1st Infantry Regiment (Duchy of Warsaw)

The 1st Infantry regiment was an infantry regiment which was a part of the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw.

Regimental history The regiment was created in 1806 in Warsaw. The regiment was later stationed in the cities of Warsaw, Kalisz and Częstochowa. At the end of 1809, the regiment was recorded as having 2690 soldiers. According to the 1810 staffing table, the regiment consisted of a 27-person staff and three infantry battalions, each with six companies. The battalion staff was to have 4 people, and the companies 136 soldiers. In total, 2,487 soldiers were to serve in the regiment. However, the unit's personnel were slightly smaller. In accordance with Napoleon's decree of 17 May 1811, three divisions were established in the Duchy of Warsaw. The regiment became part of the 2 Division.

During the preparations for the invasion of Russia in 1812, the regiment was incorporated into the structure of Jan Henryk Dąbrowski's 17th Division of Prince Józef Poniatowski's V Corps of the Grand Army.

After the defeat of the Russian campaign of 1812, the regiment was re-established, consisting of two battalions of 700 soldiers each. It became part of the 26th Division, commanded by Ludwik Kamieniecki. Command of the regiment was taken over by Colonel Tadeusz Piotrowski.

After the abdication of Napoleon, Tsar Alexander I agreed to send Polish troops back to their country. They were to form the basis for the creation of the Polish Army under the command of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich. On 13 June 1814, the regiment was assigned a garrison in Krakow.

Regiment commanders The commanders of the regiment were:

col. Michał Grabowski (from the 4 January 1807), col. Kazimierz Małachowski (from the 8 April 1808), col. Stefan Koszarski (from the 21 October 1812), col. Ludwik Tadeusz Piotrowski (from the 18 January 1813).

Battles The regiment took part in the Napoleonic wars specifically: War of the Fourth Coalition, Austro-Polish War, French invasion of Russia and War of the Sixth Coalition.

Battles and engagements:+BattleDateWały5 May 1807Ruda12 May 1807, 16 May and 5 June 1809Raszyn19 April 1809Praga25 and 27 April 1809Vistula11 May 1809Sandomierz7,9,12,13 and 16 June 1809Wrzawy12 June 1809Kazimierzów8 September 1812Horbaszewice 16 September 1812Pankratowice 21 November 1812Borysów 21 November 1812Berezyną 28 November 1812Saalburg-Ebersdorf6 September 1813Penig 7 October 1813Lunzenau 7 October 1813Chemnitz9 October 1813Leipzig18 and 19 October 1813

Uniform The dress code of 3 September 1810 did not lead to complete standardization of the infantry uniform. Some regiments differed significantly from the regulations.Differences presented by Gembarzewski based on contemporary drawings, accounts and other regimental documents. In the 1st Infantry Regiment, there were black kits on the caps of the fusiliers, white woolen epaulets with tassels on the shoulders of the fusiliers, and cartridge pouches without any insignia.

Banner

The standard on the right side (to the left of the pole) is made of crimson silk fabric measuring 55 cm x 55 cm. In the center, there is a Polish eagle appliqué made of white cloth. The beak, legs and feathers are embroidered with white silk, while the crown, scepter and orb are embroidered with silver and sequins. Above the eagle, an inscription embroidered with white silk: 'PUŁK PIERWSZY PIECHOTY' (1st Infantry Regiment). The reverse side is made of blue silk fabric, with the same eagle as before in the center, but facing the opposite direction. The inscription is also the same.

On a white silk fabric measuring 95 cm x 80 cm, a French eagle under a crown is painted in gold, but on such a scale and not in the center of the fabric that the fabric appears to have been heavily cropped. The silk bore the inscription: Republique Francaise, and on the reverse: 'Legion Polonaise'.Major General A. U. Giekkiel, Trofiei woin 1812—1813 gg. chraniaszczijesia w kazanskom soborie, St. Petersburg, 1909, p. 22. Giekkiel probably based his description of the inscription on old museum descriptions. In 1898 this inscription was not visible.

The above details would indicate that the flag's design has undergone changes and alterations; it probably originally belonged to the Polish Legion battalion in Italy. There is a plaque on the pole. Against a silver background, there are letters and a gilded frame.

Citations

See also Army of the Duchy of Warsaw Kazimierz Małachowski

References

Notes

Sources cited