Battle of Warsaw ( 1831 ) The Battle of Warsaw was fought in September 1831 between Imperial Russia and Poland . After a two - day assault of the city ' s western fortifications , the Polish defences collapsed and the city was evacuated . It was the largest battle of the Polish - Russian War of 1830 – 1831 and the final episode of what became known as the November Uprising . After almost a year of heavy fighting , a large Russian force crossed the Vistula river and besieged the capital of Poland on 20 August . Although the siege was partially lifted soon afterwards and a successful sortie allowed a communication route between the city and the rest of Poland , a large Russian force remained on the left bank of the Vistula river and continued to threaten the city . Russian commander Ivan Paskevich counted on Polish surrender as his Polish counterpart , Jan Krukowiecki , was known to be a member of the moderate political forces , willing to negotiate with Russian tsar Nicholas I , who has been deposed of Polish throne in January 1831 by the Sejm ( Polish parliament ) . However , when a less conciliatory faction gained power in Warsaw and the Russian offer of surrender was refused , Paskevich ordered his forces to launch an assault against Warsaw ' s western defences . The assault started on 6 September 1831 . Russian forces surprised the Poles in that the main aim of their attack was the strongest Polish position in the suburb of Wola , while the Poles expected the attack to aim at the weakest link in Warsaw ' s defences . Despite staunch defence of some of the ramparts , notably Fort 54 and Fort 56 , after the first day the outer line of Polish defences had been breached by Russian infantry and artillery . The following day fights resumed , but this time Russian artillery was close enough to shell the western boroughs of the city itself . Although losses were similar on both sides , Polish authorities decided not to risk another Massacre of Praga and ordered the evacuation of the city . On 8 September 1831 Warsaw lay in Russian hands , while the remainder of the Polish Army retreated to Modlin . The November Uprising ended soon afterwards , with the remnants of the Polish Army crossing the borders of Prussia and Austria , to avoid being captured by the Russians . In 19th century the fight for Warsaw became one of the icons of Polish culture , described by , among others , Polish romantic poets Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki ; it was also the main inspiration behind Chopin ' s Revolutionary Étude , initially called the " Étude on the Bombardment of Warsaw " . The fall of Warsaw also incited a wave of sympathy towards the Poles and the Polish question . Background . The Congress of Vienna obliged Emperor Alexander I of Russia , in his role as King of Poland , to issue a constitution to the newly recreated Polish state under Russian domination . While the resulting Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland was among the most liberal constitutions in the world at the time , Russian authorities apparently considered it but an experiment , and the provisions of the constitution were openly manipulated , avoided or violated at whim by the tsarist administration . In 1819 Alexander I introduced preventive censorship and suppressed freedom of press . In 1821 freedom of assembly was annulled and all masonic lodges in Poland were disbanded . What followed was a period of increasingly harsh repressions against all Polish associations and societies , from real independence movements to cultural associations . The Sejm - theoretically independent of both the tsar and his officials - tried to convince the tsar to hold on to his constitution , but this proved impossible . In 1830 a series of revolutions struck Europe : the July Revolution in France , the Belgian Revolution and a number of smaller revolts in Italy threatened to overthrow the framework of European politics established at the Congress of Vienna . As the Russian tsars were among the strongest advocates of that status quo , the uprising in Poland and the ousting of the tsar as the king of Poland by the Sejm and Senate of Poland on 25 January 1831 were considered a serious irritant . Russia could not send its armies to Belgium or France before the rebellion in Poland was quelled . For that reason the capture of Warsaw , considered to be the main target in the war , was Russia ' s aim from the very start of hostilities . In the course of the Uprising , the army of Russia unsuccessfully tried to capture the capital of Poland on two occasions . First in February 1831 , forces under Field Marshal Hans Karl von Diebitsch stormed the eastern suburb of Praga . After a bloody battle at Grochów , the Polish Army successfully retreated to Warsaw , and the capital remained in Polish hands . Unable to capture Warsaw by a frontal assault , von Diebitsch devised a plan to outflank it and enter the city from the west . In the spring of 1831 he sent his forces upstream to the area of upper Vistula , where the Russian divisions were to cross the river and head back north , towards Warsaw . However , the new plan was thwarted by the staunch Polish defence in three successive battles around Wawer , Dębe Wielkie and Iganie . The Russians were forced to withdraw back towards Siedlce , where von Diebitsch soon fell