Battle of Żarnów The Battle of Żarnów was fought on September 16 , 1655 between forces of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth commanded by John II Casimir and forces of the Swedish Empire commanded by Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie and Gustaf Otto Stenbock . The result was a Swedish victory . Background . Swedish army captured Warsaw in late July 1655 , after the Polish capital had been abandoned by king Jan Kazimierz . Soon afterwards , the Swedes began chasing Polish troops , which retreated southwards . On September 9 , near Inowłódz , a unit under Stefan Czarniecki attacked Swedish rear guard of 500 , commanded by George Forgell . Poles managed to kill some 200 Swedes , but this did not halt the advance of the invaders . Swedish army continued its march southwards , capturing and burning the towns of Inowłódz , Drzewica and Odrzywół . On September 12 , the siege of Opoczno began . The town , lacking modern fortifications , quickly capitulated , and was almost completely destroyed , with only 20 houses left intact . Similar fate awaited other local towns - in Drzewica , only 21 houses remained , while in Odrzywół - only 22 . Local residents were shaken by the barbarity of the Swedish invaders , as northwestern corner of Lesser Poland had not experienced such vast destruction since the 13th century Mongol invasion of Poland . In early September 1655 , Polish forces loyal to Jan Kazimierz concentrated near Wolborz . Charles Gustav decided to confront them , leaving Warsaw on September 12 . Polish units in Wolborz consisted mostly of szlachta levee en masse from Mazovia and northern Lesser Poland , which was no match for experienced Swedish mercenaries . Since the morale among the Poles was low , Jan Kazimierz planned to withdraw towards Krakow . The nobility disagreed with this plan , demanding to fight the invaders near its homes . On September 15 , the Crown army and levee en masse units , altogether numbering some 11 , 000 , reached Zarnow , where Polish king decided to face Charles Gustav . Swedish army was of similar strenght , but with more infantry and 40 artillery pieces , versus 6 Polish cannons . The Battle . After an attack of Polish cavalry , which was fought off by the Swedes , Charles Gustav ordered the infantry to move forward , with support of the Swedish artillery . The Swedes advanced , capturing a hill , which served as a Polish defensive position . The Poles tried to prevent this , but facing Swedish fire superiority , they had to withdraw . Soon afterwards , Swedish cavalry entered the fray , but the battle was terminated due to heavy rain , which prevented Polish army from complete destruction . Retreating Polish units were chased by the Swedes , who captured best soldiers , forcing them to serve in the Swedish army . The nobility of levee en masse abandoned the battlefied , and returned to their homes . Aftermath . Swedish victory opened the road to the province of Lesser Poland . Altogether , the Poles lost some 1 , 000 men . Those units that evaded capture , marched towards Włoszczowa and Krakow , commanded by Stefan Czarniecki and king Jan Kazimierz . The king himself , broken and defeated , reached Krakow on September 19 . At first , Jan Kazimierz planned to stay in the ancient Polish capital , to defend it at all costs , but changed his mind and left the city , leaving it under command of Czarniecki . A few days later Jan Kazimierz crossed the Polish - Silesian border . One of the hills located in Żarnów is still called " Szwedzka Góra " ( " Swedish Mountain " ) , as , according to a legend , King Jan Kazimierz watched the 1655 battle from this hill . The town of Żarnów itself was burned to the ground by the Swedes to such an extent that 21 years after the battle , the population of Żarnów was only 120 , while before the battle , it reached 1 , 000 . Northwestern corner of historic Lesser Poland , which had until then been prosperous , was turned into a desert , and with other towns in the region , such as Opoczno , Inowłódz , Drzewica and Odrzywół , Żarnów never fully recovered : " It is not an exaggeration to claim that the cataclysm of the Swedish Deluge can be compared with the barbarity of the Nazis in the Second World War " , wrote local historian Krzysztof Nawrocki . Swedish units . 1 . Fab . Berns Dragoon < br > 2 . Drottningens Reiter < br > 3 . Fältm . Wittenbergs Reiter < br > 4 . Wirtz Infantry < br > 5 . Fersen Infantry < br > 6 . Fältm . Wittenbergs Reiter < br > 7 . Liv Reiter < br > 8 . Königsmarcks Reiter < br > 9 . Västerbottens regemente Infantry ( Cappelen ) < br > 10 . Närke Infantry ( Essen ) < br > 11 . Hälsinge regemente Infantry ( Karl Spare ) < br > 12 . Königsmarcks Reiter < br > 13 . Lantgr . Fr . av Hessen Reiter < br > 14 . Upplands Reiter < br > 15 . Hälsinge regemente Infantry ( Karl Spare ) < br > 16 . Smalands Infantry ( Irwing ) < br > 17 . Upplands Reiter < br > 18 . Fab . Berns Dragoon < br > 19 . Smalands Reiter < br > 20 . Smalands Infantry ( Irwing ) < br > 21 . Smalands Reiter < br > 22 . Sinclers Reiter < br > 23 . Ridderhielms Reiter < br > 24 . Västmanlands regemente Infantry ( Drakenberg ) < br > 25 . Böddeker Reiter < br > 26 . Västöga Infantry ( Scheiding ) < br > 27 . Pretlach Reiter < br > 28 . Gr . Pontus De la Gardie Reiter < br > 29 . Yxkull Reiter < br > 30 . Agermanland Infantry < br > 31 . Engels Reiter < br > 32 . Taubes Reiter Total : 6000 cavalry < br > 4500 infantry < br > 400 dragoon < br > 40 artillery pieces Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth units . 6000 Wojsko kwarciane < br > 900 dragoon < br > 3000 - 4000 pospolite ruszenie from the voivodeship s of : < br > Leczyca , Kuyavia , Sieradz , Masovia