View source for Polish Legions (Napoleonic era)

{{Short description|Polish military units that served with the French Army}}
{{Good article}}
[[File:Jan Henryk Dabrowski 2.jpg|thumb|[[Jan Henryk Dąbrowski]], the most famous commander of the Polish Legions]]
[[File:Napoleon Polish troops by Bellange.jpg|thumb|Infantry of the Vistula Legion]]
[[File:Banner of 1st Polish Legion in Italy.jpg|thumb|Banner of the 1st Legion of the Polish Legions in [[Italy]]]]
[[File:Soldier of Polish Legions in Italy.JPG|thumb|Polish Legion soldier in Italy]]
[[File:January Suchodolski - Wjazd generała Jana Henryka Dąbrowskiego do Rzymu.jpg|thumb|right|Dąbrowski's entry into [[Rome]]]]
The '''Polish Legions''' ({{langx|pl|Legiony Polskie we Włoszech}}; also known as the '''Dąbrowski Legions''')<ref name="Lerski1996"/> were several Polish military units that served with the [[Grande Armée|French Army]] in the [[Napoleonic era]], mainly from 1797 to 1803, although some units continued to serve until 1815.
After the [[Third Partition of Poland]] in 1795, many Poles believed that [[French First Republic|Revolutionary France]] and her allies would come to Poland's aid. France's enemies included Poland's partitioners, [[Prussia]], [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]] and [[Russian Empire|Russia]]. Many Polish soldiers, officers, and volunteers therefore [[emigration|emigrated]], especially to the parts of [[Italy]] under French rule or serving as [[client states]] or [[sister republic]]s to France (leading to the expression, "the Polish Legions in Italy") and to [[France]] itself, where they joined forces with the local military. The number of Polish recruits soon reached many thousands. With support from [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], Polish military units were formed, bearing Polish [[military rank]]s and commanded by Polish officers. They became known as the "Polish Legions", a Polish army in exile, under French command. Their best known Polish commanders included [[Jan Henryk Dąbrowski]], [[Karol Kniaziewicz]] and [[Józef Wybicki]].
The Polish Legions serving alongside the [[French Imperial Army (1804-1815)|French Army]] during the [[Napoleonic Wars]] saw combat in most of Napoleon's campaigns, from the [[West Indies]], through Italy and [[French campaign in Egypt and Syria|Egypt]]. When the [[Duchy of Warsaw]] was created in 1807, many of the veterans of the Legions formed a core around which the [[Army of the Duchy of Warsaw|Duchy's army]] was raised under [[Józef Poniatowski]]. This force fought a victorious [[Polish–Austrian War|war against Austria in 1809]] and would go on to fight alongside the French army in numerous campaigns, culminating in the disastrous [[French invasion of Russia|invasion of Russia]] in 1812, which marked the end of the [[First French Empire|Napoleonic empire]], including the Legions, and allied states like the Duchy of Warsaw.
==Timeframe and numbers==
Among historians there is a degree of uncertainty about the period in which the Legions existed. Magocsi et al. notes that "the heyday of their activity" falls in the years 1797–1801,<ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-31"/> while Lerski defines the Legions as units that operated between 1797 and 1803.<ref name="Lerski1996"/> Similarly, Davies defines the time of their existence as five to six years.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> The Polish [[Internetowa encyklopedia PWN|PWN Encyklopedia]] defines them as units operating in the period of 1797–1801 (in 1801 the Legions were reorganized into [[demi-brigade]]s).<ref name="pwn"/> The Polish [[WIEM Encyklopedia]] notes that the Legions ended with the death of most of their personnel in the [[Saint-Domingue expedition]], which concluded in 1803.<ref name="WIEM"/> When recounting the history of the Polish Legions, some works also describe the operations of Polish units under the French in the period after 1803; several smaller formations existed in that time, the most notable of which was the [[Vistula Legion]], which existed between 1808 and 1813.<ref name="nk"/>
Estimates of the strength of the Polish Legions also vary and it is believed that between 20,000 and 30,000 men served in the Legions' ranks at any one time over the course of their existence. The WIEM Encyklopedia estimate is 21,000 for the period up to 1803.<ref name=WIEM/> Davies suggests 25,000 for the period of up to 1802–1803, as does Magosci et al.<ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-31"/><ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> Bideleux and Jeffries offer an estimate of up to 30,000 for the period up to 1801.<ref name="BideleuxJeffries2007-279"/> Most of the soldiers came from the ranks of the peasantry, with only about 10 percent being drawn from the nobility.<ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-31"/>