ill and died of cholera . The successor of von Diebitsch as Commander in Chief of Russian forces in Poland , Count Ivan Paskevich , decided to wait for the Polish forces on other fronts to be defeated before he resumed his march on Warsaw . In June 1831 General Antoni Giełgud ' s attack on Wilno failed , and his corps was forced to cross the border with Prussia to avoid complete destruction . There the Polish force was interned , and only a small detachment under General Henryk Dembiński managed to rejoin the main Polish force . This secured Paskevich ' s northern flank and allowed his forces to devise a new plan of attack . Instead of attacking the city directly and risking yet another defeat , he intended to surround Warsaw , cut it off from other Polish - controlled areas and force it into submission . Between 17 and 21 July 1831 he crossed the Vistula near Osiek with his main force , and headed towards Warsaw through Gąbin and Łowicz . Meanwhile other Russian forces from other theatres were also directed towards the city . General Gregor von Rosen ' s Corps ( 12 , 000 men and 34 guns ) marched almost unopposed from Brześć Litewski and reached Praga on 10 August . General Theodor von Rüdiger ' s corps ( 12 , 000 men and 42 guns ) crossed Upper Vistula at Józefów on 7 August and captured the city of Radom . The new Commander in Chief of the Polish Army , Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki , was also hesitant to fight a major battle . Instead , he ordered Warsaw to be fortified and allowed the Russians to cross the Vistula River unopposed , planning to force them to besiege the city . In his opinion , the war could only be won diplomatically , by interventions of the governments of the United Kingdom , Austria and France . Should those fail , Skrzynecki believed Warsaw would hold out at least several weeks of siege , after which the main bulk of the Polish Army would still be intact to fight a decisive battle against the Russians , who by then would be cut off from their rear by the Vistula . However , on 10 August 1831 Skrzynecki was forced to resign and was replaced by Henryk Dembiński , the military governor of Warsaw . Prelude . Battlefield . In late 18th century and early 19th century Warsaw experienced a period of fast growth . However , as Poland was going through a period of turmoil and constant devastating wars , it lacked modern permanent fortifications . To make up for it , three lines of earthworks , ramparts and palisade s were constructed on both sides of the Vistula river . The earthworks , usually several metres high and constructed mostly of sand and clay , were reinforced with gabion s and surrounded by a dry moat , a stockade and a line of trous de loup . The inner , third line ran approximately along the Lubomirski Ramparts demolished only a couple of years before the outbreak of the uprising . It was a continuous line of earthworks high , strengthened by numerous forts and fortified houses . The second line of defences consisted of forts located in front of the inner line of defences . The strongest forts were located along the road towards Kalisz . The first , outer line of defences consisted of smaller forts and ramparts running along a semi - circular line from Szopy , through Rakowiec , Wola and Parysów to the banks of Vistula river . The fortified outposts of the outer line were located between in front of the third line . Their purpose was to withstand the initial attacks and divide the attacking Russian forces into smaller groups . There were five large groups of earthworks of the outer line : The space between the large fortifications was covered by a series of smaller redan s ( chevron - shaped forts ) and barkans ( trapezoidal forts ) . The strongest fortification in the outer line of defences was the Fort No . 56 in the suburb of Wola , built around the St Lawrence ' s Church . It was supported by a Lunette No . 57 located right in front of it and two additional forts ( Nos . 54 and 55 ) to the south of it . The post of the headquarters was located in Fort No . 73 between Rakowiec and the Jerozolimskie Gate . Polish headquarters decided to defend the outer line of defences , the furthest from the densely - populated areas . The reason was that in 1830s roughly 53 % of buildings ( out of 3148 houses in Warsaw ) were made of wood and a possible fire could easily destroy the city . However , in case the enemy broke through all three lines of defences , the city centre was also fortified with 30 barricade s , embrasure s cut through the walls of several buildings and mines hidden beneath major street crossings . Opposing forces . By 20 August 1831 Warsaw was almost entirely encircled by the Russians . Count Paskevich had at his disposal a formidable force . His main force on the left bank of the Vistula consisted of between 54 , 000 and 55 , 000 soldiers , supported by 324 guns of various calibres . An additional 7000 soldiers and 20 guns guarded the river crossings . In addition to Paskevich ' s main force , the II Corps under General Cyprian von Kreutz ( 21 , 000 soldiers , 90 guns ) was heading towards the city from Osiek . Meanwhile von Rüdiger ' s corps was tied down around Radom , fighting a large Polish corps under General Samuel Różycki . By 5 September 1831 the main Russian force rose to 78 , 500 men at arms , including 