Samogitian Division

Samogitian Division
Žemaičių divizija
Active1794
AllegianceGrand Duchy of Lithuania
Size10,000 (July 1794)

The Samogitian Division (Lithuanian: Žemaičių divizija) was a division-size unit of rebels of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the Kościuszko Uprising in 1794.[1]

Composition

The Samogitian Division consisted of rebels from the Duchy of Samogitia and the counties of Upytė [lt], Kaunas and Ukmergė.[1] At the beginning of July, the division had 15 regiments, totalling about 10,000 people.[1] However, only three of those were from the regular Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, with the majority being county militias and groups of pospolite ruszenie, both noble and peasant.[1]

Commander

The division's overall commander was Tomasz Wawrzecki.[1]

History

The Samogitian division defended northern Lithuania from the Imperial Russian army stationed in Courland, fighting it between Akmenė and Biržai.[1] The division's left wing took over Liepoja and part of Courland west of Venta river from June 25 to July 12, and then again from 8 August to the end of that same month.[1] The division's right wing, led by Romuald Giedroyć, defeated the Russian army in the Battle of Saločiai (1794) on July 29.[1][2] In late July–September 1794, the Samogitian division withdrew from Courland and Samogitia to Užnemunė [lt] and the Kingdom of Poland.[1]

Finally, on 18 November 1794, the division capitulated in Radoszyce.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jasas 2021.
  2. ^ "Brigada "Žemaitija" | Istorija ir simbolika | Istorija". www.kariuomene.lt (in Lithuanian). Archived from the original on 9 October 2021.

Sources