General Jozef Gregorz Chlopicki, 1771-1854

General Jozef Gregorz Chlopicki 1771-1854) was a Polish general who served in the armies of Poland, France and Russia before retiring after the failed Polish uprising of 1830. His name is rendered as Chlopicki or Chlopiski.

Chlopicki's first military experience came during the war of 1792-94, triggered by a Russian invasion designed at preventing a revival of the Polish state. The Poles were quickly defeated and Poland suffered the Second Partition in 1793. This triggered an uprising in 1794, which was crushed by the Prussians and Russians and in 1795 the Third Partition saw the destruction of Poland.

After the destruction of his homeland Chlopicki moved to Italy, where he joined the Polish Legion (formed in 1799), fighting alongside the French. He rose through the ranks until he was given command of the 1st Regiment of the Vistula Legion.

He led this regiment to Spain, where he continued to perform well. He took part in the siege of Saragossa, and defeated a Spanish relief force under General Palafox at the Action of Epila (23-24 June 1808). In 1809 he took part in the storm of Saragossa, and was rewarded for his efforts with promotion to general of brigade and a French barony. In the same year he also won a rare victory over a Spanish guerilla force, defeating General Villacampa at the combat of Tremendal of 23-24 November 1809. He also played a prominent part in the French victory at Saguntum (25 October 1811) where he commanded on the left of the French army.

In 1812 he commanded a brigade of the Vistula Legion that formed part of the Imperial Guard. He was wounded at Smolensk during the advance into Russia.

In 1814 Chlopicki joined the Russian Army. He remained that service until the 1830-31 Polish revolt. He fought on the Polish side in that conflict, and for a short time was head of the Polish forces. He was wounded during fighting at Grochow and retired. He blamed his subordinates for the failure of the revolt, which ended the existence of the Congress Kingdom of Poland.

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (5 June 2014), General Jozef Gregorz Chlopicki, 1771-1854 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/people_chlopicki.html

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