Battle of Żyrzyn

Battle of Żyrzyn
Part of the January Uprising
Battle of Żyrzyn 1863
Date 8 August 1863 Location Żyrzyn, Congress Poland, nowadays Puławy County, Poland Result Polish victory
Belligerents
Polish Insurgents	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Michal Heidenreich O'Brien de Lacey	lieutenant Laudański
Strength
700	500 2 cannons
Casualties and losses
10–40 killed	80–181 killed 282 captured

The Battle of Żyrzyn took place on August 8, 1863 in or near the village of Żyrzyn, Puławy County, Poland, between a small detachment of Russian troops and a force of Polish troops under the command of Colonel Michal Heidenreich.

The Russian force of 500 soldiers and two cannon were escorting a load of 200,000 rubles for the Russian army. Out of these,140,000 were captured by the Polish forces, along with 282 prisoners of war. Of the remaining Russian troops, 181 were killed and 87 men escaped along with the remaining 60,000 rubles. The embarrassing defeat was widely reported on by the European press, and throughout the January Uprisings the Polish insurgents counted the engagement, one of many similar small battles, as a "great victory".