Ignaty Przybyszewski

Ignatius Yakovlevich Przybyszewski^[a] (1755 – after 1810) was a Russian military leader of Polish origin, namely a lieutenant general who was demoted to private. Participant in the Russo-Polish War, the wars of the Second and Third coalitions.

Ignacy Przybyszewski was born in 1755 near Krzemieniec in Volhynia, to Jakub, a huntsman and scribe of the Krzemieniec lands, and Wiktoria née Małachowska. In 1771, he entered the service of the Crown Army, serving in the infantry grenadier regiment under the command of Marcin Lubomirski, then Józef Witte. Afterwards, when his unit was renamed the 11th Crown Infantry Regiment in 1792, he reported to August Iliński. During his military service, he received successive promotions: captain (May 10, 1776), major (June 14, 1782), and lieutenant colonel (July 23, 1790). He took part in the Polish-Russian War of 1792, commanding his native regiment in place of Colonel Maksymilian Sierakowski. He participated in the Battle of Zieleńce (June 17), and then commanded the Polish infantry during the defense of Ostróg (June 25). He held his position facing Russian forces until ordered to retreat. During the Polish army's retreat, he covered the Bug River line at the Opalin height (July 14–18). As ordered, he marched to Chełm on July 19. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Virtuti Militari. Having failed to resign after the end of the war, he returned with his army to Kamieniec Podolski (where his unit was stationed). When the fortress was captured by the Russians on May 2, 1793, Przybyszewski's regiment became part of the Russian forces and was renamed the Mogilev Musketeer Regiment.^[1]

On September 15, 1797, he was appointed chef de corps of the Kursk Musketeer Regiment, stationed in Vysokolitovsk and soon to set out with Rimsky-Korsakov's corps on a campaign against the French.^[2] On June 4, 1799, he was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed head of the third section of the right marching column (consisting of four regiments), while remaining commander of his regiment. On September 25, the Second Battle of Zurich began, where Przybyszewski and his regiment arrived only at night, having assisted the Austrian General Hotze the previous day. Early in the morning of September 26, he was ordered to dislodge the French from Mount Zurichberg and stubbornly hold it until the Russian army and supply train retreated from the city. Przybyszewski occupied Zurichberg, but the French troops soon pushed him back, and during the disorderly retreat, his regiment lost its banner. In the spring of 1800, he returned to Russia.^[3]

Continuing to serve in the same regiment, he took part in the War of the Second Coalition in 1805, where he commanded the 3rd Column (6 infantry regiments), with which Alexander I marched from Olomouc. At the Battle of Austerlitz, Przybyszewski's column, as ordered, advanced from the Pratzen Heights and occupied Sokolnice. Napoleon, attacking Pratzen, cut through the allied army and moved part of his troops to the rear of Przybyszewski, whom Davout attacked from the front.^[4] Surrounded on all sides, Przybyszewski decided to break through with his troops to the right, toward the village of Kobelnice. Pursued by artillery and rifle fire, the Russian detachment was only able to cross the two miles separating Sokolnice from Kobelnice by evening, having completely degenerated into a shapeless and poorly organized mass. Already on the approach to the village, the French cavalry smashed into the remnants of Przybyszewski's troops and completed their disarray. Przybyszewski himself was taken prisoner. Generals, staff and senior officers, guns, and banners fell into the hands of the victors.^[5] Less than 1,000 soldiers managed to escape the encirclement, breaking through one by one. However, the desperate and prolonged resistance of the third column facilitated the retreat of the first two Russian columns.^[3]

Upon returning from captivity to Russia, Przybyszewski was put on trial for surrendering at the start of a battle with the troops entrusted to him, but the General Auditorium acquitted him.^[6] The case was then transferred to the State Council, where the Military and Civil Departments accused Przybyszewski of failing to comply with his orders and sentenced him to a month's demotion to private, followed by dismissal from service. Emperor Alexander I confirmed the sentence on November 25, 1810.^[3]