Battle of Gołąb The Battle of Gołąb was fought on either February 18 or 19 , 1656 between forces of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth commanded by Stefan Czarniecki on one side , and on the other Swedish Empire ' s army commanded by Charles X Gustav . This battle was essentially a meeting engagement with Swedish troops arriving on the battlefield at different times . It is uncertain how many actually participated , and its actual date is disputed . Some sources , such as Polish - langugage " Military Encyclopedia " claim it took place on February 18 , while historian Leszek Podhorecki wrote that it was on February 19 . The result was Swedish victory . Background . In mid - February 1656 , Swedish army under King Charles X Gustav camped near a village of Golab , located in northern Lesser Poland , near the confluence of the Wieprz and Vistula rivers . The Swedes awaited Polish units of Stefan Czarniecki . The Poles were divided into two groups ; one commanded by Czarniecki himself , another headed by Colonel Sebastian Machowski . Swedish units had a number of Polish soldiers , who had deserted to their side . Among the Poles that served the Swedish King in this battle , was Jan Sobieski . According to Polish historian Leszek Podhorecki , King Charles Gustav , after finding out about anti - Swedish insurrection in southern Lesser Poland , decided to move his army there . The Swedes crossed the Pilica river on February 12 , forcing Czarniecki to withdraw behind the Vistula , and camp near Golab . The Battle . Swedish army crossed the frozen Vistula near Kazimierz Dolny , suprising a Polish regiment stationed there . The Swedes then moved along right bank of the river , reaching Golab , where they surprised the scattered Polish forces . Swedish front guard , under General Horn and Count Valdemar Christian of Schleswig - Holstein opened fire , moving forwards . This caused retreat of Polish forces , which was stopped by Czarniecki , who ordered a counter - attack . At the same time , additional Swedish units entered the fray , gaining numerical superiority over the Poles . Swedish regiments , commanded personally by the King , backed for a while , but soon Polish attacked was halted under Swedish fire . To prevent his forces from complete destruction , Czarniecki ordered them to retreat . A number of Polish soldiers drowned while crossing the Wieprz , when the ice broke . Total Polish loses , however , were estimated at less than 150 , mainly due to Czarniecki ’ s order to give up the battle and flee . Aftermath . Charles Gustav was confident that the battle ended in complete destruction of Czarniecki ’ s army . This was untrue , as the Poles used a maneouver , which they had observed while fighting Crimean Tatars . Their forces scattered across the area , to concentrate again after a few days . The Battle of Golab was described by Henryk Sienkiewicz , in his novel Deluge . Swedish units . Swedish Regiments : Total : 6 , 005 The individual unit strength figures are based on unit strength figures from five months or more previous to the battle . Polish Troops in Swedish Service Kosack ( Pancerni ) : Total : 906 Tartars ( Light Cavalry ) : Total : 873 Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth units . The Army was divided in two regiments : Hussars - Kosack ( Pancerni ) - Total : 2 , 642 Units marked with * did not take part in the battle . They were escorting recruits .