Antoni Giełgud
Antoni Giełgud (* 1792 , † July 13, 1831 near Klaipeda) was a Polish brigadier general and in 1831 after the November Uprising , commander of a corps against Russia.
Life
Son of Michał Giełgud and Eleonora, née Tyszkiewicz. During the Napoleonic Wars he issued the 21st Infantry Regiment of the Duchy of Warsaw at his own expense, which he commanded as a colonel from August 29, 1812. During the November uprising of 1830 he led the 1st Brigade of General Jan Krukowiecki's 1st Infantry Division . After he had distinguished himself in February 1831 in the battle of Wawer as commander of three battalions and a few days later in the battle of Białołęka as commander of the 2nd infantry division, he was appointed brigadier general.
During the Battle of Ostrołęka (May 26th) he covered the northern wing of the Polish main army in the Lomscha area to the east and was sent to Lithuania after the defeat to spark the uprising in this region. On May 29, 1831, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Rajgród and opened the way to Vilna . In Lithuania he united his 2nd Infantry Division with the small corps of General Dezydery Chłapowski, which he had sent as reinforcement . Giełgud tried in vain to capture Vilna, but on June 19 he lost the battle of Ponary against Russian troops . He was forced to escape via Kaunas in the direction of the port of Palanga , where he was able to reorganize with British help.
On July 8, 1831, Giełgud attacked the small Russian garrison in Schaulen , but was repulsed. After this defeat, Giełgud divided his corps into three divisions on July 9, which were supposed to operate separately: Generals Chłapowski (3,600 soldiers), Dembiński (4,000 soldiers) and Rohland (5,200 soldiers) led the divisions. In mid-July, General Chłapowski was forced by the Russians to cross the border of the Kingdom of Prussia, and 15,000 soldiers of the regular Polish army with full armament and equipment were interned. Giełgud was killed by one of his own soldiers in the village of Šnaukštai near Klaipėda and buried in Kisiniai. Only a 4,000-strong corps headed by General Henryk Dembinski survived the Lithuanian expedition, and by August 3 it was able to make its way to Warsaw .
One of his grandsons is the British actor and director John Gielgud .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Giełgud, Antoni |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Polish general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1792 |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 13, 1831 |