The Polish Cossacks

Sinevoy Boghdan Khmielnitski was the son of a Polish gentleman of Mazovia, who had, in order to repair his shattered fortune, formed an establishment in the Ukraine, near Tcheghrine. Successful at first, he was subsequently taken prisoner, and died a captive in Turkey. His son shared the fate of his parent. Previously to his being taken prisoner, the elder Khmielnitski had maltreated and caused to be flogged in the Ukraine a young and high-spirited Pole, Czaplinski, who, in consequence, had vowed deadly and implacable hatred against him, but had not had sufficient time to avenge the insult. Boghdan Khmielnitski, after the death of his father, had been ransomed by the liberality of the Polish king, Ladislas IV., of whose favour he subsequently proved himself worthy, by the extent of his knowledge and his great capacity, both military and political. He was appointed secretary-general of the Zaporogues, a post of considerable importance, and he resided on the patrimonial estate of his father at Sobotof, a domain the value and productiveness of which he greatly improved by the cultivation of fresh districts of land, hitherto lying waste, and by his industry. Whilst thus engaged, Czaplinski, then pidotsrostu of Czegryn, excited by the still nourished thirst for revenge, persecuted him with unremitting animosity. Not content with thwarting his plans of territorial improvement, and contesting with him the advantages justly derivable from a superior system of management* he proceeded so far as to attack him in his own house, burn it, throw him into prison, and offer outrage to his wife. Khmielnitski, on his release from prison,** found that in the meantime his wife had died of grief. Unable to obtain justice from the local tribunals, he repaired to the Zaporogues, and raised the standard of revolt at the head of 50,000 men. With these, making his appearance in the Ukraine, he was forthwith proclaimed chief of all the Cossacks of the Dnieper. He attacked and took by assault several towns in succession, and at the outset obtained many signal advantages over the Polish generals, who were forced to yield to superior numbers. Either as a ruse, or from some other motive not explained, he addressed to King Ladislas a letter, couched in the most humble and submissive terms, ascribing his hostile proceedings to the sole desire of avenging the affront to which he had been subjected, and promising to lay down his arms, and to return to his allegiance, provided the condition of the Cossacks were ameliorated, and himself pardoned. As Ladislas IV. had just then (1648) died, this letter remained unanswered; meanwhile the forces of Khmielnitski increased daily, so that in a very short time he found himself at the head of a vast body of adherents. John Kasimir, who had now ascended the Polish throne, had at this period a variety of other wars in hand, and was moreover sufficiently occupied and distracted by the internal dissensions of his own kingdom. Khmielnitski, after having proclaimed the emancipation of the peasants, called the Cossacks of the Don to arms, increased his army by a strong reinforcement of Tatar troops, and, having taken several places by assault, crowned his exploits by the indiscriminate massacre of all the Polish nobles and of the Jews. He ransomed Leopold, and, after having married the widow of his former persecutor CzapKnski, he advanced with 400,000 men to annihilate the remnant of the Polish armies. This war was conducted on either side with relentless cruelty, and in the savage spirit of a struggle for mutual extermination, the more especially as it was to some extent a species of religious warfare; the schismatics of the Russian provinces favouring the cause of Khmielnitski. Never indeed had Poland found herself placed in a position of such imminent danger. Her assailant was already master of a third part of the kingdom; giving public audience to foreign ambassadors from the principal courts of Europe, and deigning scarcely to listen to the various propositions for an amicable arrangement which were submitted to him. Already-had he meditated the project of falling suddenly, Hke a second Attilla, upon Europe, and of conquering for himseK a new empire by relinquishing Poland; when his victorious career was at once arrested by the heroic courage and surprising energy of a Polish noble, Andrew Firley, castellan of Betz, near Zbaraz. This nobleman had but 9,000 men under his command. Zbaraz is a siiiall town of Lower Podolia, situated at the conjunction of two roads; its population numbered at that period but a few thousand souls. Firley, foreseeing that he would very shortly be attacked, repaired the old fortifications, laid in a competent supply of stores and ammunition, strengthened his camp by an entrenchment, and took the requisite measures for securing from sudden attack a small pond or natural tank in the neighbourhood, the waters of which sufficed for the requirements of his little army. To his prudence and valour it was that, on the near approach of the coming storm, the Polish king had confided the important charge of arresting the progress of Khmielnitski, and of awaiting with some other Polish troops the first arrival of the enemy: nor was ever task more faithfully accomplished or royal confidence more judiciously placed than on this occasion.