In May 1863 General Antoni Jeziorański, one of the more gifted and energetic January Uprising commanders, organized a guerrilla expedition from Galicia to the Kingdom of Poland. The unit he commanded fought and won two battles with Russian troops in the Kobylanka forest. Word of the fights reached not only the Kingdom of Poland but also Europe. During the fights between 1 and 6 May the commander showed himself to be highly proficient in warfare; he fully controlled the situation and never allowed the enemy to take him by surprise. He was able to use his meager reserves against the three times more numerous enemy units, and predict the main attack of Russian troops. A few days later there came a crisis, however: the unit, weakened after fighting, was defeated by the stronger enemy in the battle of Huta Krzeszowska (on 11 May) and was driven back to Galicia. Although the expedition had looked promising, it ended in the insurgents’ failure, like other similar expeditions from Galicia to the Kingdom of Poland.
Helena from Majewski Kirkorowa was an actress of the Vilnius and Krakow scene. She started her career in Vilnius. After marrying Adam Honory Kirkor, archaeologist, publisher, publicist, editor and theater critic, she got involved in an affair with the poet Ludwik Kondratowicz (Władysław Syrokomla). After parting with her husband, she came to Krakow, where she performed in the theater of Juliusz Pfeifra. Then she came to Warsaw. She was quickly involved in conspiracy. There was a courier of the National Government, transporting messages and commands across the border. Romuald Traugutt, the last dictator of the January Uprising, was arrested in her apartment at Smolna Street in Warsaw. She was soon imprisoned and Kirkorowa. The court sentenced her to settle in Siberia with the deprivation of all rights, which soon turned into eight years of hard work. In August 1864, Kirkorowa was deported to Siberia. During the exile, she married Antoni Pióro. After returning from exile, she lived in Vitebsk, where she died on January 5, 1900.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.