2000 sappers , 54 , 000 infantry , and 17 , 200 cavalry . Russian artillery outnumbered the Polish and had 382 cannons and 8 mortar s manned by 7 , 300 men . The forces assaulting Warsaw were divided as follows : While superior , the Russian force faced severe logistical problems . Count Paskevich ' s army was too big to sustain on food confiscated from captured lands . It relied on provisions transported from Russia , either directly through Polish territory or through – theoretically neutral – Prussia . However , the epidemic of cholera brought to Poland and East Prussia by Russian soldiers forced the Prussian authorities to close their borders to Russian transports . To avoid starving his army , Paskevich ordered two permanent bridges built across Vistula , in Góra and Podgórze . However , only the latter one had been completed by the start of the Russian assault of Warsaw . The Polish Army in early September 1831 numbered around 62 , 000 men in total . The garrison of the city itself numbered some 31 , 100 infantry and 3800 cavalry . It was divided into the following units : The artillery , including organic artillery of infantry and cavalry divisions , as well as artillery of the forts , included 228 pieces of artillery and 21 Congreve rocket batteries , manned by 4554 soldiers of the regular army and 200 members of the National Guard . The crew was insufficient to man all the defences , and some forts had to be abandoned . The Engineering Committee predicted that Warsaw ' s fortifications would require at least 60 , 000 troops to be fully manned . While there were roughly 15 , 000 able - bodied members of Security Guard , National Guard and Jewish City Guard militias willing to join the fight , the army refused to provide them with arms for fear of losing control over the unruly plebeians . The situation of the defenders was critical , as the city was home to over 175 , 000 civilians , refugees , sick and wounded . The defenders were low on provisions and food supplies were far from adequate . The epidemic of cholera brought to Poland by Russian troops struck Warsaw as well , between 16 May and 20 August 4734 people fell ill and 2524 died . In addition , on 15 August a riot broke out in the city , with up to 3000 angry civilians and soldiers killing suspected spies and traitors . Between 36 and 60 people were killed . The order was restored , but the situation in the besieged city remained fragile . On the other hand the ammunition supplies were excellent and would " allow the Polish Army to fight not one , but three major battles " . The Warsaw Arsenal alone stored roughly 3 million rifle rounds and 60 , 000 cannon shots , roughly 200 shots per cannon . Both sides were trained in a similar manner and used similar equipment . The standard rifle for both sides was the Model 1808 flintlock musket ( a clone of the Charleville musket ) and its modification , the Model 1826 Musket , with effective fire range not exceeding roughly . Some units of the Polish infantry were still armed with hunting rifle s or war scythes , but contrary to common misconception the scythe - wielding kosynierzy were but a small minority of Polish forces . The artillery used by both sides was composed mostly of 6 - pounder and 12 - pounder licorne s , while heavier artillery included 20 - pounders ( " half - pood " ) and 10 - pounders ( " quarter - pood " ) cannons . Apart from Russian - made artillery , both sides used to a lesser extent also pieces of foreign production , either imported or captured . Also , the forces of both sides were a mixture of old , battle - hardened soldiers trained in regular units before the war , and new , unproven recruits . The Polish Army was made up primarily of volunteers and organised along the lines of Napoleon Bonaparte ' s army , which meant that there were no corporal punishments in the military handbooks and the soldiers were highly motivated . However , the excellent morale of the first months of the uprising was long gone by the early days of September . A long string of defeats , partial victories , and retreats coupled with high command ' s indecisiveness and frequent changes in command structure ( between 12 and 20 August the post of Commander - in - Chief changed hands four times ) meant that the soldiers ' morale was low . Also , most of the generals in Warsaw lacked faith in the aims of the uprising set by the more liberal - minded members of Sejm and instead were " only doing their job " , hoping the " status quo " would return as soon as the tsar was forced to stand by his promises . The generals supporting continued fighting ( Jan Nepomucen Umiński , Henryk Dembiński , Józef Bem , Kazimierz Małachowski ) were in charge in early September , but they were outnumbered by generals who were willing to sign an armistice with the Russians , even against the will of the Sejm . By contrast the Russian forces ' morale was extremely high . In addition , the Russian commanders had ample experience in siege operations , Paskevich himself had captured at least six fortified cities in his career , including the capture of Erevan and Abbas - Abbad Fortress in the Russo - Persian War of 1826 and the battle of Akhalzic and siege of Kars during the Russo - Turkish War of 1828 . Battle . Initial clashes . Facing logistical problems , the new Polish Commander - in - Chief