Song of the Legions (39 page)

The story of General Dabrowski’s legendary Legion is one of the most tragic and heroic in military history. But although there are hundreds of novels set in the age of Napoleon, there is not a single novel in the English language about Dabrowski’s Legion. If mine is not the definitive work in English, it is at least (as far as I know) the first. In Napoleonic novels, Polish soldiers crop up as stage villains (or staunch French allies), but certainly not as heroes. There was never any portrayal of their desperate fight for freedom, their immense courage, or their capacity for drink, gambling, womanising, and wild adventures.

Historians disagree as to the contribution of Dabrowski’s Legions to the Polish cause. Some argue that they had a propaganda value and nothing more. Yet it is generally accepted that the Legions were as good as the best French army units, at a time when the French were universally agreed to be the best soldiers in the world.

Napoleon recognised the military value and bravery of the Poles, but he used them with great cynicism. The Poles were not unique in that. Napoleon considered all soldiers, including French, to be expendable.
The Legion itself was subjected to frequent changes of name and organisation by Napoleon, sometimes for sound military reasons, sometimes for dubious political ones. Even so, it remained recognisably Dabrowski’s Legion.

Ironically, although their enemies referred to Dabrowski’s regiment as ‘The Foreign Legion’, the French themselves did not use the term until after the Bourbon restoration, and Napoleon had been exiled to St Helena. Nevertheless, Dabrowski’s Legion was the direct forerunner of the regiment that still serves France today, called the Hohelohe Legion in 1821, then renamed The Foreign Legion in 1831. Both contained many Polish soldiers who had fought for Dabrowski.

The late Professor Jan Pachonski wrote the seminal Polish textbooks on Dabrowski’s Legion. I am indebted in particular to his masterwork “Prawda I Legendy” (“Truth and Legend”), now sadly out of print. A bibliography of English and Polish reference works is included for those who wish to read further – and whose Polish is up to it!

As far as possible, my descriptions of the Partition of Poland and the formation of Dabrowski’s Legion, are historically accurate. But as I discovered, and as Professor Pachonski himself admitted, there were often gaps in the records, or contradictory accounts. Dabrowski was putting together the Legion from scratch in difficult circumstances after the Polish Republic was destroyed by violent foreign invasions. For a writer, though, this is a gift. It gives me the excuse to put my characters in the thick of the action. Occasionally there is a total gap in history, or an inconsistency. I have therefore sometimes had to invent or alter the facts for dramatic purposes. Out of respect for the Legions, I have included a set of notes at the back of this book showing where I have done this. Often what I have invented was less strange than the real history.

I needed to enlist a hero of Dabrowski’s Legion, and in my research I found a real person more extraordinary than any character I would have ever dared to invent. This is Ignatius Blumer, the half-Irish, half-Polish gentleman soldier. Blumer fought at a score of legendary battles from Zielence to the Berezina, and was awarded both the Virtuti Militari and the Legion D’Honneur, the Polish and French equivalents of the Victoria Cross. He was a controversial man, with many enemies, happy to bend the rules, and involved in a lot of political skulduggery. He would have heartily approved of Pepi’s strong arm tactics on the Third of May.

Blumer is buried in the Powazki Cemetery in Warsaw. His opulent marble tomb, which I visited on the 177
^th
anniversary of his death, in the November snows, is a national monument. He lies in the crypt beside the love of his life, his first wife, the beautiful and vivacious Countess Marianne Cecciopieri. Blumer’s friend, the martyred poet Cyprian Godebski, is buried a few yards away. In this book I have narrated only the first seven years of Blumer’s eventful career, which was full of bizarre adventures, triumph and tragedy. Next year I will follow Blumer to Egypt, and beyond...

MICHAEL LARGE, ESSEX, 2011

1778

Ignatius Alexander Blumer was born in Oleszyce, in Austrian-occupied Podolia, on 31 July 1773, a year after the First Partition of Poland. His mother was called Angela and his father Peter. His grandfather was an Irish colonel in the British Army who subsequently served as Peter the Great’s artillery instructor before retiring and settling down in Poland. Blumer’s large physical stature and his fiery temper are well-recorded, although exact accounts vary. He was nicknamed ‘Blumerowski’ and later, ‘General Pistolet’. He is known to have had a dry, sardonic sense of humour. Blumer’s home village nowadays stands within the borders of a free and democratic Republic of Poland.

I am not aware that Blumer’s father served Felix Potocki although I have seen unverified comments that he did, or was in Russian service – effectively the same thing. I am also not aware that his mother was an ardent patriot, but Blumer presumably got his patriotism from somewhere. There is a portrait of Blumer (from later life) in ‘Poland’s Caribbean Tragedy’, by Pachonski and Wilson.

