Battle of Praga

Background. Praga, the easternmost community of Warsaw, lay on the right bank of the Vistula and in 1794 was heavily fortified, stronger than the capital's western part. After defeats at Maciejowice, where Tadeusz Kościuszko was captured, and at Krupczyce, Brest, and Kobyłka, Russian forces under Suvorov and Ivan Fersen approached Warsaw. Internal power struggles and demoralisation had prevented General Józef Zajączek from completing the city's fortifications.

Opposing Forces. The defenders included remnants of Kościuszko's army defeated at Maciejowice, untrained militia from Warsaw, Praga, and Vilnius, Berek Joselewicz's 500-man Jewish regiment, some 2,000 scythemen, civilians, and 5,000 regular cavalry. Estimates place the Praga garrison at 22,000 to 26,000 men, or up to 30,000 including townspeople, with 104 cannons. The Russians fielded two battle-hardened corps.

Aftermath and Massacre. Once the battle ended, Russian troops, contrary to Suvorov's pre-battle orders, killed, looted, and burned the borough, partly in revenge for the deaths of roughly 2,000 Russian soldiers and a similar number of captives during the April 1794 Warsaw Uprising. Inhabitants were tortured, raped, and murdered. Suvorov reportedly sent Catherine the Great a four-word report: 'Hooray!' The massacre damaged Russian reputations across Europe, and General Tomasz Wawrzecki withdrew his remaining forces southwards on 5 November, leaving Warsaw to be captured with little or no opposition.