Jan Krukowiecki , who had replaced Dembiński in mid - August , ordered a sortie on the right bank . Like his predecessor , Krukowiecki was a conservatist and believed the main aim of the November Uprising was the return of status quo ante with the tsars of Russia as kings of Poland , but respecting the constitution and Polish laws . Unlike Skrzynecki however , he believed foreign intervention to be unrealistic . Instead he wanted to force the Russians to return to peace talks by either defeating the Russian forces of von Rosen and von Rüdiger , breaking the siege or by defeating the assault attempts . According to the new strategy , the forces under Girolamo Ramorino and Tomasz Łubieński were to leave the city and stay on the right bank of the Vistula , harass the Russian forces under von Rosen and von Rüdiger , capture the river crossings at Osiek , provide the city with supplies and force Paskevich to divert some of his forces to fight them . Both forces left the city between 16 and 20 August 1831 . Tomasz Łubieński ' s Corps headed towards Płock and indeed managed to break the encirclement and deliver much - needed supplies to Warsaw . His forces also broke the northern line of communications between Paskevich ' s forces and East Prussia . Meanwhile Girolamo Ramorino ' s II Corps operating in Podlachia defeated von Rosen ' s Corps in a number of clashes , notably in the battles of Międzyrzec and Rogoźnica . However , Ramorino ' s indecisiveness and disregard for orders allowed the defeated and numerically inferior Russians to retreat towards Brześć Litewski . The Russian corps thus avoided complete destruction . The departure of regular units under Ramorino and Łubieński depleted the forces of the defenders , further weakening the crew manning the first line of defence . The entire garrison dropped to merely 28 , 000 regular soldiers and 10 , 000 fresh troops , often armed only with scythes , badly equipped and poorly trained . Having defeated von Rosen at Międzyrzec on 29 August , Ramorino ' s forces were ordered to return to Siedlce , but Ramorino disregarded that order and followed von Rosen all the way towards Brześć . The order to return through Łuków to Siedlce was repeated on 4 September . From there a forcible march could allow the II Corps to cross Vistula to the south of Warsaw and attack Paskevich from the rear , or rejoin the bulk of the Polish Army defending Warsaw . However , the repeated order was also ignored . In effect a large part of Polish forces , composed mostly of seasoned soldiers , high on morale thanks to recent victories , was wandering aimlessly through Podlachia , only a couple of days ' march from Warsaw . In the end , instead of coming to the aid of Warsaw or following the fleeing forces of von Rosen , Ramorino waited in Podlachia for a week , and then headed south , away from the enemy . On 4 September Paskevich sent an envoy to Warsaw requesting surrender and promising the revision of the constitution . However , only three out of ten members of the Diplomatic Commission voted in favour of further negotiations . In the end on 5 September the Russian commander was informed that the only acceptable solution had already been made known to all in the declaration of the Sejm . In short , the Poles requested that all lands taken by Russia in the partitions of Poland be restored , and that the deposition of Nicholas I as the king of Poland ( of 25 January 1831 ) still be valid . On the eve of the battle , the Russian Army moved from its positions in villages surrounding Warsaw ( Nadarzyn , Wolica , Falenty , Dawidy and Raszyn ) closer to Polish positions . The Guards started moving towards the village of Opacze Wielkie , the grenadiers , Cavalry Corps and the I Infantry Corps moved to the road to Kalisz near the village of Szamoty , while the II Infantry Corps moved to Włochy . An infantry division under Muraviev occupied the fields between Okęcie and Rakowiec , and Cavalry Division of Nostitz moved to Zbarż . To complete the encirclement , the 2nd Light Division under von Strandmann took positions at the road towards Lublin near Służew , while Stepan Khilkov ' s Cavalry Division moved to Chrzanów . The supply trains and reserves were left in Nadarzyn . Battle plans . Although far from decisive , the actions of Ramorino and Łubieński forced the hand of Paskevich . Initially opposing the idea of an all - out assault of the city , Paskevich was low on provisions and supplies : by early September the main Russian force had only 5 days ' worth of food and horse fodder . On 28 August Paskevich caved in to some of his generals ' advice and ordered preparation of a general attack . After several days of quarrels within the Russian staff , it was decided on 4 September that the main thrust should be aimed at the strongest Polish positions behind the suburb of Wola . The main thrust of the Russian attack was directed at the central rampart in Wola , the Fort No . 56 , as well as the fortifications surrounding it . The Russian I Infantry Corps was to storm Fort No . 57 and continue towards Forts 56 and 58 . The II Infantry Corps was to focus on nearby Forts No . 