Blumer’s childhood ‘initiation’ is invented but based on an account in ‘God’s Playground’ by Norman Davies. The other biographical details of Blumer’s childhood are also invented. However, Blumer did indeed choose to serve the Polish King as I describe, although he did not have to. He could have joined the Austrian, Prussian or Russian armies, as many others sadly did.

All of the details regarding Felix Potocki are accurate.

Jozef Wybicki did indeed write the Song of the Legions, Dabrowski’s Mazurka. He was a lawyer by profession and a leader of the Confederates of Bar, and later became General Dabrowski’s assistant. I have invented his association with Blumer and his mother, although Bar is in Podolia and Wybicki and his comrades did have to hide there.

The original words to The Song of The Legions can be found at (for example)
http://en.poland.gov.pl/the,Polish,National,Anthem,7060.html
.

The words have undergone a number of revisions and changes over the years. I have used Wybicki’s original as far as possible, with some minor changes in my translation. There is an interesting discussion of this in Norman Davies ‘God’s Playground’. For obvious reasons the changes over the years since 1797 are not dealt with in this novel. Suffice to say that the major change is that some found the original version’s “Poland is not dead (umarBa)” unacceptable, on the basis that Poland might have died of natural causes, rather than being murdered. Over time the modern version was preferred, which begins “Poland has not perished yet (zgineBa)” which is how it stands at the present day.

1791

The irascible Tanski (who later became a Colonel in the Polish Lancers of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard), the crafty engineer Sierawski, and the poet Cyprian Godebski, were all friends or comrades of Blumer’s. I have tried to stay true to their biographical details wherever possible.

The descriptions of The Four Year Sejm, Third of May, King Stanislaus-August, his nephew Prince Jozef ‘Pepi’ Poniatowski, and so on, are all accurate. The description of the King as “poor, foolish Poniatowski... reeking of macassar” is by Thomas Carlyle. The Poniatowski Palace is today the official residence of the Polish President.

On the Third of May t
he Sejm was only about half to two-thirds full. The signing of the Constitution was carefully timed to take place when hostile delegates were on holiday, and was actually supposed to have been on the Fifth of May.
Pepi used drastic measures similar to those described to solve the terrible problem of the ‘Liberum Veto’. Many of those who opposed the Constitution were basically traitors in the pay of foreign powers, and later found guilty of high treason. My sympathies lie with Pepi. Blumer and his comrades were actually present at the Third of May, according to Pachonski, and although I have invented their participation in the ‘political debate’ that went on, it is quite plausible. The encounter with Hetman Rzewuski and Bishop Massalski is invented but all of the details about those two rather despicable persons are sadly accurate.

The formidable Madame L is based on the real-life Castellan of Polaniec, Madame Marianne Lanckoronska, although there are elements of other people in her character. She was in charge of a resistance network called ‘Lwow Central’, as described in the book. She arranged for Blumer and the others to escape into exile through Lwow, and she was Godebski’s superior while he was making trouble there. As well as being a military governess, Madame did indeed have a fashionable salon where there were political intrigues, as I have described. Dabrowski was a regular visitor and a picture of the salon appears in Pachonski’s biography of him.

The love affair between Madame and Elias Tremo, and Cyprian Godebski’s unrequited passion, are all invented by me. Nevertheless the dashing Tremo was indeed the son of the King’s cook, Pawel Tremo. Elias Tremo also visited Madame Lanckoronska’s salon regularly, as Dabrowski’s messenger... As for the Thursday Dinners (cooked by Tremo’s father) I am grateful to the excellent ‘Old Polish Traditions’ by
Lemnis & Vitry
for the details, and for most of the meals and culinary details that appear in this novel, as well as for various customs and practices of the home and dinner table.

The fight scene with the ‘Podolian Pope’ is inspired by the fight in Jan Chrystostom Pasek’s Memoir ‘The Polish Baroque’, which I highly recommend. It is from an earlier era, the days of King Sobieski, but the spirit (and the vodka consumption) were the same.

1792

The details of the Targowica Confederacy are all too sadly accurate. The exchange of correspondence between Pepi and Rzewuski happened, although I have abridged their letters.

Jan Nepomucen Potocki, Felix’s nephew, and the legendary author of the classic novel ‘The Saragossa Scrolls,’ is known (amongst many other things) for the first flight over Warsaw in a hot air balloon in 1790, and fought at Zielence for the Republic.

The Polish nobility claimed descent from the Sarmatians of ancient Persia, wild warrior horsemen who fought the Romans. This romantic belief is supported by some archaeological evidence.

Blumer, Tanski and Sierawski were present at the battle of Zielence, according to Pachonski, although I have invented the details. The course of the battle was broadly as I described, and the Poles did capture the Russian flag, as later celebrated in a famous painting by Wojciech Kossak. There is no evidence Blumer captured it, here I have taken a liberty. I understand that the flag itself was taken from Morkov’s division, who the old boyar tries to rally.

