Song of the Legions (40 page)

Dabrowski was also initially successful in counter-attacking against the Prussians, as I describe. He was often criticised (particularly by Za
yon
czek) for being too well-disposed towards Germans and Prussians. My descriptions of Dabrowski have been as accurate as possible, and taken from Pachonski. I have had Blumer playing cards with Dabrowski in Warsaw, and this is not entirely implausible – Blumer regularly played whist with Dabrowski in Italy, a few years later – but this scene is invented.

Madame’s house probably was used for the war effort, but this is conjecture.
The Lanckoronski family have been fighting for Poland and her culture for generations, and The Lanckoronski Foundation is very active at the present day. This inspired the invented sub-plot to save a number of historic treasures, including Sobieski’s Flag, which Blumer and his comrades almost ruin. Although this is invented, there are tantalising hints about ‘Sobieski’s Flag’ contained in Godebski’s poem ‘Poem of the Legions’.
The extract from Horace is Epode Number 15, which was known to Godebski as he quotes from it in the same poem.

The Slaughter of Praga was one of the worst atrocities of the whole Napoleonic Era. It remains very contentious. Suvarov argued at the time that it was a reprisal for the killing of Russians during the Uprising. However, the argument is fairly feeble – even he was appalled by it. I have deliberately chosen descriptions by the British Ambassador Colonel William Gardner, and by Suvarov himself, to avoid any accusations of bias.

“
It is with regret I inform your Lordships that the day of the forcing of the lines of Praga was attended by the most horrid and unnecessary barbarities – houses burnt, women massacred, infants at the breast pierced
with the pikes of Cossacks and universal plunder, and with the same fate prepared for Warsaw” – the words of the British Ambassador, see Norman Davies, ‘God’s Playground’, page 410. Suvarov
himself
said “The whole of Praga was strewn with dead bodies. Blood was flowing in streams.” (
Isabel de Madoniaga, “Russia in the Age of Catherine the Great”
). Needless to say the Tsarina was delighted with the massacre, sending the famous message – ‘Hurrah!’ – and promoting Suvarov.

The comrades’ flight from Warsaw with the flag, the treasures, and the army wives, is invented, but similar scenes obviously occurred after Praga. The incident with the burned manor house is invented but reflects accurately what was going on at the time. The wholesale theft of nearly half a million precious books of the Warsaw Library – the House of Kings – has been well documented and did take place: see for example Norman Davies page 384-5.

1795

Kalwaria Zebrydowski was built between the years of 1605 and 1632 (see
www.kalwaria.eu
). There are forty chapels, including Herod’s Palace, set on the surrounding hills. After being wounded in the leg, in a skirmish at Krywacze, Blumer did indeed go on a pilgrimage to Kalwaria. There he met up again with Tanski and Sierawski at Easter 1795, before setting out for Krakow, and then Lwow
, where they eventually met up with Godebski.

Wieliczka contains world famous salt mines.

Magda’s Song at Chapter Twenty-Three is based on one quoted by Norman Davies at Volume II, page 200.

Sierawski’s incredible story and Tanski’s sad tale are both taken from Pachonski and are in outline true. The Generals who sent Sierawski on his suicide mission
were Wojczynski and Grabowski, according to Professor Pachonski.
Sierawski did have an elephant on his coat of arms. The descriptions of places and customs are accurate, although the pursuit of Blumer and his comrades by the Targowicans led by the fictional Szymon Korczak is of course invented.

Birnbaum was Blumer’s sergeant later but probably did not know him at that point. The story of the Beardlings is however entirely true and well-documented. It makes an interesting addition to the story of Polish-Jewish relations. This was of great importance to the society of the Republic and something I felt was vital to deal with in the book. I have not really done this theme justice (due to constraints of space) but it would have been a great shame to omit it altogether.

Princess Isabella Czartoryska, who does not appear in the book, created the Temple at Pulawy and preserved cultural relics in the museum there (see
www.muzeum-czartoryskich.krakow.pl
). Pulawy was under construction at the time I have the comrades visit it, as I describe.

The renegade Frenchman who betrayed the plans of the Uprising was General Dumouriez, who had been a friend of Kosciuszko’s.

1796

Cyprian Godebski was a resistance leader in Lwow and the comrades were reunited there.

Also in Lwow the same time was Jablonowski, ‘The Little Negro’,
who is mentioned in Pan Tadeusz, the Polish national poem.
I have no idea if the comrades met him, and the encounter is invented, but a
ll of the details (including his not very politically correct nickname) regarding this extraordinary man are taken from Pachonski, ‘Poland’s Caribbean Tragedy’. There is a portrait of him (and of Blumer) in the Appendix to that book. Napoleon and Jablonowski were classmates at the exclusive French military academy at Brienne in 1783. Napoleon, whose prejudices are well documented, never liked him. During their school days Jablonowski is said to have retorted to Napoleon’s racial jibes in exactly the manner Blumer relates.
By all accounts (even Napoleon’s) Jabolonowski was an exemplary soldier and physically fearless. He does not appear to have suffered any racial prejudice from Dabrowski, as he was repeatedly promoted by him, and ultimately commanded the Second Legion, although that takes place after this novel is set.

‘The Beloved Country’ was written by Ignacy Krasinski in 1774 and was the anthem of the Warsaw Corps of Cadets. The comrades sojourn in Lwow was interrupted by a warrant being issued for Godebski’s arrest, so they presumably made a nuisance of themselves. Although their time in Lwow is fictionalised, the accounts of the French campaigns that I have them reading (in frustration) in the Austrian newspapers are accurate, including Dabrowski’s involvement. The Austrian newspapers referred to Dabrowski’s men as ‘The Foreign Legion’ because they were not allowed to use the name ‘Poland’. The Partitioners had agreed that ‘...the name or designation of the Kingdom of Poland... shall remain suppressed as from the present and forever...’ This was contained in a Secret Protocol to the Treaty of 15/26 January 1797 between Prussia, Austria and Russia. See (for example) Norman Davies ‘God’s Playground’ at page 408.

