Henryk Ignacy Kamieński
Encyclopedia
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and then on the Polish side in the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
.
Life
After graduating from the French military academies, in 1806 he became a captain of grenadiers and adjutant to Marshal Nicolas Charles Oudinot. For his participation in the 1806-07 campaign he received the Virtuti MilitariVirtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
order and the Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. On 30 January 1808 he became captain of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Duchy of Warsaw. He was then appointed one of the four squadron commanders of the Polish 1st Light Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Guard
Polish 1st Light Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Guard
The [Polish] 1st Light Cavalry Lancer Regiment of the Imperial Guard was a formation of Polish light cavalry that served Emperor Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars.The Regiment, as part of Napoleon's Imperial Guard, fought in many battles,...
) and deployed with that unit from Germany to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. He fought in the anti-guerrilla force commanded by Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Jean-Baptiste Bessières, 1st Duc d' Istria was a Marshal of France of the Napoleonic Era. His younger brother, Bertrand, followed in his footsteps and eventually became a Divisional General...
, including at , and escorted Napoleon
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
on his return from Spain to France.
After his unit divided, Kamieński went to a regiment commanded by Colonel Vincent Krasinski but after a duel with his commanding officer he resigned on 1 August 1809 and joined the Vistula Legion instead. On 27 December 1811 he took command of the 10th Infantry Regiment, becoming a colonel. In 1812 his regiment took part in the personal review by the emperor himself in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
and he then joined 7th Division of the 10th Corps of the Grand Armee under Jacques MacDonald, being assigned to general Rappa's corps. After winning a series of clashes with Russian troops, he retired to Gdansk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
where he led numerous assaults, defensive actions and nighttime sallies beyond the town walls. From these he received the Officer's Cross of the Legion of Honour.
He resigned on 26 December 1815 and settled in Ruda
Ruda
Ruda may refer to:* Ruda, worshipped among the North Arabian tribes of pre-Islamic Arabia* Ruda, Sweden* Ruda, Italy* Ruda, a village in Ghelari Commune, Hunedoara County, Romania* Ruda, a village in Budeşti Commune, Vâlcea County, Romania...
. He took part in the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
despite ill health, including time commanding 5th Infantry Division. He was killed at Ostrołęka when a cannonball broke both his legs while he was leading the last Polish Russian counterattack against the beachhead. His grave is currently on a private estate on the outskirts of Ostrołęka.