The great Tadeusz Kosciuszko’s biographical details and description are well-known. Blumer and his comrades were at Dubienka, although I have invented the precise details. The outline of the battle was as described and the Russians had to go through supposedly neutral Austrian territory to outflank the Poles, who then fell back to Warsaw.
General Kochowski was in command of the Russian forces at Dubienka
.

As for the betrayal by the King, sadly the defection of Stanislaus-August to the Targowicans was real, and something he will never be forgiven for. Pepi vacillated in overthrowing his uncle and the chance was lost. Pepi did then seek death at Markuszem and was saved by one of his aides, another Prince called Sanguszko, rather than by Blumer and his comrades. However, according to Pachonski, they were indeed among the die-hards at the battle, so again it is plausible they were used for the dirty work as I suggest.

1793

All Pachonski says about 1793 was that Blumer’s men “broke through the Russian cordon” but were then later captured and spent the year “in the Russian army”.

I have therefore had a free hand, and I have Blumer return to Podolia for a confrontation with Felix Potocki. The encounter with Felix is of course invented. Blumer describes Felix as a Russian General. Felix was given numerous meaningless titles such as ‘Field Marshal Imperial’ by the Tsarina to fob him off, and was buried in the uniform of a Russian general. Potocki almost certainly murdered his first wife, either by using his Cossack bodyguards, or, as was commonly said at the time, throwing her down a well. Tulczyn Palace (which still stands) is accurately described. A fireplace from Tulczyn was offered for auction at Sotheby's in 2008 with an incredible guide price of 100,000-150,000 US Dollars. The card table was in the same auction. This gives some idea of Felix’s vast wealth.

The Targowicans were basically criminals and traitors and did carry out numerous rapes and murders. Dabrowski did however collaborate with the Targowicans in order to save soldiers and regiments from death and deportation, as I have described. This he did very successfully, as I have shown him do with Blumer’s men in this invented encounter.

Dabrowski’s actions were held against him later by his Polish rivals, mainly Zayonczek. The Legions were sadly bedevilled by infighting, petty rivalries and duelling, as indeed were all armies of the time. I have tried to reflect this in the novel. Dabrowski himself was indeed half German and had served in the Saxon Army before 1791. That may well be where he learned to be such a fine and disciplined soldier. It has to be said that the armies of the Republic, although undeniably brave, were underfunded and not very well organised. They placed far too much emphasis on cavalry and not enough attention on drill.

Szymon Korczak is an invented character who is an amalgam of two Targowica henchmen, Hetman Szymon Kossakowski and Hetman Szymon Branicki, of the Korczak clan. The manner but not the place and time of Korczak’s death are those of Szymon Kossakowski.

The duel in the Masonic Lodge is of course invented, but the details of Masonic practices in 1793 are taken from ‘Masonic Quarterly’ magazine. Practically every man of note in the Napoleonic era was a freemason, although oddly scholars have never been able to agree if Napoleon himself was. The author (a non-Mason) would be very grateful for any help regarding the history of freemasonry for the next novel, where this will be a major theme.

A similar bison hunt in Podolia to mine is related in Norman Davies ‘God’s Playground’.

1794

I have tried to be as faithful to the history of the Uprising as possible. The line ‘The Sharper The Thistles The Sweeter The Victory’ is taken from Norman Davies.

According to Pachonski, Blumer and his comrades were in Krakow for the Act of Insurrection, but only Tanski and Sierawski were at Raclawice. However, Blumer was made a Lieutenant in command of a ‘People’s Brigade’ of volunteer infantry, exactly as I described. It was a small leap to place him with the scythemen in the front rank at Raclawice and I hope I may be forgiven for it.

Sierawski did indeed defend his beloved Krakow using a powder mine and other fortifications – sadly I had to omit this for reasons of space. During the siege of Warsaw, Sierawski was also called upon to defend Wola, and seems to have performed heroically. I do not know that Blumer and Godebski were involved in the siege of Warsaw at all, let alone at Wola, so I have invented that part, again, for dramatic purposes. However, I have tried to make amends, as I have Blumer do to Zayonczek, by giving Sierawski the credit.

Za
yon
czek did lift the very same siege of Wola, a suburb, by charging cavalry through the streets, as I described. A brave fighter, he was unfortunately a completely unscrupulous man (see Nafziger, for example) and plotted endlessly against Dabrowski, his rival. The details of Madame Za
yon
czek’s beauty regime are taken from no less and authority than the official webpage of the President of Poland:
www.president.pl/en/presidential-residences
. The lady herself was a Protestant, a Huguenot, as Tanski refers to her.