1814 - Polish Army Under Russia
By the Congress of Vienna, the Grand-duchy of Warsaw was made into a kingdom, and subjected to the iron sceptre of Russia. At the first moment of entering upon the government of the kingdom, the Emperor Alexander seemed disposed to load Poland with benefits. On his return from Paris he was received by the inhabitants of Warsaw with the most unfeigned good will, and his stay in that city was marked by acts of beneficence.
This show of benevolence, and the dreams of happiness with which it inspired the people, were not, however, of long duration. Before his departure from Warsaw, the Emperor named as viceroy of Poland the old general Zajaczek, raising him to the dignity of a prince, and his own brother, the Grand Duke Constantine, as commander in chief of the Polish army. The appointment of these persons to the supreme power was already in direct opposition to all the promises he had made. For Zajaczek, through the infirmities of his advanced age, was unfit for the post of viceroy, and could be but an instrument in Russian hands ; while in Constantine, the commander in chief of their army, the Poles received a tyrant.
The Polish army, which had gathered laurels in so many countries of the three continents, and which was held in such high estimation by the first monarch and general in Europe, was exposed, on the very first days of the new government, to the insults of Constantine. There was not an officer, but was grossly offended by the Grand Duke, and more than all, those who wore military decorations for . their merits. No past services were valued ; they only exposed those who were distinguished by them to greater persecution. In the first six months, many officers, among whom was the renowned general Sokolnicki, committed suicide; and nearly one half the officers and generals asked their dismission, among whom was General, the late Dictator, Chlopicki, who preferred poverty and want to such an ignominious service. The Polish army, those soldiers animated by feelings of honor and the love of distinction, were to be transformed into the machines of despotism. They who had faced death in so many battles, who were covered with wounds, and who had been called " brethren" by the greatest leader of his age, were now to be beaten with the Russian knout. In the first year, few days passed in which some of the soldiers did not commit suicide.
Before the Revolution of 1830, the small kingdom of Poland, consisting of about 4,000,000 of inhabitants, maintained 36,000 troops, of whom the grand Duke Constantine was commander-in-chief. This force consisted of eight regiments of infantry of the line; four regiments of light infantry; one regiment of the guard of grenadiers; one battalion of sappers, with a regiment of the guard of horse chasseurs; four regiments of lancers; four regiments of horse chasseurs; a nd some batteries of artillery. The fourth regiment of the line, the colonel of which, Boguslawski, was the favorite of Constantine, never quitted the garrison of Warsaw. All changes in the mode of using the arms were made by him,- he was a complete model to the army, both by his discipline and his steadiness. None but the most choice men werg taken into this regiment.
The Poles, who, by many years struggling with their enemies, were exhausted, at last submitted to their usurper, who thus thought himself securely seated in the possession of their country. It is true that the Emperor of Russia always dreaded their national spirit, and therefore thought it best to leave the sole command to his brother, Constantine, who by his cruelty and stern character, only exasperated the Poles.- Constantine, on the other hand, in order to shelter himself from danger, heaped favours upon the army, giving them in every instance a remarkable preference, and the fourth regiment in particular was much esteemed, and considered as his body-guard; but he forgot that the ranks of this army were filled with Polish youth.
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