Battle of Żarnów

The Battle of Żarnów was fought on September 16, 1655 between forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth commanded by John II Casimir and forces of the Swedish Empire commanded by Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie and Gustaf Otto Stenbock. The result was a Swedish victory.

Background
Swedish army captured Warsaw in late July 1655, after the Polish capital had been abandoned by king Jan Kazimierz. Soon afterwards, the Swedes began chasing Polish troops, which retreated southwards. On September 9, near Inowłódz, a unit under Stefan Czarniecki attacked Swedish rear guard of 500, commanded by George Forgell. Poles managed to kill some 200 Swedes, but this did not halt the advance of the invaders.

Swedish army continued its march southwards, capturing and burning the towns of Inowłódz, Drzewica and Odrzywół. On September 12, the siege of Opoczno began. The town, lacking modern fortifications, quickly capitulated, and was almost completely destroyed, with only 20 houses left intact. Similar fate awaited other local towns - in Drzewica, only 21 houses remained, while in Odrzywół - only 22. Local residents were shaken by the barbarity of the Swedish invaders, as northwestern corner of Lesser Poland had not experienced such vast destruction since the 13th century Mongol invasion of Poland.

In early September 1655, Polish forces loyal to Jan Kazimierz concentrated near Wolborz. Charles Gustav decided to confront them, leaving Warsaw on September 12. Polish units in Wolborz consisted mostly of szlachta levee en masse from Mazovia and northern Lesser Poland, which was no match for experienced Swedish mercenaries. Since the morale among the Poles was low, Jan Kazimierz planned to withdraw towards Krakow. The nobility disagreed with this plan, demanding to fight the invaders near its homes.

On September 15, the Crown army and levee en masse units, altogether numbering some 11,000, reached Zarnow, where Polish king decided to face Charles Gustav. Swedish army was of similar strenght, but with more infantry and 40 artillery pieces, versus 6 Polish cannons.

The Battle
After an attack of Polish cavalry, which was fought off by the Swedes, Charles Gustav ordered the infantry to move forward, with support of the Swedish artillery. The Swedes advanced, capturing a hill, which served as a Polish defensive position. The Poles tried to prevent this, but facing Swedish fire superiority, they had to withdraw. Soon afterwards, Swedish cavalry entered the fray, but the battle was terminated due to heavy rain, which prevented Polish army from complete destruction. Retreating Polish units were chased by the Swedes, who captured best soldiers, forcing them to serve in the Swedish army. The nobility of levee en masse abandoned the battlefied, and returned to their homes.

Aftermath
Swedish victory opened the road to the province of Lesser Poland. Altogether, the Poles lost some 1,000 men. Those units that evaded capture, marched towards Włoszczowa and Krakow, commanded by Stefan Czarniecki and king Jan Kazimierz. The king himself, broken and defeated, reached Krakow on September 19. At first, Jan Kazimierz planned to stay in the ancient Polish capital, to defend it at all costs, but changed his mind and left the city, leaving it under command of Czarniecki. A few days later Jan Kazimierz crossed the Polish - Silesian border.

One of the hills located in Żarnów is still called Szwedzka Góra (Swedish Mountain), as, according to a legend, King Jan Kazimierz watched the 1655 battle from this hill. The town of Żarnów itself was burned to the ground by the Swedes to such an extent that 21 years after the battle, the population of Żarnów was only 120, while before the battle, it reached 1,000. Northwestern corner of historic Lesser Poland, which had until then been prosperous, was turned into a desert, and with other towns in the region, such as Opoczno, Inowłódz, Drzewica and Odrzywół, Żarnów never fully recovered: "It is not an exaggeration to claim that the cataclysm of the Swedish Deluge can be compared with the barbarity of the Nazis in the Second World War", wrote local historian Krzysztof Nawrocki.

Swedish units
1. Fab. Berns Dragoon 2. Drottningens Reiter 3. Fältm. Wittenbergs Reiter 4. Wirtz Infantry 5. Fersen Infantry 6. Fältm. Wittenbergs Reiter 7. Liv Reiter 8. Königsmarcks Reiter 9. Västerbottens regemente Infantry (Cappelen) 10. Närke Infantry (Essen) 11. Hälsinge regemente Infantry (Karl Spare) 12. Königsmarcks Reiter 13. Lantgr. Fr. av Hessen Reiter 14. Upplands Reiter 15. Hälsinge regemente Infantry (Karl Spare) 16. Smalands Infantry (Irwing) 17. Upplands Reiter 18. Fab. Berns Dragoon 19. Smalands Reiter 20. Smalands Infantry (Irwing) 21. Smalands Reiter 22. Sinclers Reiter 23. Ridderhielms Reiter 24. Västmanlands regemente Infantry (Drakenberg) 25. Böddeker Reiter 26. Västöga Infantry (Scheiding) 27. Pretlach Reiter 28. Gr. Pontus De la Gardie Reiter 29. Yxkull Reiter 30. Agermanland Infantry 31. Engels Reiter 32. Taubes Reiter

Total: 6000 cavalry 4500 infantry 400 dragoon 40 artillery pieces

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth units
6000 Wojsko kwarciane 900 dragoon 3000-4000 pospolite ruszenie from the voivodeships of: Leczyca, Kuyavia, Sieradz, Masovia