==Origins==
After the Third Partition of Poland (1795), many Poles believed that revolutionary France, whose public opinion was very sympathetic to the ideals of the Polish [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]], would come to Poland's aid.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-3"/><ref name="Kocój2001"/> France's enemies included Poland's partitioners, Prussia, Austria and Russia.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> Paris was the seat of two Polish organizations laying the claim to be the Polish [[government-in-exile]], the [[Deputation (Poland)|Deputation]] (''Deputacja'') of [[Franciszek Ksawery Dmochowski]] and the [[Agency (Poland)|Agency]] (''Agencja'') of [[Józef Wybicki]].<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> Many Polish soldiers, officers and volunteers therefore [[emigration|emigrated]], especially to Italy and to France.<ref name="Lerski1996"/> Eventually, the Agency was successful in convincing the French government (the [[French Directory|Directory]]) to organize a Polish military unit.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> As the [[Constitution of the Year III|French Constitution]] did not allow for the employment of foreign troops on French soil, the French decided to use the Poles to bolster their client in Italy, the [[Cisalpine Republic]].<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-3"/>
[[Jan Henryk Dąbrowski]], a former high-ranking officer in the army of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]], began his work in 1796&nbsp;– a year after the [[Partitions of Poland|total destruction of the Commonwealth]]. At that time he went to [[Paris]], and later, [[Milan]], where his idea received support from [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], who saw the Poles as a promising source of new recruits, and who superficially appeared receptive to the idea of liberating Poland.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-3"/><ref name="Lerski1996-102-103"/><ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-28"/> Dąbrowski was soon authorized by the French-allied Cisalpine Republic to create the Polish Legions, which would be part of the army of the newly created republic.<ref name="Lerski1996"/><ref name="Lerski1996-102-103"/> This agreement, drafted by Napoleon, was signed on 9 January 1797, and marked the formal creation of the Legions.<ref name="Lerski1996"/><ref name="Lerski1996-102-103"/>
==Operational history==
===War of the First Coalition: Polish Legions in Italy===
{{further|War of the First Coalition}}
The Polish soldiers serving in the Dąbrowski Legion were granted Cisalpine citizenship and were paid the same wage as other troops.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-3"/> They were allowed to use their own unique Polish-style uniforms, with some French and Cisalpine symbols, and were commanded by other Polish speakers.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/> By early February 1797 the Legion was 1,200 strong, having been bolstered by the arrival of many new recruits who had deserted from the [[Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars|Austrian army]].<ref name="Lerski1996"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/>
The Dąbrowski Legion was first used against the Austrians and their allies in Italy.<ref name="Lerski1996"/> In March 1797 it garrisoned [[Mantua]], and by the end of the month it took part in its first combat during the [[Ten Days of Brescia]].<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/> By the end of April the ranks of the Legion had swelled to 5,000.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/> At that time Dąbrowski lobbied for a plan to push through to the Polish territories in [[Galicia (Eastern Europe)|Galicia]], but that was eventually rejected by Napoleon who instead decided to use those troops on the Italian front.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/> In April, the Legion took part in quelling the uprising in [[Verona]], known as [[Veronese Easters]].<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/> The [[Treaty of Leoben]] signed that month, which promised peace between Austrians and French, was a blow to Polish morale, but Dąbrowski correctly assumed that it would not last.<ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-29"/>
