On

of regulars and artillery had received a reinforcement of 4000 peafants, armed with pikes, fcythes, &c. his way, he defeated 6000 Ruffians, under Romanzow. The Polish peasants, driven to defperation, gave no quarter; and a dreadful carnage of the Ruffians took place. Colonel Woronzow was taken prifoner, 1000 Ruffians were killed; while the Poles had only 60 flain and 80 wounded. The defeated loft eleven pieces of heavy artillery, and all their ammunition.

Before Kofciufzko had intrenched himself round Warfaw, the flaughter of the Ruffians, which followed their perfidy in a fecond attempt on the arfenal, the demife of the council of regency, and the entrance of the king of Pruffia into Poland, at the head of a numerous army, now detached from hoftilities towards the French, had confiderably changed the face of affairs. On the 15th of June, Cracow furrendered to the Pruffian forces under general Van Elfner, on favourable conditions. But the people of Warfaw we e highly enraged at a capitulation, where 7000 men in arms, with 50 pieces of cannon, might have proved themfelves worthy of a garrison.

The king of Pruffia now bent his course towards Warfaw. Within a small distance of that place he remained for a confiderable time, apparently inactive. A corps of Ruffians alfo, was ftationed in the environs of the capital. By a fingular dexterity Kofciufzko eluded the Pruffians; by a brave attack he defeated the Ruf fians, and entered Warfaw on the 11th and 12th of July.

Ás Warsaw had no fortifications, a fiege in form was not necessary to the Pruffians. But as that part of the capital which was expofed to them was covered with an intrenched camp of the army of Kofciufzko, it was unavoidably neceffary to attack it by ftorm. This attack was made on the 31st of June, by a heavy cannonade, and in the courfe of that day feveral hundred bombs were thrown into the city; but a dreadful fire,

kept

kept up on the befiegers, by day and night, deftroyed an incredible number. This action excited in Pruffia a moft lively intereft. The king and the Prince Royal were in every danger. The cannonading having ceafed, the latter laid himfelf down to reft in a barn, with orders to be awakened at the firft fhot of the enemy. His orders were complied with; and no fooner had he mounted his horfe, than one of the enemy's bombs burft, and deftroyed the barn in which he had been lying but a few minutes before.

Either doubting of fuccefs in an actual attack, or from better motives, the king of Pruffia now endeavoured to negociate the furrender of the place. For this purpose he wrote to the king of Poland; but that monarch was unfavourable to the ceffion.

Kofciufzko, with an army of 40,000 men, was refolved to defend himself to the laft extremity; but the Pruffians had carried feveral of the Polish redoubts, and were actually felf-affured of the capture, when information was brought to the king that an alarming infurrection had taken place in South Pruffia, that defied all ordinary exertions to fupprefs it. The king, aware that without immediate relief, the confines of Silefia would be in danger of a complete conqueft, determined on raifing the fiege of Warfaw, and accordingly moved to an advantageous pofition near Raczin, on the 6th of September, in order to take the most effectual measures that circumftances might require.

At the moment the intelligence reached him, the king iffued a proclamation to the inhabitants of South Pruffia, ftating, that they had been impofed upon by infidious intriguers, defiring them to refift the orders of the insurgents, and offering a general amnesty to fuch as fhould return to their allegiance. The refult was, that many perfons who had been mifled implored the king's mercy; a force was ftationed there to be ready to act in case of future attempts, and the king of Pruffia returned to Berlin. Future hiftorians will be better

enabled

enabled to afcertain whether an awe of Kofciufzko's army under the walls of Warfaw, had not fome effect on the Pruffian monarch's determination to retire.

Be this as it may, Kofciufzko refolved on the attempt to foment an infurrection in Weft Pruffia, in hopes by that circumftance, added to the troubles in the South, to divert, effectually, the arms of his Prussian majesty from the interior of Poland.

In a fhort time it became vifible that Kofciufzko was intent on carrying the war beyond its first limits, and of attempting the recovery of fome of the difmumbered provinces; and not only of thofe, but even the capture of fome provinces which had been subject to the houfe of Brandenburgh for more than a century. The progress of the Poles in Weft Pruffia was fuch, that, after the capture of Bomberg by general Madelinfki, not only Dantzic, Thorn, Culm, and Graudontz, feemed on the point of being restored to the republic of Poland, but there was even room to apprehend that the Poles would penetrate into Pomerania, as far as Stettin.

