11-28-2013, 11:57 PM
Let's quote some excerpts from primary sources (Polish and Russian) from the battle of Klushino in 1610.
I quoted some of them already before, but now "extended versions" of translation to English (these accounts confirm that enemy infantry was steady and resisted Polish cavalry charges bravely, but lost the battle):
Original Polish text:
"Mężnie się nieprzyjaciel stawił, mianowicie lud cudzoziemski, siła pieszo[a?] ich wytrzymał - także z bystrego naszych natarcia, którzy prawie sobą płoty łamali, i na spisy końskimi piersiami wpadali, ledwo im nie w boki muszkiety nieprzyjaciel kładł."
Translation:
"Enemies stood bravely, namely the foreign people, the infantry who endured a lot - also some of rapid attacks by ours, who were breaking fences just by themselves, and running into pikes with chests of horses, while enemy muskets were almost touching their sides."
Source: "Account about the defeat of Dmitri" (Library of the National Museum of Czartoryscy in Krakow, rps 105, No 41).
Original Polish text:
"Sieła nasi w koniach przez mężne natarcie znosząc płoty, któremi zdradą nieprzyjaciel założył w obronie, a na spisy piersiami wpadając szkody odnieśli."
Translation:
"Ours in a brave charge ramming fences, with which the enemy treacherously strengthened their defence, and plunging into pikes with chests, suffered a lot of damage in horses."
Source: Anonymous account from the battle of Klushino ("Primary sources to history of the Polish art of war", volume 5, Ed. Zdzisław Spieralski, Jan Wimmer, Warsaw 1961, p. 190).
Original Russian text:
"Польские войска понемногу тают, но снова свежими силами пополняются и безбоязненно наступают, насмерть стоят и доблестно на полки нападают и пики железные ломают, а в них у немцев вся надежда на спасение."
Translation (a Russian friend helped me in accurate translation):
"Polish troops gradually melt away but then replenish with fresh vigor and come back again, fight to the death and bravely attack and break pikes, which are the only hope for saving the Germans."
Source: ЛЕТОПИСНАЯ КНИГА (link: http://old-ru.ru/08-58-1.html).
As you can see Russians - enemies of Polish cavalry in that battle - confirm what Polish accounts say. Germans mentioned above, are German-style infantry units of the Russian-Swedish armies.
====================================
Now about fences:
Original Polish text:
"[Husarze] Zniósłszy piersiami prawie wszystkie, których nieprzjaciel na starcie użył fortele, mężnie się o wojsko jego uderzył".
Translation:
"[Hussars] Ramming with chests almost all defences, which were initially used by the enemy, bravely plowed into his army".
Source: Anonymous account from the battle of Klushino ("Primary sources to history of the Polish art of war", volume 5, Ed. Zdzisław Spieralski, Jan Wimmer, Warsaw 1961, p. 189).
Original Polish text:
"Podawszy kilka razy, do sprawy przychodząc, obracając się znowu do nich, ledwo ich znowu rozerwali, bo naszym przez opłotki przyszło się potykać i płoty końmi łamać zarazem."
Translation:
"After attacking and retreating several times, [ours] turned against them again, and barely teared them apart again, because ours had to charge across hurdles and to break fences with use of horses at the same time."
Source:
"History of the False Dmitri" by Józef Budziłło, [in:] "Moscow in Polish hands. Memoirs of commanders and officers of the Polish garrison of Moscow in years 1610 - 1612. Ed: Marek Kubala, Tomasz Ściężor, Kryspinów 1995, p. 444.
Józef Budziłło was a Polish soldier and diarist who fought in Russia between 1607 and 1612 (then in 1612 he was captured by Russian forces and liberated from captivity in 1619).
Original Polish text:
"Gdy już do potkania przyszło, natarli naszy tak mężnie, że z sobą płoty znieść musieli."
Translation:
"When the battle finally began, ours attacked so bravely, that they had to ram fences during their attack."
Source:
"Diary of the route of His Majesty the King Sigismund III since his fortunate departure from Vilna up to Smolensk in year 1609 on 18th of August and fortunate success for two years until capturing the Smolensk castle in year 1611", Ed. Janusz Byliński, Wrocław 1999, p. 158.
