Battle of Ostrołęka (1831)
The Battle of Ostrołęka of 26 May 1831 was one of the largest engagements of Poland's November Uprising. Throughout the day, Polish forces under Jan Skrzynecki fought for the control over the town of Ostrołęka against the assaulting Russian forces of Hans Karl von Diebitsch. Although by the end of the day the town was still in Polish hands and the two sides suffered comparable losses, the battle is usually considered a Polish defeat because of the Russian army's almost unlimited strategic reinforcement capability. The Polish Army could not similarly replenish its casualties.
| Battle of Ostrołęka | |||||||
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| Part of Polish–Russian War 1830–1831 | |||||||
"Battle of Ostrołęka of 1831", an 1838 painting by Karol Malankiewicz | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Congress Poland | Imperial Russia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki Józef Bem Tomasz Łubieński Władysław Stanisław Zamoyski Ludwik Bogusławski Ignacy Prądzyński Henryk Dembinski Ambroży Mikołaj Skarżyński Maciej Rybiński Henryk Ignacy Kamieński † Ludwik Michał Pac Jerzy Langermann Karol Turno |
Hans Karl von Diebitsch Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg Georg von Nostitz Karl Wilhelm von Toll Pavel Martynov Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov Peter von der Pahlen Carl Fredrik Manderstierna Ivan Shakhovskoy | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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48,467, 138 cannons
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53,262, 245 cannons
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
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6,400 | 5,000 to 5,700 | ||||||
In the event, surviving Polish forces were saved by the particularly brave stand of its 4th Line Infantry Regiment (known by its nickname of "Czwartacy" – lit. "those of the Fourth") who repelled several waves of enemy infantry and cavalry charges, holding the burning town during heavy fighting in close quarters. By late evening the Poles were again saved by a self-sacrificing charge of the 4th Mounted Artillery Battery under Lt.Col. Józef Bem.