Sources vary with regards to when the singular Dąbrowski Legion was expanded into multiple Legions. Pivka and Roffe note that in May 1797 the Legion was reorganized into two formations, the first being commanded by [[Karol Kniaziewicz]] and the second by [[Józef Wielhorski]], each numbering about 3,750 infantry, not counting artillery support.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/> [[Norman Davies|Davies]], however, states that the Second Legion was formed in 1798 under [[Józef Zajączek]].<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> In July 1797 the Legions suppressed another insurrection, this time in [[Reggio Emilia]].<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/>
The [[Treaty of Campo Formio]], signed on 18 October 1797, resulted in another short period of relative peace.<ref name="Reddaway1971-223"/> The Legions, hopeful for a renewal of the war, were seen as the most pro-French foreign forces in the Cisalpine Republic.<ref name="Reddaway1971-224"/> In May 1798 the Poles helped the French to secure the [[Papal States]], putting down some peasant revolts, and garrisoned Rome, which they entered on 3 May.<ref name="Reddaway1971-224"/><ref name="Kołaczkowski1901"/><ref name="Fletcher1833"/> Dąbrowski obtained a number of trophies from a Roman representative, that the Polish king, [[John III Sobieski]], had sent there after his victory over the [[Ottoman Empire]] at the [[Battle of Vienna|siege of Vienna]] in 1683; amongst these was an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] standard which subsequently became part of the Legions' colors, accompanying them from then on.<ref name="Kołaczkowski1901"/><ref name="Fletcher1833"/>
By the end of 1798 the Legions under Kniaziewicz were fighting against the anti-French forces from the [[Kingdom of Naples]], defeating them at the [[Battle of Civita Castellana]] on 4 December.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/> Soon afterward, supplies from the captured [[Gaeta]] fortress allowed the creation of a Legion cavalry unit under [[Andrzej Karwowski]].<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/><ref name="Reddaway1971-224"/> The Poles then fought at [[Magliano Vetere|Magliano]], [[Falari]], [[Calvi, Campania|Calvi]] and [[Capua]]<ref name="Reddaway1971-224"/> before [[Naples]] capitulated on 23 January.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/>
===War of the Second Coalition: Italian front===
The end of the 1798 and the beginning of 1799 marked the beginning of the [[War of the Second Coalition]].<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-4"/> Within about a year of its formation, the Legion had become about 10,000.<ref name="Lerski1996"/> However, the new series of struggles proved to be much more difficult, as the anti-French coalition advanced upon Italy, now bereft of elite French units which were with Napoleon in [[Egypt Eyalet|Egypt]].<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-5"/> Overall, 1799 saw the Legions take significant casualties.<ref name="Lerski1996"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-5"/> In mid-1799, the First Legion under General Dąbrowski fought against the Russians at [[Battle of Trebbia (1799)|Trebbia]] (17–19 June 1799), where it suffered heavy casualties (only two of the five battalions survived the battle, and Dąbrowski was wounded).<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/><ref name="Reddaway1971-225"/> Polish legionaries also fought at the [[Battle of Novi (1799)|Battle of Novi]] (15 July 1799), and the [[Second Battle of Zurich]] (26 September).<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/>
The Second Legion also suffered heavily; particularly in the first battles on the [[Adige]] (26 March&nbsp;– 5 April 1799) where it is estimated that it lost about half to two thirds of its complement of 4,000 men.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name="Reddaway1971-224"/> Its commander, General [[Franciszek Rymkiewicz]], was killed at the [[Battle of Magnano]] on 5 April.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-5"/> The remainder of the Second Legion became part of the garrison at [[Mantua]], which was soon placed under siege by the Austrians.<ref name="Reddaway1971-224"/> Finally, at the end of the [[Siege of Mantua (1799)|Siege of Mantua]] (April–July), the French commander [[François-Philippe de Foissac-Latour]] decided to release Polish soldiers&nbsp;– then under Wielhorski&nbsp;– into Austrian custody as the Austrians claimed them to be deserters.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/><ref name="Reddaway1971-225"/><ref name="rzeczpospolita"/> This marked the end of the Second Legion, as only a small number of Poles were able to evade capture (the French were allowed to withdraw most of their forces under the condition that they would remain neutral).<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/><ref name="Reddaway1971-225"/><ref name="rzeczpospolita"/>