Original Polish text:
"Naszy, przez kilkanaście płotów przebijając... "
Translation:
"Ours, breaking through over a dozen fences... "
Source:
Account of Piotr Kulesza, written in Tsaryovo-Zaymishche on 05.07.1610 (Library of the National Museum in Krakow)
Original Polish text:
"Panu Podolskiemu koń szarżował na płocie i zginął ze wszystkim."
Translation:
"A horse of Sir Podolski charged on a fence and was lost with all equipment."
Source: "Casualty Registery of the Companions in the battle of Klushino, 2 miles behind Tsaryovo-Zaymishche, on the day of 4 July 1610" (Library in Kórnik of the Polish Academy of Sciences)
===================================
And two more excerpts, which proof that enemy pikemen fought bravely and were steady:
Original Polish text:
"Wioska do tego trafiła się, na której i dla ciasności pola, rozerwał się on szyk nasz, nad nasze wolą, a potrzebnie, bo jedna część naszych potkała się w czoło na Niemce, którym przyszło przez płoty łamać się do nich, bo rzadka w płotach trafiła się taka dziura, żeby dziesięć koni szeregiem wypaść mogło."
Translation:
"We encountered a village, inside which due to narrowness of the field, our formation got disrupted, against our will but necessarily, because one part of ours attacked the Germans frontally, and we had to break fences to get to them, because there was rarely a hole in fences large enough for ten horses to charge through in one line (...)"
Original Polish text:
"Nie mogę ja naprędce wypisać, jako się nieprzyjaciel stawił mężnie, jako też nasze rycerstwo z nimi się ścierało, co mężnie to mężnie, jako wiedzieć było, przez kilkanaście płotów przebijając, na strzelbę tak wielką, na obóz, wierz mi WM było z obu stron na co popatrzeć tak, że przychodziło podwątpiwać, na którą się stronę noga podwinie i jako na włosku jednym, tak nasze Rzpltej sprawy wisiały."
Translation:
"I cannot hastily point out, how bravely the enemy fought, as well as how our chivalry fought aganst them, so bravely, as could be seen, breaking through a dozen or so fences, against firepower so great, against camp, believe me Your Majesty, there was a spectacle of war from both sides, so that it was doubtful, who was going to win, and matters of our Res Publica hanged on by the eyelids."
Let's add that Polish army in this battle consisted only of cavalry and was hugely outnumbered.
I quoted some of them already before, but now "extended versions" of translation to English (these accounts confirm that enemy infantry was steady and resisted Polish cavalry charges bravely, but lost the battle):
Original Polish text:
"Mężnie się nieprzyjaciel stawił, mianowicie lud cudzoziemski, siła pieszo[a?] ich wytrzymał - także z bystrego naszych natarcia, którzy prawie sobą płoty łamali, i na spisy końskimi piersiami wpadali, ledwo im nie w boki muszkiety nieprzyjaciel kładł."
Translation:
"Enemies stood bravely, namely the foreign people, the infantry who endured a lot - also some of rapid attacks by ours, who were breaking fences just by themselves, and running into pikes with chests of horses, while enemy muskets were almost touching their sides."
Source: "Account about the defeat of Dmitri" (Library of the National Museum of Czartoryscy in Krakow, rps 105, No 41).
Original Polish text:
"Sieła nasi w koniach przez mężne natarcie znosząc płoty, któremi zdradą nieprzyjaciel założył w obronie, a na spisy piersiami wpadając szkody odnieśli."
Translation:
"Ours in a brave charge ramming fences, with which the enemy treacherously strengthened their defence, and plunging into pikes with chests, suffered a lot of damage in horses."
Source: Anonymous account from the battle of Klushino ("Primary sources to history of the Polish art of war", volume 5, Ed. Zdzisław Spieralski, Jan Wimmer, Warsaw 1961, p. 190).
Original Russian text:
"Польские войска понемногу тают, но снова свежими силами пополняются и безбоязненно наступают, насмерть стоят и доблестно на полки нападают и пики железные ломают, а в них у немцев вся надежда на спасение."
Translation (a Russian friend helped me in accurate translation):
"Polish troops gradually melt away but then replenish with fresh vigor and come back again, fight to the death and bravely attack and break pikes, which are the only hope for saving the Germans."
Source: ЛЕТОПИСНАЯ КНИГА (link: http://old-ru.ru/08-58-1.html).
As you can see Russians - enemies of Polish cavalry in that battle - confirm what Polish accounts say. Germans mentioned above, are German-style infantry units of the Russian-Swedish armies.
