A very rare Colored Lithograph, based on a painting by Walery Eliasz-Radzikowski (1841-1905) Published 1894 on the centenary of the 1794 Battle of Raclawice, Catholic Bookstore, Poznan. Dimensions: Image 24 X 17.5 in. / Frame 32 x 27 in. Professionally cleaned, deacidified and framed by a professional conservator using archival materials, 1994
History
The Battle of Racławice was one of the first battles of the Polish Kociuszko Uprising against Russia. It was fought on April 4, 1794 near the village of Racławice in Lesser Poland.
Lesser Poland fielded approximately 2,000 peasants armed with war scythes and pikes, as well as 11 cannons. The outcome of the battle was a tactical Polish victory, with Kociuszko defeating the numerically superior enemy. However, his two forces were too small to start a successful pursuit and the Corps of General Denisov evaded destruction and continued to operate in Lesser Poland.
The victory was subsequently promoted in Poland as a major success and helped in starting the Kociuszko Uprising in other areas of Poland and the Warsaw Uprising of 1794. Also, the participation of peasant volunteers was seen by many as the starting point of the political evolution of Polish peasantry from serfs to equal citizens of the nation. After the battle, Kociuszko paraded in front of his troops in a sukmana, a traditional attire worn in Lesser Poland, in honor of the bravery of the peasants, whose charge ensured the quick capture of the Russian artillery. He also praised Wojciech Bartosz Głowacki, a peasant who was the first to capture the cannon (he is visible in the lithograph). Both the red cap worn by his soldiers and the homemade war scythes were later featured on the emblem of the 303rd Polish Fighter Squadron , which took part in the Battle of Britain.
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