===War of the Second Coalition: German front===
With the end of the Cisalpine Republic, the Legions were reorganized in France, as Napoleon ascended to power as the [[First Consul]] and decreed that foreign troops could now serve in the French Army.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/> On 10 February the remnants of the Italian Legions were reorganized near [[Marseilles]] into the Italian Legion (''La Legion Italique'') as a 9,000-strong unit (although soon reduced to 5,000) that would become part of the [[Army of Italy (France)|Army of Italy]].<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-7"/> The Legion fought at [[Peschiera del Garda|Peschiera]] and [[Mantua]].<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-7"/>
In 1800<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/> or 1799<ref name=nk/> (sources vary), [[Karol Kniaziewicz]] organized the 6,000-strong Third Legion (the [[Danube Legion]], or the ''Legion du Rhine'') to fight against the Austrians in [[Electorate of Bavaria|Bavaria]].<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/> The Danube Legion, bolstered by Karwowski's cavalry unit, fought as part of the [[Army of the Rhine (France)|Army of the Rhine]] at [[Berg, Baden-Württemberg|Berg]], Bernheim and [[Offenburg]], garrisoning the fortress of [[Philippsbourg]] after the [[armistice of Parsdorf]] (15 July).<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/> Polish forces also fought in the [[Battle of Hohenlinden (1800)|Battle of Hohenlinden]] on 3 December 1800.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/> According to Davies, the Danube Legion would suffer significant casualties in the short period after the battle and the end of the campaign on 25 December that year.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-6"/>
The size of the Legions decreased after the [[Treaty of Lunéville]] (9 February 1801), which to the disappointment of the legionnaires made no mention of Poland.<ref name="Lerski1996"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-7"/><ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-30"/> The Legions was transferred to police duties in the [[Kingdom of Etruria]].<ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-30"/> The Legions' [[morale]] weakened as Poles were not used in any fights that seemed to directly affect the chance of Poland regaining independence.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> Many legionnaires, including General Kniaziewicz, felt that they had been used by the French and resigned.<ref name="Lerski1996"/><ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name="Reddaway1971-225"/><ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-7"/> Dąbrowski remained in command, and reorganized both Legions at [[Milan]] into two 6,000-strong units in March 1801.<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-7"/> On 21 December 1801 the Legions were reorganized by the French government into three [[demi-brigade]]s, with the Italian (First) Legion forming the core of the First and Second Foreign [[demi-brigade|Demi-Brigades]] (''1er'' and ''2e Demi-Brigade Étrangère''), and the Danube (Second) Legion, the Third Foreign Demi-Brigade (''3e Demi-Brigade Étrangère'').<ref name="PivkaRoffe1974-7"/>
===The Haitian campaign===
{{see also|Saint-Domingue expedition}}
[[File:Battle for Palm Tree Hill.jpg|thumb|right|Polish Legions in [[Saint Domingue]], [[January Suchodolski]]]]
In 1802, France sent most of the disgruntled legionnaires (two [[demi-brigade]]s, 5,280 strong) to [[Haiti]] to put down the [[Haitian Revolution]] (on the Caribbean island of [[Hispaniola]], known then as [[Saint-Domingue]], the [[French West Indies]]).<ref name="Reddaway1971-225"/><ref name=bc/> Napoleon wanted to regain the [[colony]] of Saint-Domingue, but preferred to save his main French army for more important matters, closer to home.<ref name=bc/> The now inconvenient Polish units were accompanied by contingents of Germans and Swiss French allies, as well as by French units that had fallen out of favour with Napoleon and the French high command.<ref name=bc/>
The Haitian campaign proved disastrous for the legionnaires.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> Combat casualties and [[tropical diseases]], including the [[yellow fever]], reduced the 5,280-strong Polish contingent to a few hundred survivors in the space of less than two years.<ref name=bc/> By the time the French forces retreated from the island in 1803, about 4,000 Poles had died (either from disease or combat). Of the survivors, about 400 remained on the island, a few dozen were dispersed to the nearby islands or to the United States, and about 700 returned to France<ref name="bc"/> (Urbankowski claims 6,000 sent and 330 returned).<ref name="urbankowski"/>
