Jan Nepomucen Umiński | |
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| Born | (1778-01-22)22 January 1778 Czeluścin, Poland |
| Died | (1851-06-15)15 June 1851 Wiesbaden, Germany |
| Occupation | Military officer |
Jan Nepomucen Umiński ofCholewa (1778–1851) was a Polish military officer and abrigadier general of theArmy of the Duchy of Warsaw. A veteran of theKościuszko Uprising,Napoleonic Wars and theNovember Uprising, he died in exile inWiesbaden.
Jan Nepomucen Umiński was born to aPolish gentry family inCzeluścin inGreater Poland on 22 January 1778.[1] He joined the Army of theRepublic of Poland early in his life and took part in the failedKościuszko Uprising of 1794 as anadjutant to GeneralAntoni Madaliński.[1] Following the Polish defeat, he escaped Russian-held Poland and briefly settled inDresden, where he served as an emissary of the Society of Polish Republicans and GeneralJan Henryk Dąbrowski.[1]
WhenNapoleonic Wars started he joined the French and took part in the fights of theWar of the Fourth Coalition,[1] notably the1807 siege of Danzig and thebattle of Tczew. Taken captive by the Prussians, he was set free after the armistice and joined the French cavalry, where he quickly rose to the rank of Major. He was soon transferred to theArmy of the Duchy of Warsaw, where he served inPoznań as the commanding officer of a cavalry honour guard squadron.[1] He took part in the briefPolish–Austrian War; as part of the forces under General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, Umiński took part in, among other battles, the taking of the town ofSandomierz.
In 1812 Umiński took part inFrench invasion of Russia,[1] where he foughtat Smolensk and theBattle of Borodino. His unit ofhussars was the first to enter the city ofMoscow. Following Borodino, in theBattle of Mozhaysk, he was promoted to the post of a brigade commanding officer.[1] After the French retreat and the subsequent Russian capture of Poland, Umiński remained loyal to Napoleon and remained in PrinceJózef Poniatowski's corps, with which he took part in the disastrousBattle of Nations. Wounded, he was taken prisoner of war but was released by the coalition forces in 1815.
He returned to the newly establishedKingdom of Poland and joinedits armed forces.[1] On 20 January 1815 he became the commanding officer of the 1st Mounted Rifles Regiment.[1] However, already in December of that year he retired,[1] and settled in his family estate ofSmolice and Czeluścin in Prussian-held Greater Poland.[2] A founder of a secret patriotic Scythemen Association, soon he joinedWalerian Łukasiński'sPatriotic Society. Under close observation by Prussian secret police, Umiński was considered an "incorrigible traitor of the state" and "zealous and criminalchauvinist due to his earlier involvements in Polish patriotic uprisings.[3] However, his activities remained unknown to the Prussians for some time.[2]
His situation became much more complicated after the Russians had arrested Walerian Łukasiński and his closest associates.[4] Denounced to Prussian authorities by Łukasiński andIgnacy Prądzyński, he was finally arrested in 1826, together with CountMaciej Mielżyński.[4] Despite protests by the youth of Poznań and other towns of theGrand Duchy of Posen,[5] Umiński was charged with high treason and conspiracy, and sentenced to 6 years in a prison inGlogau.[6] His village of Czeluścin was confiscated by Prussian authorities and sold to a new owner.[7]
When theNovember Uprising broke out, Umiński's situation became more complicated. Already in mail contact with various factions throughout Europe, he was put under closer surveillance by the Prussian authorities. In front of his cell two guards were posted at all times, and an officer was stationed in his cell.[8] However, as the discipline within the fortress was lacking, on 17 February 1831 Umiński organised in his cell a party for numerous officers stationed in the fortress.[8] When at 20:00 the gates of the fortress were closed, it turned out that Umiński had escaped, leaving a group of drunk German officers behind.[8]Eduard Heinrich von Flottwell ordered a complete blockade of all major roads leading towards Poland and dispatched hundreds of patrols in search of the fugitive, but the pursuit proved fruitless.[8] Umiński had a relay of horses and assistants organised for him. ThroughSiedlnica,Książęcy Las (where PrinceAntoni Sułkowski provided him with money),Rawicz,Chwałkowo,Konary,Grąbkowo andRusko reached the Polish border.[8] In the afternoon of 18 February Umiński arrived toKalisz.[8] Despite a lengthy investigation, the Prussian authorities never learned of the true extent of the conspiracy that made Umiński's escape possible.[9]
On 21 February 1831 Umiński rejoined the Polish Army.[1] Initially in the rank of an ordinary soldier, Umiński took part in theFirst Battle of Wawer and the bloodyBattle of Olszynka Grochowska. Soon he was discovered by his former colleague, GeneralHenryk Dembiński, who promoted him to a Colonel, then a Division General, and gave him command over the I Cavalry Corps.[1] His Corps took part in thebattles of Jędrzejów and theBattle of Ostrołęka, one of the bloodiest battles of the uprising, plagued by indecisiveness and bad command decisions on the side of the Polish Commander-in-Chief GeneralJan Zygmunt Skrzynecki. Critical of his superiors, Umiński nevertheless remained in the army until the very end of the uprising, taking part in the lengthybattle of Warsaw. Following the Polish defeat, he led the remaining Polish forces toModlin andPłock, where on 23 September 1831 he was nominated to the post of the Polish Commander-in-Chief.[1] Opposed by many generals, he held it for only a single day and ceded his duties to GeneralMaciej Rybiński.[1]
After the fall of uprising, Umiński went into exile inParis. A close associate to PrinceAdam Jerzy Czartoryski, he was one of the founders of theLiterary Society of Paris, one of the most important Polish cultural and scientific associations of the 19th century. He then moved toWiesbaden in Germany, where he died on 15 June 1851.[1] He is a patron of streets and schools in numerous towns, as well as the 5th Reconnaissance Battalion of thePolish Army.
Commanders in chief of theNovember Uprising | ||
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