54 and 55 . Other sectors of the front were to be only lightly pressed by diversionary attacks . Most probably Paskevich did not want to enter the city itself , and counted on the Polish defenders to abandon the city or surrender once the outer ring of defences is pierced and the city centre was threatened with fire . Meanwhile the Polish plan was based on fixed defence of the front line , with the forces under Umiński and Dembiński sheltered behind the second line of defences and acting as a mobile reserve , together with divisional artillery and cavalry . Umiński ' s Corps was to cover the southern sector of the front , a line of approximately from road to Puławy , through the road towards Kraków , to the line connecting the Fort 18 and Fort 74 . Forces under Dembiński were to defend the western and northern sector , along a line of approximately running from Redoubt No . 54 to the suburb of Marymont . Most of the Polish forces were amassed in the southern part of the city , as the Polish headquarters incorrectly assumed that the Russians would attack the weakest part of the defences , around Królikarnia , the suburbs of Mokotów and Czerniaków . 6 September . Already before the battle Paskevich achieved devastating numerical superiority on the western front . The first Russian line facing Wola numbered 30 , 200 soldiers , 144 pieces of artillery and 8 mortars ; the second line was formed by 39 , 200 soldiers and 196 pieces of artillery . Facing them was a force of 5300 infantry , 65 cannons and 1100 cavalry under Dembiński , with additional 4800 soldiers in reserve . Enemy movements alerted Polish observation posts located atop the Holy Trinity Church and Astronomical Observatory at Ujazdów Avenue . At 2 : 00 Polish defenders were put on alert . The attack started around 4 : 00 . Polish soldiers manning forts No . 54 and 57 were the first to notice enemy movement , Fort No . 54 opened fire on approaching Russians around 5 : 00 , Russian artillery responded with fire and the battle started . The Fort No . 56 consisted of three wings , each surrounded by its own earthwork , stockades and a moat . Partially obscured by the trees of Brühl ' s Garden , the central wing was further reinforced by the St . Laurence ' s Church and the surrounding monastery , contained within . The fort was manned by 2 battalions of the 8th Regiment of Line Infantry ( 1200 men ) , with 40 sappers , 13 cannons , 2 Congreve rocket launchers and a small detachment from the 14th Regiment of Line Infantry ( 170 men ) . The fort was commanded by General Józef Sowiński . In front of Fort No . 56 , on a hill overlooking the battlefield , lay a smaller irregularly - shaped Fort No . 57 manned by 300 men under Maj . Józef Krassowski , armed with 4 pieces of artillery and 2 Congreve rocket launchers . To the north lay Fort No . 59 ( 4 cannons , 400 men under Maj . Józef Borzęcki ) , while to the south Fort No . 54 ( up to 350 men under Maj . Ignacy Dobrzelewski and 6 guns under Lt . Julian Konstanty Ordon ) . Even though the remaining forts of Wola ( Forts No . 55 , 58 , 60 and 61 ) were deprived of their garrisons to strengthen the defence , the most important Polish positions were still severely undermanned . Around 5 : 00 86 guns of the I Infantry Corps started shelling Polish positions around Wola from a distance of . Further to the south lay a group of forts of the outer line near the village of Rakowiec . All had been abandoned by the Poles already in early September , and were captured by Russian infantry under General Muraviev without a fight . Meanwhile forces under General von Strandmann captured the village of Szopy and started attacking Forts No . 44 , 45 and the fortifications around Królikarnia . Although von Strandmann ' s unit did not have a clear numerical superiority ( 2900 Russians with 6 guns against 1700 Poles with 6 guns ) , the Polish defenders were quickly pushed back . Soon dense black powder smoke covered the battlefield . Unable to determine the true direction of Russian attacks , the Polish commanders believed that the aim of the main thrust would be delivered against the positions at Królikarnia . The first to realise the mistake was General Dembiński , the commanding officer of the Reserve Corps tasked with defending the western sector . He immediately asked for reinforcements , but was denied by General Krukowiecki . Forced to fight alone , Dembiński decided not to reinforce the first line with his reserve 3rd Infantry Division and instead sent forward only a token force : half a battalion to man Fort No . 58 and support Fort No . 57 . To make things worse for the Poles , General Umiński , the commanding officer of the southern sector , focused entirely on the skirmishes around Królikarnia and did not notice what was happening in Wola . Around 7 : 00 he even reinforced Królikarnia with almost 6 battalions of infantry ( ca . 2800 men ) and 3 guns . Forts No . 54 and 55 received no reinforcements . Fort 54 . Meanwhile the outer earthworks protecting the forts around Wola were being destroyed by Russian artillery . Since 6 : 00 roughly 108 pieces of Russian artillery were focused only on forts 54 , 55 and 57 . Fort 54 held out and losses among the infantry were low , but the artillery of the isolated outposts was forced to hide behind the ramparts . Forts 59 and 61 could not support their neighbours as their crews fought their own artillery duel with horse artillery of Khilkov ' s Cavalry Division . Khilkov ' s men suffered heavy casualties . Out of 32 pieces of artillery held in reserve by Dembiński , only 4 were moved forward to fort No . 