====================================
Now about fences:
Original Polish text:
"[Husarze] Zniósłszy piersiami prawie wszystkie, których nieprzjaciel na starcie użył fortele, mężnie się o wojsko jego uderzył".
Translation:
"[Hussars] Ramming with chests almost all defences, which were initially used by the enemy, bravely plowed into his army".
Source: Anonymous account from the battle of Klushino ("Primary sources to history of the Polish art of war", volume 5, Ed. Zdzisław Spieralski, Jan Wimmer, Warsaw 1961, p. 189).
Original Polish text:
"Podawszy kilka razy, do sprawy przychodząc, obracając się znowu do nich, ledwo ich znowu rozerwali, bo naszym przez opłotki przyszło się potykać i płoty końmi łamać zarazem."
Translation:
"After attacking and retreating several times, [ours] turned against them again, and barely teared them apart again, because ours had to charge across hurdles and to break fences with use of horses at the same time."
Source:
"History of the False Dmitri" by Józef Budziłło, [in:] "Moscow in Polish hands. Memoirs of commanders and officers of the Polish garrison of Moscow in years 1610 - 1612. Ed: Marek Kubala, Tomasz Ściężor, Kryspinów 1995, p. 444.
Józef Budziłło was a Polish soldier and diarist who fought in Russia between 1607 and 1612 (then in 1612 he was captured by Russian forces and liberated from captivity in 1619).
Original Polish text:
"Gdy już do potkania przyszło, natarli naszy tak mężnie, że z sobą płoty znieść musieli."
Translation:
"When the battle finally began, ours attacked so bravely, that they had to ram fences during their attack."
Source:
"Diary of the route of His Majesty the King Sigismund III since his fortunate departure from Vilna up to Smolensk in year 1609 on 18th of August and fortunate success for two years until capturing the Smolensk castle in year 1611", Ed. Janusz Byliński, Wrocław 1999, p. 158.
Original Polish text:
"Naszy, przez kilkanaście płotów przebijając... "
Translation:
"Ours, breaking through over a dozen fences... "
Source:
Account of Piotr Kulesza, written in Tsaryovo-Zaymishche on 05.07.1610 (Library of the National Museum in Krakow)
Original Polish text:
"Panu Podolskiemu koń szarżował na płocie i zginął ze wszystkim."
Translation:
"A horse of Sir Podolski charged on a fence and was lost with all equipment."
Source: "Casualty Registery of the Companions in the battle of Klushino, 2 miles behind Tsaryovo-Zaymishche, on the day of 4 July 1610" (Library in Kórnik of the Polish Academy of Sciences)
===================================
And two more excerpts, which proof that enemy pikemen fought bravely and were steady:
Original Polish text:
"Wioska do tego trafiła się, na której i dla ciasności pola, rozerwał się on szyk nasz, nad nasze wolą, a potrzebnie, bo jedna część naszych potkała się w czoło na Niemce, którym przyszło przez płoty łamać się do nich, bo rzadka w płotach trafiła się taka dziura, żeby dziesięć koni szeregiem wypaść mogło."
Translation:
"We encountered a village, inside which due to narrowness of the field, our formation got disrupted, against our will but necessarily, because one part of ours attacked the Germans frontally, and we had to break fences to get to them, because there was rarely a hole in fences large enough for ten horses to charge through in one line (...)"
Original Polish text:
"Nie mogę ja naprędce wypisać, jako się nieprzyjaciel stawił mężnie, jako też nasze rycerstwo z nimi się ścierało, co mężnie to mężnie, jako wiedzieć było, przez kilkanaście płotów przebijając, na strzelbę tak wielką, na obóz, wierz mi WM było z obu stron na co popatrzeć tak, że przychodziło podwątpiwać, na którą się stronę noga podwinie i jako na włosku jednym, tak nasze Rzpltej sprawy wisiały."
Translation:
"I cannot hastily point out, how bravely the enemy fought, as well as how our chivalry fought aganst them, so bravely, as could be seen, breaking through a dozen or so fences, against firepower so great, against camp, believe me Your Majesty, there was a spectacle of war from both sides, so that it was doubtful, who was going to win, and matters of our Res Publica hanged on by the eyelids."
Let's add that Polish army in this battle consisted only of cavalry and was hugely outnumbered.
