Battles of Lanckorona

Alexander Suvorov moved quickly from Lublin. He defeated several units on his way, approached Lanckorona and on 20 February (O.S.: 9 February) the Russian infantry came up, dragging the Polish spikes away, and pushed the cavalry out of Lanckorona, capturing it. Soon afterwards, the Russian commander wanted to seize the castle as well.[1]

During the night of 29 April 1771 (O.S.: 18 April 1771), attacked on all points by overwhelming forces, the Russian detachments in Kraków Voivodeship were pushed back across the Vistula with heavy losses, and the whole nearby lands passed into Confederate hands. Dumouriez fortified many advantageous positions. But success turned heads: discipline disappeared; towns were pillaged; Jews were subjected to violence. At this time Suvorov struck out at Dumouriez.[1]

The infantry climbed up the mountain where the castle was and took possession of two cannons. Warrant Officer Podladchikov, who was at the head of the column, broke through the gate and attacked the last Polish gun inside the castle, but was badly wounded; at the same time Captain Ditmarn and Lieutenant Artsybashev, who commanded the column, were wounded. The column retreated; the second one came, but its commander Lieutenant Sakharov and another Lieutenant Suvorov were seriously wounded. A part of the reserve ran up, and its commander Lieutenant Mordvinov was also wounded. Suvorov himself is scratched, his horse is wounded beneath him; there are hardly any officers left in the ranks. Suvorov brought the men to order and quietly stepped back.[1]

The Bar Confederates successfully defended Lanckorona Castle. The Russians were forced to retreat after a failed assault with a loss of more than 30 men, a surprising victory for the significantly outnumbered Polish force of 300 men.[1]

The third combat before the mount of Lanckorona, and one of the largest clashes of Polish and Russian forces during the Bar Confederation, took place on 21 May 1771 (O.S.: 10 May 1771). A Polish formation of 3,500 men including French and European volunteers with 2 cannons was attacked by 3,500 Russians commanded again by general Alexander Suvorov.[1]

The Russian forces executed an unexpected attack in the early hours of the morning.

Looking over the position, Suvorov ordered Chuhuiv Cossacks of the vanguard and a squadron of carabiniers, forming the left flank of the Russian corps, to attack the center of the enemy, without waiting for the other forces to approach. Cossacks scattered, not disturbed by the fire of chasseurs à pied, who were ordered to be silent by Charles Dumouriez, confident in victory and fearing only one thing — that Suvorov would not postpone his allegedly reckless attack. The Poles were to attack the Russians only at the moment when these latter will enter the crest of the heights, in the inevitable disorder. And if the chasseurs were forbidden to fire, then for the same purpose, of course, the artillery of the castle and the city should also be silenced. Dumouriez's calculation turned out to be false.[1]

The Cossacks, having climbed the heights, immediately turned into a "lava" and rushed to the center and the right flank, where the troops of Sapieha and Lithuanians of Orzewski were; carabineers galloped after them. The Confederates gave the rear at once. Dumouriez rushed in to encourage them and arrange them; Sapieha turned the fugitives on the enemy with sword blows, but nothing helped: Sapieha was stabbed by his own; Orzewski and several brave men who accompanied him fell under Cossack pikes. Dumouriez rushed to the hussars of Nnotz to correct the case with their help, but they, too, instead of a counterattack, gave a volley of carbines and retreated. Meanwhile the Russian infantry with the rest of the cavalry approached, knocked out the French chasseurs à pied from the central grove, climbed the heights and immediately settled down. Mionczynski, warning its attack, rushed to meet it and bravely broke into its ranks, but it was no good for the Poles: Mionczynski was knocked off his horse, wounded and taken prisoner, his cavalry was repulsed and driven away. Everything then rushed into disarray; only Walewski, who occupied the left flank of the position, and Dumouriez with a small detachment of the French retreated in order. Russian cavalry pursued fleeing for several versts and caused them great damage. The battle of Lanckorona lasted only half an hour.[1]

French envoy lieutenant-colonel Dumouriez[3] was caught off guard and was unable to assemble his men. The battle was thus a decisive victory for the Russians.[4]

The loss of the Russians was negligible and was produced by shots fired from the castle during the pursuit.[1] Many historians argue that the defeat at Lanckorona was sabotage on the part of Dumouriez as he was privately outspoken against the Polish nation and its Roman Catholic aspirations. Dumouriez was noted as calling Poland an "Asiatic nation" and relying on his French and European volunteers which lost the battle instead of "Asiats".[5] This interpretation is lent weight by Dumouriez's later betrayal of Tadeusz Kościuszko when he passed on the plans for the Kościuszko Uprising to Prussia in 1793.[6] Antoine-Charles du Houx and Baron de Vioménil replaced Dumouriez in the Bar Confederation army.