Battle of Nisko

The Battle of Nisko took place on March 28, 1656, and was one of battles of the Swedish invasion of Poland. It resulted in a victory of Swedish forces, commanded by King Charles X Gustav.

The battle took place during Swedish raid of southern part of the Kingdom of Poland, in which King Charles X Gustav tried to finally destroy Polish forces loyal to King John II Casimir Vasa. The badly organized Swedish campaign was terminated after the Battle of Jaroslaw, when Charles X Gustav decided to order a retreat towards central Poland. At the same time, Polish forces, concentrated near Lwow, began guerrilla attacks on the Swedish Army. The retreat took place in adverse weather conditions, and Swedish losses were high.

On March 28, 1656, Swedish Army camped near Nisko. Hungry soldiers immediately began combing the area in search of food, while those sick and wounded remained at lightly guarded camp. Stefan Czarniecki decided to take advantage of this, and his cavalry entered the camp. Alarm was raised by Swedish drummers, and units which had scattered in the countryside returned to the camp.

According to the plan, a Polish unit under Colonel Aleksander Hilary Polubinski was to attack the camp from its rear, but due to a misunderstanding, Polubinski failed to appear at Nisko, so after some time, Polish division faced whole Swedish Army. Czarniecki’s forces were forced to flee, and the Hetman was almost captured by the enemy. Polish plan failed, while Swedish soldiers once again proved their professionalism. Nevertheless, after the skirmish, remaining Polish banners, which had been loyal to Charles Gustav, switched sides and returned to John II Casimir Vasa. A few days later Swedish Army was blocked by Poles and Lithuanians in the confluence of the Vistula and San river.

Sources

• Miroslaw Nagielski, Warszawa 1656, Wydawnictwo Bellona, Warszawa 1990, ISBN 83-11-07786-X
• Leszek Podhorodecki, Rapier i koncerz, Warszawa 1985, ISBN 83-05-11452-X