Battle of Krzywosądz

The Battle of Krzywosądz was one of the battles of the January Uprising. It took place in the village of Krzywosądz, Congress Poland, on February 19, 1863, when a poorly armed party of 500 Polish insurgents, under Ludwik Mieroslawski, clashed with a 1,000 strong unit of the Imperial Russian Army.

On the night of February 17/18, 1863, an Imperial Russian Army unit, stationed in Włocławek was alarmed by the news that Polish insurgents concentrated near the village of Niszczewy in the region of Kuyavia. The Russians, commanded by Colonel Yury Ivanovich Szylder, immediately marched to Sluzew, where they joined Russian border guards. Altogether, their forces had some 1,000 men, with a few cannons.

Colonel Szylder, without wasting time, decided to attack the Poles, who were still in the process of concentrating. After a skirmish that lasted several hours, Ludwik Mieroslawski ordered the insurgents to retreat. The battle ended in a Russian victory, and the dead insurgents were buried in Krzywosądz and the nearby village of Dobre. Among those killed were Jan Wasilowski (a student of Liege Technical University and brother of Maria Konopnicka), and Stanislaw Gay – the son of architect Jakub Gay.

After the battle, Mieroslawski with his men headed towards Radziejów, where he was joined with a unit of Kazimierz Mielecki. On February 21, Mieroslawski's forces lost another battle at Nowa Wies, and the Polish leader decided to give up his post, going to Paris.