in the rear of another battery, and no one escaped. Opposed on the rampart, the Poles joined with reinforcements and again rushed on the Apsheron battalion, but in vain, the Polish cavalry tried to take in the third column's flank, but two battalions of Kherson Grenadiers lined the front and rushed with bayonets—the Polish cavalry retreated. Then the second and third columns rushed straight into Praga.
Fourth column
Wawrzecki rushed from side to side, but order could not be restored.
Hardest of all was the fourth column of General Major Buxhoeveden, which attacked Piaskowa Góra and the menagerie.
The Byelorussian Jaeger Corps, at the head of the fourth column marched to the cavalier; the fourth battalion of the Livonian Jaeger Corps marched to the coal battery and to the menagerie.
Heavy artillery fire from the batteries, then from the cavalier, and rifle fire from behind the line of abatises entailed heavy losses, but the Russians did not stop; The Second Major Kharlamov of the Azov Regiment crossed the trous de loup and ditch, beat back two cannon, "through which he gave the whole column a way to go"; near the menagerie there was a fierce melee, which forced Buxhoeveden to divide the column into parts to facilitate the attack on the menagerie's vast park. The Poles, outflanked, finally gave up this stronghold as well; about this time the Polish powder cellar exploded, which further increased the disorder among the Poles. General Giessler, who commanded here, was taken prisoner with 20 officers. In the struggle with Buxhoeveden's column the 500 regiment of Jews showed strong persistence; but their colonel, also a Jew, Hershko, was not at this time with the regiment and preferred to remain in Warsaw.
Fifth and sixth columns' actions
If the fourth column endured a hard fight, but together with the first three columns, it made Fersen's task very easy. The fifth column of General Major Tormasov almost in one moment seized the ramparts and batteries, on the heels of the retreating broke into the suburb and reached the bridge after the first column. General Major Rakhmanov's sixth column was slightly delayed by the Poles, but also soon arrived in Praga.
Denisov's attack
General Major Denisov with the seventh column still at night occupied the Las village in front of the fortifications of Lieutenant Colonel Jabłonowski. A Polish deserter and prisoners told about the location of his batteries, trous de loup and the number of troops.
Under flank fire from the Vistula's left bank Denisov's troops moved forward through the trous de loup, in front went Colonel Count Apraxin with Kozlov Infantry Regiment; part of the troops went to the Polish rear waist-deep in water. Having taken possession of the batteries, Denisov sent his cavalry (6 squadrons of the Elizabethgrad Cavalry Regiment and Cossacks of Krasnov, Second Major Denisov and Colonel Popov) for pursuit. Having cut off the Poles' retreat; Denisov drove them to a spit, in the corner between the Vistula and a swampy channel; the cannons of Captain Rezvoy's artillery pierced through his enemy's crowd thickly huddled on the spit; the extermination was merciless; the Poles, seeking escape, threw themselves into the Vistula and perished in great numbers. And on the opposite bank of the Vistula, only half a kilometre (0.3 mi), the inhabitants of Warsaw were gathered, and their brethren perished before their eyes.
According to Denisov's testimony, the Poles lost 1,218 men killed, several hundred drowned, 16 cannons, and 3 artillery caissons; Jabłonowski himself and 1,300 officers and lower ranks were taken prisoner. Denisov then arrived at the bridge almost simultaneously with the first column. Warsaw was defenceless. The first, fifth and seventh columns were at the bridge and were free to cross to the Vistula's left bank. Panic spread among the Poles. Zajączek, lightly wounded by a bullet in the stomach, hurriedly left for Warsaw. "A real zając (hare)", the Poles said of him afterwards, alluding to his surname.