58 . Around 6 : 30 additional 9 guns joined the artillery duel around Wola , but their support was too weak and came too late . At that time two large assault columns were formed by Russian II Infantry Corps . The first , under General Nikolai Sulima , headed for Fort No . 54 with Lutkovski ' s Brigade ( 2500 men ) in the first line . The second , commanded by General Friedrich Caspar von Geismar , headed for Fort No . 55 . As soon as von Geismar realised that the redoubt was empty , he ordered 1500 men under Col . Pavel Liprandi to join the attack on Fort 54 instead . Despite serious losses , three battalions of Lutkovski ' s Brigade reached the stockade surrounding the earthworks and started clearing the obstacles . Because of the smoke the commanders of the second line of Polish outposts did not open fire with their artillery on the approaching Russians , unable to see their progress . Contrary to the battle plan , the second line did not send reinforcements to the first either . This was particularly important in the case of Forts 54 and 56 , as they had to face the enemy alone , without the support of Forts No . 21 , 22 and 23 located behind them . The most important positions in the suburb of Wola received only token reinforcements from the main reserve and were forced to fight alone and in isolation . Polish defenders of Fort 54 fired incessantly , but by then the Russian horse artillery had clear line of sight onto the top of the rampart . Also , for unknown reasons the Poles did not use grenades prepared for defence in close quarters . When the breach was completed , two Russian regiments ( 13th ' Belozerskiy ' and 14th ' Olonetskiy ' ) charged into the gap . Other Russian soldiers stormed the earthwork itself , using bayonets as steps to climb onto the parapet . After several salvoes , Polish infantry retreated to within the fort , to fire at Russian soldiers appearing on top of the rampart . The first to cross the obstacles was Pavel Liprandi with his men . With 10 : 1 Russian superiority , the bayonet fight was short , and between 60 and 80 remaining Poles laid down their weapons in a matter of minutes . However , soon afterwards the gunpowder magazine was set on fire and exploded , killing over 100 Russians , among them the commanding officer of the 13th Regiment , Col . Ivan Khludenev . The explosion was fictionalised and immortalised in Adam Mickiewicz ' s poem " Reduta Ordona " ( Ordon ' s Redoubt ) . Altogether the Russian losses during the storming of Fort No . 54 amounted to between 500 and 600 killed . The dead were buried in a mass grave in a shell - hole , which later became the nucleus of the Orthodox Cemetery in Warsaw . The 80 remaining Poles were taken prisoner by the Russians . Expecting a Polish counter - attack , Russian engineers started to repair Forts 54 and 55 . However , initially only Polish artillery from forts No . 73 , 21 , 22 and 23 responded with fire , while Dembiński ' s reserves remained passive . Seeing no activity on Polish side , Russian II Infantry Corps ' artillery started supporting its neighbours of the I Infantry Corps . Russian artillery suffered some losses , but its superiority was evident . Batteries of the I Corps approached Fort 57 to within the distance of , which forced the Polish artillery to be dismantled and withdrawn from the fort . Around 8 : 00 two columns of the I Corps ( under Alexander von Lüders and Ivan Nabokov ) assaulted the fort . Elements of four Russian regiments ( 3rd and 4th Marine Regiments , 7th ' Revelski ' Infantry Regiment and Moskovsky Regiment ) stormed the fort from three sides , hoping a three - hour artillery barrage destroyed the obstacles and palisade guarding the entry to Polish positions . However , the stockade was almost intact and Russian forces suffered considerable losses , both from small - arms fire and from artillery of the 2nd line . The officers ordered a retreat , but the soldiers disregarded the order and continued to assault the fort on their own . Several assaults were repelled with heavy losses for the Russians . Despite the losses , Russian infantry finally entered the fort and captured it in a close quarters fight , without a single shot fired . Only about 80 Poles were taken captive , and four managed to retreat to the Polish lines with their wounded commanding officer ; the remainder fought fanatically and were killed almost to the last man . As the recently captured fort was well within the range of Polish artillery , the Russians withdrew and started hiding behind it . Fort 56 . Despite the loss of forts no . 54 , 55 and 57 Krukowiecki was still convinced that the attack on Wola was but a diversion , and refused to grant General Dembiński additional reinforcements . Only General Ludwik Bogusławski , commanding officer of the 3rd Infantry Division , disregarded his orders and sent a single battalion of the 10th Line Infantry Regiment to Fort 56 as reinforcements . The battalion was led by Col . Piotr Wysocki , the same officer who started the entire November Uprising . Desperate , Dembiński abandoned Fort 58 . Its artillery , along with 12 pieces of artillery and 6 rocket launchers from his reserves , was ordered to take positions between the first and second lines of defence , in front of Forts 21 , 22 and 23 . Around 9 : 00 , when Russian forces were preparing to push further into the second line of Polish defences , Brigadier Józef Bem arrived to Wola with his 12 cannons and boldly positioned them not far from the recently lost fort No . 