The Poles had minimal interest or desire to support the French cause in the distant colonies, once again fighting against people who only desired their own independence.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name="Reddaway1971-225"/> The loss of that many patriotic military personnel in the Caribbean was a serious blow to the Polish aspirations for regaining independence.<ref name=bc/> The Haitian experience cast further doubts among Poles about France's and Napoleon's good intentions toward Poland.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name=bc/>
===Wars of the Third and Fourth Coalition===
[[File:Red Lancers of the Imperial Guard charging on Scottish infantry.png|200px|thumb|Polish lancers charging on Scottish infantry]]
By 1805, during the [[War of the Third Coalition]], the Polish troops in Italy had been renamed the 1st Polish Legion (1e Legion Polonaise) and attached to the [[Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)|Kingdom of Italy]].<ref name="Schneid2002"/> In 1806, all that was left of the old Dąbrowski and Kniaziewicz's Legions was one demi-brigade, consisting of one infantry regiment and one cavalry regiment, now in the service of the [[Kingdom of Naples]].<ref name="Schneid2002"/><ref name="Reddaway1971-226"/> It fought at [[Castel Franco]], turning the Austrian attack on 24 November 1805, but on 3 July 1806 it suffered a severe defeat at [[Sant'Eufemia a Maiella]].<ref name="Reddaway1971-226"/> Many Polish officers served in French army or allied formations.<ref name="Reddaway1971-226"/>
During the [[War of the Fourth Coalition]], Napoleon decided to encourage Polish defections from the [[Prussian army]], and on 20 September 1806 decreed the creation of a "Northern Legion" under General Zajączek.<ref name="Reddaway1971-226"/> As the Napoleon did not want to commit himself to the Polish cause, the Legion was however not explicitly Polish, and was, in Napoleon's words, a gathering of "children of the North".<ref name="Reddaway1971-226"/> French armies, including the Legion units, defeated the Prussians in [[Kingdom of Saxony|Saxony]] at the [[Battle of Jena]] and Poles under Dąbrowski entered former Polish territories (near the city of [[Poznań]]), which resulted in the influx of recruits for the legion.<ref name="Reddaway1971-226"/><ref name=kasrev/> A year later, Napoleon, having defeated the Russian armies, met with the Russian [[Tsar]] [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]] at [[Tilsit]] and in the ensuing [[Treaties of Tilsit]] they agreed that a new, small Polish state under French control (the [[Duchy of Warsaw]]) would be created.<ref name="Davies2005-218"/>
===After the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw: the Vistula Legion===
The main period that the Legions were active was between 1797 and 1803, although some chose to continue serving the French in Italy.<ref name="Lerski1996"/><ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/><ref name=WIEM/> In 1806, two Polish battalions fought at the [[battle of Maida]], where they were defeated by British troops.<ref name="nk"/> In 1807, veterans of the Polish Legion formed the backbone of the new [[Army of the Duchy of Warsaw]].<ref name="Wandycz1980"/> In February 1807, the remaining infantry and cavalry regiments who had continued in French service in Italy were reorganized in [[Silesia]], in the cities of [[Wrocław|Breslau]], [[Prudnik|Neustadt]], [[Nysa, Poland|Neisse]], [[Korfantów|Friedland]] and [[Brzeg|Brieg]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dobiecki|first=Wojciech|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HJTPoAEACAAJ|title=Wspomnienia wojskowe Wojciecha Dobieckiego|date=1862|language=pl}}</ref> into a Polish-Italian Legion (''PolaccoItalienne''), with two new infantry regiments added from the newly liberated Polish lands.<ref name="nk"/> On 21 February 1808, the Legion was relocated to France, reinforced with Poles from other French formations, and incorporated into the French army.<ref name="nk"/> On 31 March of that year the legion was officially named the Vistula Legion (''Légion de la Vistule, Legia Nadwiślańska'').<ref name="nk"/> By mid-1808 the Vistula Legion had a strength of 6,000.<ref name="nk"/> After the [[Battle of Wagram]] (5–6 July 1809) Napoleon attempted to form a second Polish Vistula Legion from Polish prisoners of war, but the new formation could not attract sufficient recruits, and in 1810 it was merged into the original Vistula Legion.<ref name="nk"/>
