Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-03-11
SHEER VALOR AND LEADERSHIP
MADE TWO AUSTRIAN GENERALS
Psudsy Secretly Formed Polish Legion Defeated Cossas and
Without Orders Took KieIce-Many Professional Men in His
Command-FsCher Gained Promotion Through
Gallant Defense of BukoWina.

own responsibility, anxious to prove
that the young Poles were worthy of
being taken into the army. The result
was the combat with a division of
mounted Cossacks and the occupation
OF Kielce, in which undertaking infan-
try helped.
The Polish Legion held the city
three weeks, and when it had to with
draw before an overpowering Russian
force it fought bravely and caused the
enemy heavy losses. The Austrian
army leaders admitted that the young
corps had fully proved it's valor and
Pisudsky's activity was officially sane
toned. The Polish Legion had made
its way.
Plsudsky was especially anxious to
add cavalry corps to the Legion.
He began with six horses and at the
end of two months he had two squad
rons. He asked for artillery. and as
no others could be spared the army
authorities gave him twenty old guns
that had to be fired with gunpowder.
However, he had an excellent artillery
officer who obtained splendid results
from those old guns.
In the meantime ne continued to en-
list young Poles, and the victory of
Kielce proved so great an attraction
that very soon his forces numbered
three regiments instead OF one. And
then something happened which the
Austrian army had never before wit
messed. This man, who had not served
as an officer. not oven
was made a general The Polish Lee
gion, with its leader, was placed under
the command of Field Marshal Lieu
tenant Won Dursky.
Again invade5 Russia,
When the Polish Legion had to
withdraw from KieIce it was trusted
with defending that part of the Wis
lula which is enlarged by the mouths
Of the river Dunajec against the Rus
slams. Pilsudsky was not satisfied to
remain on the defensive, but repeat
edly attacked the Russian recon
noitering parties and with his troops
got as far as twelve miles into Rus
sian territory.
When the joint armies of Germany
and Austria made the second often
sive sally, which took them to the
very. gates of Warsaw, the Legion was
fighting the Russians outside the for
tress of Ivangorod, and when the Rus
sian multitudes caused the bold attack
to end in failure, the Legion helped to
cover the retreat The third offensive
attack at first took the Legion to VOL
brOm in the southeast of Poland,
where it undertook a wonderfully bold
march through two Russian corps,
which it threatened to embrace and
forced to retreat. In this action the
Legion suffered heavy losses. Among
the dead was the brother of the world
famed pianist Paderewsl1i. one of the
bravest and most enthusiastic legion
aries, who as a Russian officer, took
part in the war in Manchuria, where
he became a captain of the general
staff.
Doctors of medicine. lawyers and
university professors are fighting in
| the Polish legion. Professor Kunitzky
of Kharkov university, who lost his
life in the battle of Nadworna, was
/ one of them.
After the combats of Wolbrom, Pill
sudsky marched part of his Polish regi
ments to Galicia, where they took an
active part in the victorious battle OF
Lunanova; some remained in the Car
pathians and are doing good work
there.
It will be difficult to find a drawer
corps and an ADLER leader than the
Polish Legion and General Pilsudsky
whose military and organize tai
ents are generally recognized.
Honored for Saving Bukowina.
The Austrian army has another maj
whose courage, initiative, tenacfty o.
purpose are as great as those OF
Pilsudsky. At the beginning of the
war a major of gendarmes. Fischer
with the rank of general. is now the