54 , right on the flank of Kreutz ' s infantry and Russian artillery shelling Fort 56 . An additional 8 guns and 4 rocket launchers arrived to the northern flank of Wola and joined the defence of Fort 58 . Around that time the combined artillery forces of both Russian infantry corps shifted their fire to Forts No . 56 , 59 and 23 . This time the artillery duel was won by the Poles . Despite Russian numerical superiority in guns and mortars , Russian artillery suffered losses and was forced to withdraw , followed by infantry , likewise forced back into hiding behind the captured earthworks . However , Dembiński did not take advantage of this success , and the Polish infantry remained hidden behind fixed defences . Seeing no activity , the commander of the Russian II Corps ordered all his cannons to shift fire onto the 14 guns under Józef Bem . Heavily pressed , Polish artillery withstood the fire for over half an hour before switching to new positions to the right of the road to Kalisz . It resumed fire on the II Corps , but was again targeted by enemy guns . The artillery duel continued , but the situation of Fort No . 56 was becoming critical . Shelled from three sides , the largest Polish fort around Warsaw was now isolated . Including reinforcements brought by Col . Wysocki , the crew of the fort included approximately 1660 infantrymen and 10 pieces of artillery . By 10 : 00 most artillerymen were killed or wounded ( including fort ' s artillery commander , Capt . Krzywicki ) and had to be replaced with untrained infantrymen , which seriously limited the Polish guns ' rate of fire and accuracy . All ramparts were being successively damaged by Russian artillery , and there was a 30 - metre breach in one of its sides . Paskevich , who observed the artillery duel from Fort 55 , became convinced that his Polish counterpart would not come to the rescue of Fort 56 . Initially hesitant , he finally ordered Russian infantry to attack Fort 56 around 10 : 00 . The attack was carried out by 13 infantry battalions ( ca . 6900 men ) from columns commanded by General Lüders and Martinov . The forces of Lüders stormed the obstacles and crossed the stockade , but Polish defenders met them with rifle volleys from within the fort , and the attack was repelled . However , Lüders quickly ordered his second line ( 2300 men ) to advance as well . The new forces were twice pushed back into the moat by the commander of the northern wing , Maj . Franciszek Biernacki , but in the end the Polish defenders were overpowered and had to withdraw further into the fort . The Russians entered the fort , but their battalions lost cohesion and were fighting as isolated groups of soldiers and not as a single force , which allowed the numerically inferior force under Biernacki to hold - out inside the fort and cover the flank of the central wing . Meanwhile forces under General Martinov assaulted the central wing of Fort 56 . Here the obstacles were intact , and 200 Polish soldiers managed to repel three consecutive assaults by a famed Moscow Guards Regiment . The Russians lost two regimental commanders before their forces managed to reach the moat . When a force of roughly 2900 Russians reached the top of the rampart , they were surprised by a staunch defence of a second rampart , located right behind it . Russian infantry retreated and hid under the first rampart . Meanwhile Biernacki , fighting in the northern wing , managed to expel the Russian infantry , but was killed in action during the counter - attack and the Poles withdrew back into the trees on the far side of the fort . To stabilise the situation , General Sowiński ordered a company of the 8th Line Infantry Regiment to leave the central wing and join the fight in the north . The new commanding officer of the north wing , Maj . Lipski , organised yet another counter - attack . Shouting " Mates , remember Grochów , remember Iganie ! " he led his men in a brave charge and pushed the Russians back once again , but the impetus was lost and the Russians retained control of the rampart to the north - west . A short stalemate ensued , in which the Polish infantrymen and their single 12 - pounder carronade prevented much larger enemy forces from entering the fort . Seeing that their forces had failed , Paskevich and Pahlen decided to throw in even more forces into the fight . Elements of the 9th ' Ingermanland ' Infantry Regiment and 10th ' New Ingermanland ' Infantry Regiment ( 890 men and 6 guns ) were ordered to attack the eastern side of the northern wing . Simultaneously 7 battalions ( ca . 