Suvorov against the Confederates
9 February 1771, a detachment of Suvorov, sweeping away the Polish posts, took the place of Landskrona (Lyantskorona) and tried to take the local castle by storm, where Poles retreated to the garrison. Noting that the castle is small, small, Suvorov christened it "chambers". However, the opponents in the "wards" lodged more than the attacking Russians, and the French lieutenant colonel Leven commanded the detachment. It turned out to be not enough forces for a successful attack: they managed to pat the enemy, but the castle did not give up. At that time, Russian officers loved to force in “smart” clothes, which they seized from the Poles as a trophy. Such a habit turned out to be disastrous: the enemy recognized officers by dress and hit them. Suvorov will remember this lesson. The Suzdal regiment broke into the Landskrona citadel. A battle ensued, in which several Suzdal officers were wounded, including Lieutenant Nikolai Suvorov, a general’s nephew. I had to stop the attack and retire to their original positions. In a battle of five guns possessed by the Poles, Suvorov managed to capture two guns. In a letter to Shakhovsky, Suvorov will tell about the case: “Their cavalry was dispersed, climbed, smashed and cut their multiple barriers and slingshots and took a place, broke their magazine and otbycha two guns, cut off two, they had only one left, - they beat at the gate on the steepest hill of the Landskoron Chambers. As the best officers were injured, the sheep were left without shepherds, and we, after six hours fighting, left the won case, being content to act on the image of the blockade. ” Suvorov was upset that the Suzdalians were not ready for the solution of the Landskron riddle "from the sheet." He said that during the separation from him, with the author of the “Suzdal Institution”, the regiment had lost its best qualities. There is no doubt that he expressed his disappointment not only in letters to colleagues, but also in conversations with officers and soldiers. And the Suzdalians replied to the reproaches with steadfastness and energetic actions already in the February and March battles. And these months in the Lublin and Krakow districts stood out hot. Note that after Suvorov, the Suzdal regiment in 1770 was received by Colonel Baron Vladimir Stakelberg, who now served in Lublin under the command of Alexander Vasilyevich. Suvorov left him instead of himself at the head of a small Lublin team during numerous campaigns in Poland, but he evaluated the fighting qualities of Shtakelberg as very, very mediocre. On the night of April 22, 1772, Shtakelberg, is foolish, being the commandant of the Krakow castle: the Poles and the French will then occupy the castle, it will not be easy for Suvorov to take it away from them. In one of his letters to Alexander Bibikov, Suvorov would condescendingly call the colonel “poor old man Stakelberg”, being only a year older than this “poor old man”.
Soon, a well-armed army in 4000 was concentrated in Landskrona under the command of French brigadier Dumouriez, the future General of the Great Army, who would skillfully smash the opponents of the republic in Holland. Charles Francois Dumouriez arrived in Poland with French gold and French martial art.
Dumouriez was a very ambitious plan to revitalize the actions of the Confederates. He intended with the help of money and propaganda to quadruply increase the confederate army and act against Suvorov's grouping with the 60-thousandth army. Before such mobilization successes, the Confederates were far away, but with the arrival of Dumouriez, their ranks increased noticeably. Suvorov intended to use his own methods of warfare against a new, worthy adversary, but the attack on Landskron was postponed for the time being. As we can see, the situation in the area of Lublin and Krakow changed rapidly, and Suvorov had to adapt to the circumstances.
