Tadeusz Kościuszko could not have chosen a better man, commissioning Jan Henryk Dąbrowski to start an uprising in Greater Poland. The freshly baked general did an exemplary job - and achieved brilliant success.
Dąbrowski's military talent was revealed in the insurgent struggle. During the first defense of Warsaw in June and July 1794, Kościuszko entrusted him with command of the Czerniaków section. The general showed great activity there, fending off Prussian attacks and organizing many bold offensive attacks.
Then, in the absence of the sick Prince Poniatowski, he successfully commanded the entire right wing of the defense. And during the battle for Olszynka Powązki - the greatest battle of the siege - together with the Governor he fought back the Prussian attack, foiling the plan to seize the capital from the north.
Organization first!
The commander-in-chief appreciated his merits:Dąbrowski was the first to receive a wedding ring with the inscription "Fatherland of his defender". Kościuszko made him one of his most trusted commanders. He was also entrusted with an important task:supporting the uprising in Greater Poland.
Dąbrowski was one of Tadeusz Kościuszko's most trusted commanders.
Dąbrowski carefully organized the expedition, selecting officers and preparing an action plan. At the end of September 13, 1794, at the head of a three-thousand-strong corps, he efficiently crossed the Bzura River and marched into Greater Poland. Taking down smaller Prussian units along the way, he took Gniezno, captured Bydgoszcz and was about to attack Toruń.
In the meantime, he included local insurgent units in his regular units and trained them. He supplemented supplies, uniforms and weapons. He intended to extend the scope of the spurt. The successes of the expedition were appreciated by the Warden, who promoted him to lieutenant general.
End of dreams
Nevertheless, in October, due to the arrival of larger Prussian forces and the defeat at Maciejowice, Dąbrowski was forced to decide to withdraw from Wielkopolska and depart towards Warsaw. As emphasized by the general's biographer, Dr. Marek Rezler, his activities in the western district brought him well-deserved recognition:
Military historians rate Dąbrowski's expedition in Greater Poland very favorably. It strengthened the opinion of a little-known general as a capable military and resilient organizer. Throughout the period from mid-September to the end of October, the corps under his command did not suffer any defeat, fought two serious skirmishes [...] losing only about 100 people.
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Already at that time, Dąbrowski proved to be a prudent commander, able to lead his unit out of a difficult position, not determining the merits by measuring the amount of casualties. He did not have the opportunity in 1794 to fight a brilliant battle that would have earned him a reputation as an excellent commander. He turned out to be an expert in his craft, not without fantasy, initiative and panache, but at the same time prudent and avoiding excessive risk.
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The title, lead, illustrations with captions, bolds and subtitles come from the editorial office. The text has undergone some basic editing to introduce more frequent paragraph breaks.