During the [[Peninsular War]] in Spain, the Vistula Legion gained fame at the [[Second Siege of Zaragoza]].<ref name="nk"/> In the [[Battle of Fuengirola]], a small Franco-Polish force managed to repulse a [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] and [[Supreme Central Junta|Spanish]] army which greatly outnumbered them, capturing their commander [[Andrew Blayney, 11th Baron Blayney|Lord Blayney]] in the process. The [[1st Light Cavalry Lancers Regiment of the Imperial Guard (Polish)]] distinguished itself at the [[Battle of Somosierra]] in 1808.<ref name="ChodakiewiczRadzilowski2003-47">{{cite book|author1=Marek Jan Chodakiewicz|author2=John Radzilowski|title=Spanish Carlism and Polish Nationalism: The Borderlands of Europe in the 19th and 20th Centuries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q-ow6DEQOBoC&pg=PA47|access-date=24 October 2012|year=2003|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=978-0-9679960-5-9|page=47}}</ref> Another Polish cavalry regiment&nbsp;– the Vistula [[uhlans]]&nbsp;– also fought in Spain. They distinguished themselves many times there, including at the [[Battle of Albuera]] in 1811, where they fought to a draw against a combined force of British, Spanish and [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portuguese]] troops. Their effectiveness in that battle inspired the [[British Army]] to create their own [[lancer]] units equipped with Polish-style uniforms and weapons.<ref name=kasrev/>
[[File:Jacques-Louis David - The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|French Emperor [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]]]]
In 1812, as [[Napoleon's invasion of Russia|Napoleon invaded Russia]], the Poles and Lithuanians rallied to his [[Grande Armée]] in the hope of resurrecting the Commonwealth. The Vistula Legion, withdrawn from Spain in early 1812 and reorganized into a division (with a planned strength of 10,500 that was never fully attained) was part of Napoleon's invasion forces.<ref name="nk"/> Poles formed the largest foreign contingent, 98,000-strong (the entire French Grande Armée was about 600,000 strong).<ref name=kasrev/> [[uhlan|Polish Lancers]] of the [[Vistula Legion]] were the first unit to cross the [[Neman]] river when the Grande Armée entered Russia and, as part of the Imperial Guard, the first unit to enter [[Moscow]].<ref name="nk"/><ref name=kasrev/> They distinguished themselves in the [[Battle of Borodino]] and, under Prince [[Józef Poniatowski]] (who personally saved Napoleon's life), were one of the units that served as the rear guard during Napoleon's retreat. This later led to the claim that just as they had been the first to enter it, they were the last to leave Russia.<ref name=kasrev/> They sustained heavy losses during the campaign: only 26,000 of the original 98,000-strong contingent returned.<ref name=kasrev/> The elite Vistula Legion entering Russia was about 7,000 strong; its strength at the end of the campaign was just 1,500.<ref name=nk/>
The definitive end of the Polish Legions came with the conclusion of Napoleon's career and the abolition of the Duchy of Warsaw. The Duchy was occupied by Prussian and Russian troops following Napoleon's retreat from Russia. The Polish troops remained loyal to him until the bitter end, with Polish units holding their ground at [[Battle of Leipzig|Leipzig]] (15–19 October 1813) and [[Battle of Hanau|Hanau]] (30–31 October 1813), where they sustained major losses.<ref name=nk/> The Legion was recreated at [[Sedan, Ardennes|Sedan]] in early 1814, and fought at [[Battle of Soissons (1814)|Soissons]], [[Battle of Reims (1814)|Reims]], [[Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube|Arcis-sur-Aube]] and [[Battle of Saint-Dizier|St-Dizier]].<ref name=nk/> After Napoleon's defeat in the [[War of the Sixth Coalition]], when Napoleon was forced into exile on [[Elba]], the only unit he was allowed to keep as guards were the Polish Lancers.<ref name=kasrev/> While many Poles returned to the Polish territories, a unit of about 325 men under Colonel Golaszewski fought in Napoleon's final 1815 campaign, the "[[Hundred Days]]", participating in the [[Battle of Waterloo]].<ref name=nk/><ref name="Biskupski2000"/> After Napoleon's second and final defeat, some are said to have accompanied him to his exile on [[Saint Helena]].<ref name="Biskupski2000"/>
==Assessment and remembrance==
