V46 



POLAND. 



and Sicily to the kingdom of Sardinia. After 

 the conclusion of tins campaign, he was ap- 

 pointed teacher of the artillery scholars at the 

 Polish military school at Cuneo. When this 

 school was suppressed, he spent some time at 

 Warsaw, hi organizing the secret societies of 

 the revolutionary party; from there toward 

 the close of the year 1862, he went to London. 

 After the outbreak of the insurrection, he at 

 once appeared upon the seat of war, and soon 

 became the most distinguished of the insurrec- 

 tionary leaders. 



The scene of the operations of Langiewicz, 

 was the governments of Radora and Lublin, 

 in the southern part of the kingdom, and on 

 the frontier of Galicia. There, in a short time, 

 he organized the largest of any insurgent 

 corps, consisting of more than 6,000 men, and 

 provided with six cannon. By skilful marches 

 and manoeuvres he several times surprised the 

 enemy, and several times eluded their vigi- 

 lance, when they expected to encircle him by 

 overwhelming numbers. Polish accounts claim 

 that he gained signal successes over the Rus- 

 sians at Malogaszezes, on February 26th, and 

 March 4th at Skala. 



On March 10th, shortly after the Provisional 

 Government had appointed him general, Lan- 

 giewicz assumed the dictatorship by the fol- 

 lowing proclamation: 



Countrymen, In the name of the Most High, the 

 most patriotic sons of Poland have commenced a 

 struggle caused by terrible abuses, and directed against 

 the eternal enemies of liberty and civilization. Not- 

 withstanding the extremely unfavorable circumstances 

 in which the enemy, by a great increase of oppression, 

 hastened the armed conflict, the struggle commenced 

 by an unarmed people has already lasted two months, 

 gains strength, and develops itself with energy. 



In presence of this war to the death, of the massa- 

 cres, the pillage, and the conflagrations which mark 

 the progress of the enemy, Poland feels painfully the 

 absence of a visible central power, capable of directing 

 the forces engaged in the struggle and of summoning 

 new assistance to the field. 



Although the nation possesses more capable and 

 worthy citizens than I, and although thoroughly con- 

 scious of the heavy duties of the office and the weight 

 of responsibility which it involves, the gravity and ne- 

 cessity of the moment have decided me, after consult- 

 ing with the Provisional Government, to assume the 

 upreme power of Dictator, which I shall surrender to 

 the representatives of the nation as soon as the yoke 

 of the Muscovite is shaken off. 



While retaining the immediate direction of military 

 operations in my own hands, I recognize the necessity 

 of establishing a civil government whose functions 



II be regulated by a special ordinance continuing 

 the work of the Provisional Government. 



I confirm the principle of liberty and equality to all 

 citizens, granting land to the peasants, with indemnity 

 to the proprietors. 



Poles or all provinces beneath the Muscovite yoke, I 

 summon you to the struggle against the domination of 

 Russian barbarism. The concord of all citizens, irre- 

 spective of difference of classes and religious commu- 

 nity, of sacrifices and unity of strength, will render 

 our now scattered forces terrible to the enemy, and in- 

 sure the independence of our country. 



To arms for the liberty and independence of our 

 fatherland. (Signed) LANGIEWICZ. 



> This proclamation produced a great sensa- 

 tion. Gen. Wysczky at the same time was 



appointed his military coadjutor, while the di- 

 rection of the civil administration was intrusted 

 to Bentkovsky, member of the Second Prussian 

 Chamber. Langiewicz appointed the insur- 

 gent leaders Jezioranski and Waligorski gen- 

 erals, and accredited foreign agents to all for- 

 eign governments, to protect the interests of 

 the insurrectionary government. On March 

 13th, the Dictator published a decree consti- 

 tuting the Civil Court of Poland, by the nomi- 

 nation of four directors and two secretaries. 



The dictatorship of Langiewicz called forth 

 a protest from Mieroslavski, dated March llth, 

 1863. Mieroslavski claimed to have previously 

 been invited to take the dictatorship, by the 

 following act of the National Provisional Gov- 

 ernment : " The National Provisional Govern- 

 ment, considering the insurrection of Poland, 

 invites General Louis Mieroslavski to take the 

 dictatorship and chief command of the insur- 

 rection. Warsaw, Jan. 23d, 1863." Mieros- 

 lavski further states that he had ordered a 

 proclamation to be published, in order to be 

 distributed at the proper time, but that from 

 prudential reasons the authorities only and the 

 leaders of the insurgent detachments were in- 

 formed of it. He charged Langiewicz with 

 having " taken advantage in the most unjusti- 

 fiable manner " of his prudence, seizing upon 

 the moment when a serious attack of illness 

 compelled him to seek a quiet refuge, to pro- 

 claim himself second dictator of the Polish 

 nation, over some thousand square miles of 

 territory. Ladislas Danilovski, and Ladislav 

 Jeska, by declaration of March 15th, certified 

 that they, conjointly with Ladislav Janovski, 

 had, as commissioners of the Central National 

 Committee, taken to Paris the invitation to 

 Mieroslavski to assume the dictatorship, and 

 they, therefore, in common with Mieroslavski, 

 protested "against the iniquitous attempt" of 

 Langiewicz. 



This internal dissension was soon followed 

 by a fatal blow to the national cause. The 

 Russians moved with overwhelming numbers 

 against Langiewicz. On March 17th, they 

 overtook him at Chrobrze, on the river Nida. 

 The left wing and the centre of the insurgents 

 fought bravely, and even gained some advan- 

 tages; but the right whig, mostly consisting 

 of raw recruits, was thrown into disorder. 

 Russian cavalry seized the wagons in the rear 

 of the Poles, who found it necessary to retreat 

 across the Nida. On March 18th, the retreat 

 was continued, and the bridge across the Nida 

 destroyed by order of Gen. Langiewicz. But 

 this delayed the Russians, who were com- 

 manded by Prince Schachovskoi, but little ; and 

 the insurgents were again defeated at Zagoscio 

 and Novemiasto. On May 19th, a fresh detach- 

 ment of Russian troops advanced from Kielce ; 

 the Poles were attacked at Busk, from four 

 sides, and were totally routed and dispersed. 

 Langiewicz, together with three female adju- 

 tants, Misses Postorojtov, Voichiechovska, and 

 Krasinska, the cavalry general Czapski, and 



