Battle of Klushino The Battle of Klushino , or the Battle of Kłuszyn was fought on 4 July 1610 , between forces of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia during the Polish – Muscovite War , part of Russia ' s Time of Troubles . The battle occurred near the village of Klushino ( ) near Smolensk ( Polish : " Smoleńsk " ) . In the battle the outnumbered Commonwealth force secured a decisive victory over Russia , due to the tactical competence of hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski and the military prowess of Polish hussars , the elite of the army of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland . Background . In 1610 , in response to the Polish advance on Russia , Russians and Swedes formed an alliance , and launched an operation known as the De la Gardie Campaign . A Russian army under Prince Dmitry Shuisky was heading towards the besieged fortress of Smolensk , but was intercepted by Commonwealth forces . In the meantime , Shuisky divided his forces into several smaller units . The Commonwealth forces of about 12 , 000 under hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski encountered the advance Russian force of 8 , 000 under Grigory Valuyev and attempted to attack it soon after dawn on 24 June , but Russians were able to fortify their positions at Tsaryovo - Zaymishche camp . The Russian troops found themselves encircled and trapped in their camp , but the main force under Shuisky , of about 35 , 000 , was only days away . Russia , however , did not know the real strength of the Commonwealth , and how greatly they outnumbered them . Further , the besieged advance unit failed to notify Shuisky that it has encountered the Polish - Lithuanian army . On the other hand , Żółkiewski was confident in his powerful hussars , and decided to press with the attack . On 3 July he decided to leave part of his forces besieging the camp , and take the most mobile units against Shuisky ' s troops . The ruse was successful , as the besieged troops never realized that the bulk of the Polish - Lithuanian army was temporarily engaged elsewhere , and neither was Shuisky aware of the Polish - Lithuanian movements nor expecting a major engagement . Opposing forces . Commonwealth forces numbering about 6 , 500 – 6 , 800 men ( of which about 5 , 500 , or about 80 percent were the famous " winged " hussars ) under Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski faced a numerically superior force of about 30 , 000 Russians under Princes Dmitry Shuisky , Andrey Galitzine and Danilo Mezetsky , as well as about 5 , 000 mercenary units temporarily allied to Russia , under the command of Jacob De la Gardie , composed of Flemish , French , German , Spanish , English and Scottish soldiers . Including the forces that did not take part in combat ( remained in camp , reserve or was delayed ) , the numbers were 12 , 300 Commonwealth soldiers against 48 , 000 soldiers under Russian command . The Commonwealth army was supported by two cannon s ( some sources say four ) , and the Tsardom of Russia by 11 . Battle . According to a description based on the work of Leszek Podhorecki , although Polish - Lithuanians were more aware that the battle was about to take place , the forces encountered one another in the darkness of the night , and Żółkiewski decided to organize his army rather than engaging immediately , which also gave the Tsardom of Russia time to prepare . According to Mirosław Nagielski , however , the Poles under Żółkiewski purposefully chose to engage the opponent at that time , hoping to catch them asleep . The Russian army was divided into foreign mercenary regiments on the right ( north - west ) flank , and the main Russian army on the center and left ( south - east ) flank . The Russian battle line consisted of infantry ( pikemen , musketeers , arquebusiers ) , mostly behind the village fences , with a second line of cavalry to the rear and on the left wing ( where there were fewer fences ) . The Russian artillery , left in the camp , played no role in the battle . Polish - Lithuanian units consisted primarily of cavalry , primarily the Polish hussars , with about 400 Cossack infantry on the left wing . Another 200 infantry and two cannons would arrive later , and did not participate in the first part of the battle . The battlefield , a flat agricultural field , was crossed by a high village picket fence , reinforced by improvised fieldworks , which allowed the Commonwealth hussars to charge only through a narrow gap . The battle began before dawn . The first part of the battle consisted of Commonwealth hussars repeatedly charging the fortified Russian positions , attempting to break them . The Commonwealth forces continued to make ferocious attacks , and Samuel Maskiewicz , a witness from one hussar company , claimed that his unit charged eight or ten times . The Polish hussars attack on the infantry , hidden behind the fences , and using firearms , were not successful . As Shuiski ordered a reiter unit to counterattack , in between the salvos the Polish - Lithuanians engaged them in melee combat . As this Russian cavalry counterattack was mauled by the Commonwealth , the left flank of the Russian army was broken and , in the ensuing confusion , Russian ranks broke and they were pushed back towards their camp gates . While the center of the Russian army disintegrated , Russian regiments continued to hold on the right wing until they were overpowered , and the mercenary troops continued to put up strong resistance for several hours on the left wing . Eventually when Commonwealth infantry and cannons arrived , the mercenaries were forced to abandon their positions . A large portion of the foreign troops managed to retreat under the protection of their long infantry pikes in good order to the safety of their fortified camp ( which was separate from the Russian camp ) . Commonwealth forces now surrounded the two enemy camps . Further , the mercenaries who took positions in the forest were surrounded as well . However , the Russian fortified camp , filled with some still unbloodied troops ( outnumbering the exhausted Commonwealth force ) was a serious obstacle . Żółkiewski decided to attempt negotiations with the enemy , with significant success . Abandoned by the Russians , the foreign mercenaries entered negotiations with the Commonwealth troops and eventually surrendered , having reached satisfactory conditions . The mercenaries were allowed to withdraw under the condition that they would not enlist with the Tsardom of Russia against the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth again . Additionally , several hundred mercenaries chose to switch sides , enlisting with the Commonwealth army . Aftermath . The main Russian army was then allowed to retreat , as Shuisky preferred not to reengage in hostilities - despite the advice of his other commanders to the contrary . Meanwhile , the Commonwealth forces were exhausted and more interested in looting the camp and ( according to Podhorecki ) did not attempt to stop the Russians . According to another account by Nagielski , they pursued the retreating Russians , inflicting several thousand casualties . Commonwealth took much loot and trophies , from luxury goods ( gold , silver , furs ) to military equipment ( including all 11 Russian artillery pieces ) to war trophies ( several command flags and banners ) . Overall , the battle lasted about five hours . Shuisky ' s losses were about 5 , 000 ; Żółkiewski ' s , about 400 ( including 100 hussars ) . The battle is seen by modern historians as a decisive victory in the war , although contemporary accounts were less clear on this issue , and some tried to stress the importance of the Siege of Smolensk , commanded by the Polish king Sigismund III Vasa , and downplay Żółkiewski ' s victory . Regardless , following the battle , Żółkiewski then turned back towards the Russians at Tsaryovo - Zaymishche , commanded by Valuyev , who after learning about the defeat of their relief force at Kluszyno decided to surrender . Soon after the battle , Tsar Vasily IV was ousted by the boyars and Żółkiewski entered Moscow with little opposition . Boyars then proclaimed the Polish prince of the Commonwealth Władysław IV Waza as the new Tsar of Russia . He claimed the Tsar ' s title from 1610 to 1634 but never assumed the throne , as his father and Commonwealth king , Zygmunt III Waza , failed to negotiate a lasting agreement with the boyars ; the Polish garrison in Moscow was soon besieged and would surrender a year later . Quotes . From Hetman Żółkiewski ' s Memoires : From Żółkiewski ' s letter to the king : From Maskiewicz ' s memoires :