In analyzing the creation of the Polish Legions, many historians have argued that Napoleon used the Poles as a source of recruits and had little desire to invest in the re-creation of the Polish state.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> Among the most notable of Napoleon's contemporary Polish detractors was [[Kościuszko]], who refused to join the Legions, arguing that Napoleon would not restore Poland in any durable form.<ref name="Davies2005-216-217"/> In this regard, Kościuszko also stated that the Duchy of Warsaw was created in 1807 only because it was expedient, rather than because Napoleon supported Polish sovereignty.<ref name="Davies2005-218"/> Nevertheless, the memory of Napoleon's Polish Legions is strong in modern [[Poland]], and Napoleon himself is often regarded as a hero and liberator there.<ref name="Kuk"/> About the Polish Legion, Napoleon himself is reputed to have said that 800 Poles would equal 8,000 enemy soldiers.<ref name="www"/>
Despite their destruction, the Legions became legendary in Poland, helping to spread the civic and democratic ideals of the [[French Revolution]] throughout the country.<ref name="Lerski1996"/><ref name="Wandycz1980"/><ref name="BideleuxJeffries2007-280"/><ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-32"/> The legionnaires formed a cadre for the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw and also later for the [[Army of Congress Poland]].<ref name=WIEM/><ref name="Wandycz1980"/><ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-32"/>
The Legions are also notable as the source of one of the themes contained in the future Polish [[national anthem]], "[[Mazurek Dąbrowskiego]]". Written by [[Józef Wybicki]], it includes words promising "the return of the Polish army from Italy to Poland" and states that "Poland is not lost as long as we live" in reference to the Polish Legions.<ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-29"/><ref name="Wandycz1980"/>
==See also==
* [[Great Emigration]]
* [[History of Poland (1795-1918)]]
* [[:Category:Polish legionnaires (Napoleonic period)|List of Polish legionnaires (Napoleonic period)]]
* [[Polish–Russian War of 1792]]
==References==
{{reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="bc">Bob Corbett, [http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43a/038.html A Review of Jan Pachonski and Reuel K. Wilson, Poland's Caribbean Tragedy: A Study of Polish Legions in the Haitian War of Independence 1802–1803], Hartford Web Publishing</ref>
<ref name="BideleuxJeffries2007-279">{{cite book|author1=Robert Bideleux|author2=Ian Jeffries|title=A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis And Change|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=afihUbt_lhMC&pg=PA279|access-date=10 May 2012|date=12 October 2007|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-36626-7|page=279}}</ref>
<ref name="BideleuxJeffries2007-280">{{cite book|author1=Robert Bideleux|author2=Ian Jeffries|title=A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis And Change|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=afihUbt_lhMC&pg=PA280|access-date=10 May 2012|date=12 October 2007|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-36626-7|page=280}}</ref>
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<ref name="MagocsiSedlar1974-32">{{cite book|author1=Paul Robert Magocsi|author2=Jean W. Sedlar|author3=Robert A. Kann |author4=Charles Jevich |author5=Joseph Rothschild|title=A History of East Central Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TVMmGKsbWJ4C&pg=PA32|access-date=10 May 2012|year=1974|publisher=University of Washington Press|isbn=978-0-295-95358-8|page=32}}</ref>
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<ref name="rzeczpospolita">Andrzej Nieuważny, ''Obrona Mantui'', Chwała Oręża Polskiego 14 (35), Rzeczpospolita, 23 October 2006. Pages 8–11. [http://rzeczpospolita.pl/dodatki/bitwy_061028/ Online version]{{dead link|date=July 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
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<ref name="www">[http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/eceurope/duchywar.html The Duchy of Warsaw, 1807–1813]. World History at KMLA. Accessed on 20 September 2012.</ref>
<ref name="Kuk">"Napoleon became the de facto liberator and restorer of Poland and, in the eyes of the Poles, their hero", Marian Kukiel, "Czartoryski and European Unity 1770–1861", page 78.</ref>
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}}
==Further reading==
''List based on the compilation of Polish Genealogical Society of America [https://web.archive.org/web/20051201032539/http://www.pgsa.org/military.htm#Dombrowski%20Legions]''
* Jan Pachonski, Reuel K. Wilson. ''Poland's Caribbean Tragedy: A Study of Polish Legions in the Haitian War of Independence 1802–1803''. East European Monographs, 1986. {{ISBN|978-0-88033-093-0}}.
* [[Leonard Chodźko]], ''Histoire Des Légions Polonaises en Italie, Paris'', 1929. (Important first comprehensive study of the Polish Legions in Italy during the Napoleonic wars which contains many references to officers and enlisted men.)
