Battle of Poryck

The Battle of Poryck took place on April 11, 1831, during the November Uprising. Polish unit under General Jozef Dwernicki clashed with Russian forces near the town of Poryck in Volhynia (today: Pavlivka, Ukraine). The battle was won by Poles.

In the spring of 1831, General Dwernicki was sent with his corps from Congress Poland to former Polish provinces of Volhynia and Podolia. His task was to spread the uprising to those lands, and Dwernicki himself was born and raised in Podolia, so he knew a lot of people in those parts. Before marching eastwards, Dwernicki stayed in Zamosc, leaving the city on April 3. He had 22 cavalry squadrons, 4 infantry battalions, and 12 cannons.

On April 11, Dwernicki’s forces were met with advance unit of forces under General Theodor von Rudiger. Polish soldiers immediately attacked the Russians, capturing 250 prisoners, 100 horses and 200 weapons. Despite this victory, Dwernicki’s corps was still much weaker than Rudiger’s forces. Furthermore, local population failed to support the uprising, there were few volunteers, and Dwernicki ordered his soldiers to march to Podolia, hoping to find there more support for the rebellion.

Bitwa pod Poryckiem