Artyleria powstańców styczniowych 1863-1864

Abstract

The January Uprising was undoubtedly one of the most important events in Polish military history in the 19th century. The analysis of experiences from the years 1863-1864 was the basis for another attempt to regain Poland’s independence during World War I. For Józef Piłsudski, the reference to the uprising of 1863 was natural, but it was also necessary – there was simply no other military experience since 1831. Hence, it was necessary to follow examples from the battlefields of Żyrzyn, Bodzentyn, Płock or Iłża, and to look for conclusions useful not only in the analysis of guerilla, but also regular warfare, including the practical use of the “queen of the battlefield” – artillery.

The aim of this article is to fill the gap in the historiography of the artillery of the January 1963 insurgents. The paper consists of two parts. The first part concerns the doctrinal basis of the use of artillery by insurgent troops. The author discusses artillery instructions and regulations created for the future insurrection and the views of the most important military theoreticians on the use of this weapon on the future battlefield.

In the second part, the author analyzes practical use of all kinds of artillery during the uprising. A particularly interesting episode in this regard is the use of improvised wooden artillery, which became a substitute for iron cannons, and “rocket” artillery in the form of a specific construction of The Congreve rocket.