Battle of Szepielewicze | |||||||
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Part of Russo-Polish War (1654–67) | |||||||
The scheme of the battle near the village of Shepelevichi on August 14 (24), 1654 during the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667 [1] | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | Russian Tsardom | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Janusz Radziwiłł | Aleksey Trubetskoy | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
6,000–8,000[2][3] | 15,000[3] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,000 killed[4] | 100[5] |
The Battle of Shepeleviche (Szepielewicze) or Battle of Ciecierzyn on 24 August 1654 was one of the first battles of the Russo-Polish War (1654–67). It ended with a Russian victory.
A small Polish–Lithuanian force of about 5,000 under Great Lithuanian Hetman Janusz Radziwiłł stopped the Russian force under knyaz Yakov Cherkassky at Shklow and camped at Hołowczyn. He learned that a Russian force under knyaz Aleksey Trubetskoy crossed Drut River near Ciecierzyn on 23 August.[6] Radziwiłl was joined by the Field Lithuanian Hetman Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski with 3,000 strong forces, increasing the Polish–Lithuanian army to about 6,000[3]–8,000.[2]
Radziwiłł and Gosiewski then tried to stop a numerically superior Russian force of 15,000[3] near Shepelevichy (Szepielewicze). Trubetskoy forces also included Cherkassky's.[4] He took positions near Bialynichy (Białynicze).[6] This time the even larger Russian army managed to outflank him, with Russian infantry holding Shepelevichy and cavalry attacking from the rear. Radziwiłł ordered a retreat, on the 24 (or 25[citation needed]) August the retreating Polish army was defeated and its artillery was captured by the Russians.[7]
Radziwiłł with a remainder of his forces retreated to Minsk.[2] His defeat meant that Russians faced no opposition in Lithuania, and they were able to take Polotsk, Vitebsk and Mogilev, advancing to the Berezina River.[4] Russian forces were able to advance and take Smolensk (see Siege of Smolensk (1654))[2][8] as well as Orsha which they held till 1661.[9]