First Battle of Ignacewo

The First Battle of Ignacewo was one of many clashes of the January Uprising. It took place on May 8, 1863, near the village of Ignacewo, which at that time belonged to Russian Empire’s Congress Poland. Insurgent forces commanded by Edmund Taczanowski and Andrzej Brunner clashed with a 2,000-strong detachment of the Imperial Russian Army. The battle ended with Russian victory, and Poles lost some 160 men.

Taczanowski all together had 1,100 men under his command, including 500 infantry riflemen, 550 kosynierzy and 50 cavalry, together with 3 cannons. The insurgents camped in a village of Ignacew, with their positions reinforced by abatis and a rampart. Russian detachment had some 2,000 men, commanded by General Brunner. Their initial attack was repelled, but after some time, the Russians found a passage across local swamps, and clashed with weak left wing of the Poles. After breaking into the camp, they destroyed Taczanowski's party, killing 160.

Polish painter Juliusz Kossak dedicated one of his paintings, Bitwa pod Ignacewem (1893), to the battle.

Sources

• Stefan Kieniewicz: Powstanie styczniowe. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1983. ISBN 83-01-03652-4.