One of the mobile partisan detachments that Dumouriez was counting on was headed by Sawa Chaly Jr. (Chalenko), the son of the famous Mazepa gaydamak Sawa Chaly, whose life and death in Ukraine is still sung by songs. The son of Haydamak was often called in the Polish manner - Savva Tsalinsky. And Suvorov, in reports, usually called him briefly, by name, Savva. In the best days, the Tsalinsky detachment reached ten thousand sabers. In all the campaigns, he was accompanied by his mother, the militant widow of Haydamak Chaly. Suvorov received information that the squad Savva Tsalinsky moving to Lublin. Suvorov was forced to break the blockade of the Landskrony and began a long campaign in which the places of residence of the Major General changed as in a kaleidoscope, and every two days I had to give battles. With his fast movements, Suvorov covered Lublin, Warsaw and Lithuania from the Polish troops. Chaly he intended to break in Rakhiv. Suvorov decided at night to attack a strong detachment of Marshal Savva Chaly, who was stationed near Rakhiv. Sawa had 400 dragoons, reputed to be the best confederate warriors. On the night of February 18, the Russian cavalry swept away the posts of Tsalinsky, in a fight the Polish captain Mostovsky didn’t bear the head.
The battle began, the Suzdalians and the St. Petersburg carabineers came to the rescue, pushed the Tsalins into the taverns. The Confederates preferred to defend themselves from cover, and the Cossacks already hosted Rakhiv. The dismounted Voronezh dragoons went to bayonet on the taverns. Suvorov himself was in the hot parts of the battle, once even in danger of being alone with several Polish dragoons who sat down in the tavern. The Cossacks by mistake had opened fire on the tavern when Suvorov was negotiating. Everything turned out, the detachment of Chaly was defeated, an impressive wagon train with provisions and more than a hundred prisoners fell into the hands of Suvorov. The French spread rumors that Chaly was captured by Suvorov and died in torture chambers after torture. This was not true: the detachment was defeated, but Savva himself managed to escape with his remnants. Sawa Tsalinsky's detachment was no longer considered a serious combat unit, but Suvorov still received conflicting information about the presence of restless Sawa in different parts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: now with Pulawski, then with other connections. He will go to Lithuania, where he will be defeated twice by the order of the crown hetman, Count Xavier Branicki. In this case, every time Savva managed to avoid captivity. Only the 13 of April of 1771 will be overtaken by Savva Tsalinsky of the team of Prime-Minister of the Narva Carabinerier Regiment K.M. Saleman. A severely wounded brave commander of the Confederates died in the arms of his own mother.
17 – 18 February, when Suvorov in Rakhiv fought against Sava, the captain of the Suzdal regiment Alexei Pankratiev with a hundred soldiers repelled the attack of the Polish detachment in Krasnik and held against new attacks for several hours. Suvorov 18 February rode in Rakhov. Seeing the Suvorov detachment, the Poles hastily retreated. With delight, Suvorov listened to the story of the feat of Captain Pankratiev. In several reports from Weimarn, he will insist on awarding the distinguished officer. Not so long ago, Pankratiev was bestowed with a reward: “Many his younger went to the majors. And the captain was already thinking about resigning. Suvorov reported about him to Ivan Weymarn: “On the regiment, his company was always among the first, as it has now complied with. Serves for a long time, was always a brave and decent man, and the empress will lose one of the best majors in him. ” I did not forget Suvorov and Sergeant Stepan Dolgov-Saburov, who heroically proved himself in the battle of Krasnik. The merits of this soldier pointed captain Pankratiev.
1 March Suvorov sends Weymarn a very strange description of the plan for the next actions against the Confederates under Landskrona and Czestochowa. The report was encrypted! “This plan is all laid on the image of an offensive, in discord that nowhere defensive against rebels, like reptiles and insects is impossible. Nowhere from them, not only to shelter, but also onym the road can not be stopped, and in the meantime their breed multiplies, like the Lernean hydra. ” Indeed, if we waged a prudent war against the Confederates, fixing ourselves on certain positions and fighting off the Polish detachments, new ones immediately sprang up in the place of each severed head. It was necessary to break and destroy the enemy, and Suvorov felt the strength to do so. The Krakow operation began - a new fast campaign, in which Suvorov will act against Charles Dumouriez and Casimir Pulawski with speed transitions.