1797

Dabrowski’s Proclamation had a hugely positive effect on a shattered nation, and drew émigrés and deserters from the Austrian army to Italy. I am very conscious that General Dabrowski does not get a huge amount of time in the novel, even though it was his Legion. We encounter him only three times – on the run in Podolia, at the raising of the Siege of Wola, and in Rome. Dabrowski spent much of this period outside Poland, in exile, putting together the Legion, travelling to Prussia and France, and fighting alongside Bonaparte in Italy.

Details of Denisko’s shambolic camp are taken from Pachonski, and from Zamoyski’s ‘Holy Madness’, page 121. Although Denisko used the funds badly, much of the French silver had been stolen by the Sultan of Turkey, according to Pachonski. Blumer and his comrades (and many others) took their leave to go to Italy via Turkey, around the time of ‘Denisko’s Catastrophe’ which occurred around 25 June – 4 July 1797. Dabrowski conceived the original plan, and intended to send relief to Denisko, via Bukowina and the Leoben pass. When a truce was signed between Austria and France. Dabrowski rescinded the order, but in the fog of war, Denisko carried on with the original plan, with tragic results.

At the Dniester, Sierawski was again the hero of the hour, leading the comrades against 36 Russian Cuirassiers, although I have fictionalised the scene, including the involvement of Szymon Korczak.

The description of ‘The Void’ at Chapter 35 is taken from Tanski’s diary (see Pachonski). Blumer and his comrades’ dreadful journey to Constantinople was by crab boat, although they were shipwrecked twice, not once, as I have it. Hassan is a fictional character, but the Turkish Janissaries did conscript Cossacks and others as I describe. The Turks were short of officers and did their best to recruit Polish émigrés.Some did defect and converted to Islam.

Rymkiewicz did commandeer the embassy buildings in Constantinople, and the old Roman chain was left lying beside the harbour right up until the early twentieth century!

Before the journey to Italy, according to Pachonski, Tanski did contract an unpleasant illness, probably dysentery, from which he made a complete recovery. Sierawski was the bodyguard to the French Ambassador du Bayet, although he was not very successful at this and they were taken prisoner by pirates. Blumer’s journey was uneventful so I used the opportunity for a final showdown with Korczak. Here history catches up with the traitor. His fictional model, Szymon Kossakowski, was captured by the Lithuanians in Vilnius, trying to escape in a boat during the Uprising in 1794, and hanged under the slogan ‘He Who Swings Cannot Drown’.

1798

Dabrowski’s headquarters were in Milan, where the aging Wybicki was in charge of various administrative issues. Blumer was given, or restored, to the rank of Lieutenant there.

The short reign of Tsar Paul ‘The Mad’ was as I describe. Stanislaus-August died a prisoner in St Petersburg and his nephew Prince Poniatowski, in despair, spent his time in a dissolute fashion.

Bonaparte declared war on the Pope for his own nefarious reasons. Dabrowski captured Rome for him but in a peaceful fashion as I describe – see Pachonski.
The Pope showed Dabrowski the captured standard of the Ottoman Sultan, taken by Sobieski at Vienna in 1683 as a trophy, and presented to the Pope of the day as a present by Sobieski.

The comrades did end up in Rome, and according to Pachonski, their fortunes were as I described. Tanski was assigned to guard Cardinal Testaferrato by Dabrowski – I have not painted a very flattering portrait of the Cardinal, but such behaviour was fairly typical! As far as I know Godebski did not arrive in Rome until later in May, so I hope I may be forgiven for stretching this small point.

The staircase I describe, where Dabrowski met the Pope, is the Aracoeli staircase, which can still be seen in Rome today. Blumer married an Italian Countess and Godebski a French aristocrat, so their dalliances are plausible.

There was a brawl in a church between Polish Legionnaries and radical French soldiers, as I describe, although I am not aware that Blumer or his comrades were involved.

Blumer has an Egypt-sized hole in his CV, and a large inscription of the Egyptian Sun God Ra on his tomb.
Napoleon did originally intend to invade England, but changed his plans. Many of the invasion force were ignorant of their destination until well after departure. The Legions did not officially take part in Napoleon’s Egyptian expedition, as it was rightly frowned on by Dabrowski. However, a contingent of Poles under Zayonczek, from the Second Legion (Blumer’s Legion) did take part...

1764

Election of King Stanislaus-August,

The Last King of Poland

1768

Confederacy of Bar

1772

First Partition of Poland

1789

French Revolution,

Storming of the Bastille

(14 July)

1791

Polish Constitution of 3 May

1792

Targowica Confederacy (May)

War of the Constitution.

Battles of Zielence and Dubienka

1793

Second Partition of Poland

1794

National Uprising begins in Krakow.

Battles of Raclawice and Maciejowice

1795

Third and Final Partition of Poland

1796

Napoleon Bonaparte marries

Josephine Beauharnais

and
appointed commander of

the French Army of Italy

in
the war against Austria

(March)

1797

General Dabrowski’s Proclamation

(30 January)

Polish Legions created in French Army

Treaty and Peace of Campo Formio

(17 October)

1798

Polish Legions under General Dabrowski

enter Rome (3 May)

Bonaparte sails for Egypt (19 May)