* Elena I. Fedosova, ''[http://www.napoleon-series.org/ins/scholarship98/c_polish.html Polish Projects of Napoleon Bonaparte]'', The Journal of the International Napoleonic Society, 1/2/98
* Bronisław Gembarzewski, ''Wojsko Polskie. Ksiestwo Warszawskie 1807–1814''. Warszawa, 1905 (lst), 1912, (2nd) edition. (The best reference on the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw contains a list of officers of the Duchy of Warsaw from 1809 to 1814 as well as a list of officers of the Lithuanian Regiments in 1812.)
* Stanisław Kirkor, ''Legia Nadwislanska'', 1808–1814. Londyn, 1981. (The best history of the Vistula Legion contains biographical sketches of all officers and sometimes includes not only the father's name but the mothers maiden name also. It also lists the recipients of Virtuti Militari and the Legion of Honour.)
* Stanisław Kirkor, ''Pod Sztandarami Napoleona'', Londyn, 1982. (Under the Standards of Napoleon has lists of officers of the 4th, 7th and 9th Regiments of infantry of the Duchy of Warsaw which was the Polish Division in the service of France and Napoleon in Spain. It also lists the officers and enlisted men of the Elba Squadron and contains other articles about Napoleonic Polish officers.)
* Kozlowski, Historya lgo Potem 9go Pulku Wielkiego Ksiestwa Warszawskiego, Napisana Prez Kpt. Kozlowskiego, Poznań&nbsp;– Kraków, 1887. (Captain Kozlowski presents a history of the 1st and later 9th regiment of the Duchy of Warsaw.)
* Jonathan North, ''War of Lost Hope, Polish Accounts of the Napoleonic Expedition to Saint Domingue, 1801 to 1804''. London, 2018.
* Jan Pachonski, ''Legiony Polskie. Prawda i Legenda, 1794–1807''. Warszawa, I-1969, II-1976, III-1971, IV-1979. (The most scholarly comprehensive work ever done on the Polish Legions which includes biographical sketches of practically all officers including birthplaces, parents' names as well as service records.)
* Jan Pachonski, ''Polacy Na Antylach i Morzu Karaibskim'', Kraków, 1979. (Sketches of officers and some enlisted men who served in the various islands of the Caribbean during the Napoleonic wars.)
* Aleksander Rembowski, ''Żródła do Historii Pulku Polskiego Lekkokonnego Gwardii Napoleona I'', Wyd. A. Rembowski, Warszawa, 1899. (The best book on the Polish Light Horse of the Guard contains a complete list of all officers and enlisted men with reference to their service records.)
* A.M. Skałkowski, ''Polacy Na San Domingo, 1802–1809''. Poznań, 1921. (One of the best early works on the San Domingo war which lists most officers and some enlisted men.)
* [[Joseph Tyszkiewicz]], ''Histoire Du 17ième Régiment De Cavalerie Polonaise Ðe Lanciers Du Comte Michel Tyszkiewlcz, 1812–1815''. Cracow, 1904. (Limited edition regimental history of the 17th Lancers contains a complete listing of all officers and enlisted men of this so-called Lithuanian regiment.)
* [[Henry Lachougue]]; [[Ann Brown]], ''The Anatomy of Glory, Napoleon and His Guard'', Providence, R.I., London, 1962, (2nd) ed. New York, 1978, (3rd) ed.
==Fiction==
* Michael Large, ''Song of the Legions'', 2011, a novel about the origin of the Polish Legion, {{ISBN|978-0-9568853-0-2}}.
==External links==
{{commons category|Polish Legions in Italy}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060501222524/http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~koby/political/chapter_16/16duchywarsaw.html Napoleon and the Duchy of Warsaw]
* [http://napoleonistyka.atspace.com/polish_army.html Polish Army of the Napoleonic Wars]
* [http://napoleon.gery.pl/indexen.php Napoleon.gery.pl]
[[Category:1797 establishments in Poland]]
[[Category:1815 disestablishments in Poland]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1797]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1815]]
[[Category:Polish Legions (Napoleonic period)| ]]
[[Category:Napoleonic era]]
[[fi:Puolan Legioona]]