Kofciufzko now turned his view towards Lithuania, and refolved on measures for its fafety. On his way thither, having received the news of a defeat which a corps of the Polish army had met with at Brzefc, on the 18th and 19th of September, and that general Suwarrow was on his march to attack Warfaw, he refolved to march with 20,000 men, and give battle to that general before he fhould approach the capital.

He was, however, informed that general Ferfen meant to attempt forming a junction with general Suwarrow; to prevent which Kofciufzko, leaving the main body of his army under the command of prince Poniatowski, advanced with 6000 men to intercept general Ferfen. This laft general refolved to attack Kofciufzko on the 10th of October, when a moft dreadful engagement enfred. Twice the Ruffians attacked with vigour, and twice they were repulfed.

The

The victory would have remained with the Poles, had they contented themfelves with having beaten back the enemy; but refolving to purfue this advantage, they abandoned the favourable pofition which they had taken upon the heights, and advanced in their turn to attack the Ruffians. The Ruffian troops formed themfelves anew, fuccceded in throwing the Polifh line into confufion, which was already a little in diforder, from their movement in advancing to the attack. The rout was foon complete. The Polish infantry defended themselves with a valour approaching to fury. The cavalry fuffered lefs, and retreated in good order. The battle lafted from feven in the morning till noon, and the gallant Kofciufzko difplayed prodigies of valour. Ever in the hottest part of the engagement, he had three horfes killed under him. At length a Coffack, without knowing who he was, wounded him from behind with a lance. When he fell, his attendants, in their confufion, rafhly articulated his name *.

Kofciufzko recovered a little, and made a few fteps forward, when an officer, ftriking him on the head with a fabre, brought him again to the ground. While he lay weltering in his blood he was approached by a Coffack, who prepared to give him a mortal blow; but a Ruffian officer, who came up at the time, stayed the arm of the Coffack; upon which the General ex. claimed, "If you wish to render me a fervice, fuffer him to ftrike; do not prevent my death!" Ruffian officer is faid to have been a general Chruozazow, to whofe wife Kofciufzko had, fome weeks

This

*Kofciufzko was disguised in a peafant's drefs, which he had never put off fince the confederation. Before the battle in which he fell, he had given orders to his foldiers, that, in cafe he should fall into the hands of the enemy, they might fhoot him. This was actually attempted by fome of thern; and had they not, in their confternation, pronounced his name, he would not have been known.

VOL. 1.

Tt

before,

before, given leave of departure from Warsaw to join

her husband.

It was foon difcovered that this important defeat was attributable to the misconduct of the Polish general prince Poninski, who was posted with 4000 men to defend the paffage of the Viftula; but who, either from ignorance or treachery, fuffered the Ruffians to cross the river without attempting to moleft them; and when Kofciufzko was attacked from a quarter whence he had no reason to expect a furprize, the fame general committed a ftill greater fault in not coming to his affiftance, though very near to the fcene of action. The lofs of the Poles was computed at 3000 men in killed, wounded, and prifoners; and this victory coft the Ruffians fo dear, that they fell back towards Lublin, inftead of approaching Warsaw *.

The misfortune of the army under Kosciuszko, excited univerfal grief at Warsaw: but the Supreme National Council, undaunted and firm in their duty, published an addrefs to the citizens, dispatching, at the fame time, the following letter to Kofciuszko :

"The Council, in your misfortune, bewails that of the country at large. They placed not in events that confidence which they have never ceased to repofe in your virtues.-The duty of good citizens, and your example, will prevent our despairing of the country. As long as you fhall be at liberty to addrefs the Council, boldly make known to us your wants, and those of the brave companions of your efforts, who now partake of your melancholy fituation. So high is the value which the Council fet upon your perfon, that they

*The emprefs, to teftify to general Suwarrow her fatisfaction on the fubject of the victory at Brzefc, appointed him her aid-de-camp, and fent him a crown of laurels, fet in bril liants, of the value of 60,000 roubles. She alfo permitted him to choose a regiment in her army, which should bear his name for ever.

would