The Poles conceived to interrupt Suvorov’s campaign and gave battle at the crossing of the Dunajec River. Suvorov wrote about the fight: "With a good fight, we crossed over to Dunajec, ford." Knocking over the Poles at the crossing, he followed forward with the troops, who retained full combat capability. The lightning-fast Krakow expedition of Suvorov continued. On the approach to the city, the Poles again unsuccessfully attacked the Suvorov detachment. In Krakow, Suvorov’s detachment was replenished with the troops of Colonel Ivan Drevits and Lieutenant Colonel F. Ebshelvits. Now Suvorov's squad consisted of 3500 people. Major General threw the troops of Peter Shepelev and Ivan Drevits onto the trenches under the Tync monastery. Shepelev mastered the redoubt. Then the Confederates drove the Russians out of the redoubt, but by the order of Suvorov, Shepelev again forced them to retreat. Inventive Dumurye tried to control the actions of Suvorov - he was in Tynts too. Considering the defense of the redoubts and the monastery unpromising, Dumouriez, along with the equestrian detachment, rode into Landskronu. Taking two guns from the enemy, Suvorov also decided to move the battle to Landskrona and stopped the attack of Tynts.
Shabby Polish units near Krakow, Suvorov was able to return to Landskrona - and the high-speed transition from one point to another was the key to victory. It was there, in Landskrona, that the best forces of the Bar Confederation headed by Dumouriez, who had chosen these fortifications, were once again located. Due to the rapid transitions Suvorov managed to appear there when Dumouriez did not expect an attack. Landskronsky castle Dumouriez filled with artillery, placed there the one and a half thousandth garrison. The remaining forces occupied comfortable heights near the castle. One flank of the Polish position rested on a cliff, the other - in strengthening the castle. Dumouriez considered the position invulnerable, but Suvorov accepted the challenge. The garrison of the castle - one and a half thousand people - possessed forty guns, which made it possible to conduct a massive shelling of the attackers. The positions of Dumouriez were complicated only by disagreements with the proud Casimir Pulawski, who did not want to obey the foreigner and did not support Dumouriez in Landskrona.
Suvorov gave the role of the attack to the cavalry riflemen of the St. Petersburg regiment under the command of the respected Suvorov Colonel Peter Shepelev, who crushed the enemy’s right flank with a powerful attack. Drevits cavalrymen, who came to the rescue under Landskron, Suvorov threw into battle directly from the march. Suvorov presented Weymarn with a list of distinguished and worthy officers, compiled by Shepelev. Colonel Drevits distinguished himself in Landskrona. Drevits proved himself in battle dashing cavalry, completed the task set by Suvorov - and the differences were forgotten for a while. Suvorov, as we know, did not like this quick-tempered officer, who was soon to be punished, but in a report he noted that Drevits “deserves a very imperial highest excellent mercy and reward.” However, after the Landskrona relationship Suvorov and von Drevits did not become cloudless.
The Poles could not stand the cavalry attack and began a stampede. Prince Sapieha was killed by his soldiers when he tried to stop the retreat.
In the battle for Landskron, other well-known bosses of the Bar Confederation, for example, Marshal Orzhevsky, were killed.
What is a skilled French brigadier? As Suvorov wrote to Veymarn: "Mourier (Dumouriez) managed the business and, without waiting for another career attack, he bowed in French and made an antreshat to Byala on the border." From Byala he wrote an angry letter to Pulavsky and left for France. Recalling the lost campaign, Dumouriez complained that Suvorov had fought incorrectly, in violation of the tenets of military art, relying only on boldness and rapid pressure, leaving his positions vulnerable. Suvorov had to listen to similar accusations more than once, as well as abusive conversations that he, an unskilled commander, was accompanied by happiness, random luck. On this score, “the days of the past jokes” were kept by Suvorov’s witty statement: “Since happiness, two happiness, God have mercy, I need skill!”
- Arseny Zamostyanov
- http://xn--h1aagokeh.xn--p1ai/special_posts/%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%84%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2/
Information