National Cavalry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National cavalry (Polish: Kawaleria narodowa) was a branch of Polish cavalry in the Polish armed forces in the late 18th century. Formed as a merger of previously-existing units of Polish Hussars and pancerni that were still in service after the Confederation of Bar. In 1775 the Sejm disbanded all units of heavy cavalry and reformed them into a lighter formation, roughly similar to uhlans popular in Europe in 19th century. The National Cavalry was disbanded together with the rest of Polish armed forces after the final partition in 1795. The decision was part of the trend of evolution of European cavalry towards lighter, more mobile formations, a process that lasted until the World War I when the Cuirassiers abandoned their heavy armours. The uniforms of the National Cavalry also inspired numerous similar formations in Europe, notably the French cavalry of the Napoleonic Wars.
[edit] History
Initially the national cavalry was divided onto four brigades (each numbering roughly 900 men-at-arms), two in the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and two in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The brigades were further composed of 96 banners altogether. On November 12, 1788 the Sejm increased the number of cavalrymen and since then the brigades were 3600 men strong. The division onto banners was also disbanded and replaced with a division onto squadrons. Each brigade was since then composed of 24 squadrons. Also in 1788 the Sejm disbanded all mercenary cavalry units (cavalry units of foreign origin) and reformed them into three regiments of Front Guard, also forming part of the national cavalry. Following this reform each squadron of National Cavalry was composed of four cug sub-units. The first cug in every squadron consisted of 32 former "towarzysz" Hussars, while the remaining four were composed of 32 former Pancerni cavalrymen. This allowed the unit to be fairly flexible, with the first cug used for break-through charges and the remaining three in supporting roles.
During the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794 additional units of National Cavalry were raised in various parts of Poland. Altogether, the government formed 12 brigades of national cavalry, 2 regiments of horse guard and 16 regiments of Front Guard. However, only a few of them ever reached the specified number of men-at-arms. The National Cavalry took part in several battles of the Russo-Polish war of 1792 and the Kościuszko Uprising. Among the most notable were:
- Battle of Zieleńce of June 18, 1792
- Battle of Dubienka of July 18, 1792
- Battle of Racławice of April 4, 1794
- Battle of Szczekociny of June 6, 1794
- Battle of Krupczyce of September 17, 1794
- Battle of Terespol of September 19, 1794
- Battle of Maciejowice of October 10, 1794
Following the partitions of Poland the National Cavalry was disbanded.
[edit] Arms and uniforms
The soldiers of the National Cavalry were dressed in uniforms of former Hussar and Pancerni units, in accordance with the 1746 proclamation by hetman Michał Kazimierz Radziwiłł. The Hussar regiments were dressed in crimson caps and kontuszes, with Navy-blue lapels and collars, while the Pancerni wore Navy-blue caps and kontuszes, with crimson lapels and collars. The only difference between the units formed in the Grand Duchy and those from the Crown were the buttons: silver for Polish and golden for Lithuanian units.
In 1785 the uniforms were modified and all units of national cavalry since then used Navy-blue jackets of the Pancerni and crimson caps of the Hussars. On March 11, 1791 the new regulation was passed. Essentially the uniforms remained unchanged, but the number of adornments was lessened in order to make the uniforms less expensive. However, the new uniforms were never fully introduced.
[edit] References
- (Polish) Bronisław Gembarzewski: "Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych", Biblioteka Muzeum Wojska, Warszawa 1925
- (Polish) Szymon Kobyliński: "Gawędy o broni i mundurze", Warszawa 1984
- (Polish) Brygada I Kawalerii Narodowej "Rekonstrukcja munduru towarzysza Kawalerii Narodowej Koronnej z lat 1791-1794" Piotr M. Zalewski, Militaria i fakty.
- (Polish) Forum Barwa i broń na gery.pl