4000 men ) were to attack the central and eastern wings from the south . Meanwhile roughly 70 pieces of artillery were ordered to fire on the second line of Polish defences to prevent Polish reinforcements from breaking through to the fort . This time several thousand Russians entered the northern wing in strict military formations . By then the garrison under Maj . Lipski had roughly 800 men and was not strong enough to withstand the assault . Poles were again pushed back into the trees of the far side of the northern wing , and Maj . Lipski was killed . He was replaced by Maj . Dobrogoyski , who panicked and sounded a retreat , taking with him roughly 500 men . The remaining 300 soldiers under Maj . Świtkowski tried to once again charge the Russians out , but were by then outnumbered 10 to 1 and around 10 : 30 had to withdraw towards the central wing . The central wing , by then under the command of Lt . Col . Wodzyński , held out against a large column led by General Lüders , composed of elite regiments of Prince Wilhelm and Prince Charles . By that time the central wing was defended by a mere 900 men and one cannon . The combined forces of Lüders , Martynov and Friedrich von Berg exceeded 6000 men and were preparing to storm the central wing . Several assaults were repelled , but shortly after 11 : 00 the Polish position was attacked both from the north and south at the same time . The northern pincer stalled while the southern pincer , led by General Malinovski , was bloodily repelled and General Martynov was heavily wounded . However , General Pahlen ordered an additional 2300 men ( 5th Infantry Regiment and elements of Siberian Grenadiers ) to attack from the other side . The Siberian regiment entered the fort and forced the crews of carronades , commanded personally by General Sowiński , to withdraw to within the walls surrounding the church . The largest group of Polish soldiers fighting in front of the church was offered capitulation , and Sowiński accepted . He and the remainder of his crew laid down their arms . However , another group of Polish soldiers still defending the church fired at the Russians , and the prisoners of war were then massacred by angered Russian soldiers , General Sowiński among them . As Russian authorities later confirmed he died on the field of duty , Sowiński soon became a Polish national hero , immortalised in a poem " Sowiński w okopach Woli " ( Sowiński in the trenches of Wola ) by Juliusz Słowacki . The surrounded church was well prepared for defence , but its garrison was by then composed almost entirely of the wounded . By noon the defenders were overpowered , and the Russians entered the church . The fight for Fort 56 was over . Altogether the Russian side lost no less than 1000 killed in action during the storming of the fort . Polish casualties did not exceed 300 killed and wounded , while 1230 soldiers and officers were taken prisoner . Only up to 500 soldiers managed to withdraw and reach Polish lines . Fights for Wola and elsewhere . During the fights for the ramparts of Wola , only artillery of the second line gave limited support to the outnumbered Polish troops . Krukowiecki after the war claimed that he ordered Dembiński , Bem and General Franciszek Młokosiewicz to support the first line , but apparently none of them received the order . General Ludwik Bogusławski and his 3rd Infantry Division , stationed in the forts of the second line , could have supported the forts of the first line , but Bogusławski could not see what was happening in Fort 56 due to dense smoke and the trees of Brühl ' s Garden . Following the capture of the most important forts , Paskevich expected a Polish counter - attack , so he ordered his troops to halt the advance , rebuild the ramparts and set up artillery in front of the Polish fortifications to prevent the Poles from reaching the recently lost forts . Further movement in the vicinity of Wola was blocked by Polish artillery from Fort No . 59 , but in a matter of 2 hours Russian sappers prepared Fort No . 56 to serve as an artillery outpost for up to 20 pieces of artillery . Paskevich also sent tirailleur s and rifle - armed skirmisher s forward to probe and harass Polish defences around Fort No . 23 . Polish field artillery left Fort No . 21 and pushed back Russian light infantry , but were then attacked by Russian I Corps ' artillery and were themselves forced to flee . Only then did General Bogusławski realise that Fort No . 56 might need assistance . To reconnoitre enemy movements and possibly deliver munitions to the fort he dispatched General Młokosiewicz with his infantry brigade of 1000 men towards . Two Russian rifle regiments fled before his columns and Młokosiewicz ' s men almost reached the fort , but Russian artillery opened fire and inflicted several dozen casualties on the Poles . Młokosiewicz realised that Fort 56 was lost and quickly retreated towards Forts No . 21 and 22 . Two Russian rifle regiments ( 1st and 2nd ) tried to pursue , but were in turn defeated by Polish artillery and retreated as well . Unexpectedly , this weak push by Młokosiewicz and his men probably forced the Russians to reconsider their plans and postpone any further attacks until the following day . At that moment Paskevich was not sure what the Poles would do . He feared a Polish counter - attack would retake the forts of Wola , or strike a wedge between his I and II Corps . He ordered all offensive actions in Wola halted . His artillery continued to duel with the Polish , but infantry was withdrawn and Paskevich himself left his forces to look for the Corps of General Muraviev to the south , somewhere between Szczęśliwice and the Jerozolimskie Gate . Around that time General Małachowski arrived at Fort No . 23 to inspect the part of the front he had neglected until that point . Informed by General Młokosiewicz of the loss of Fort 56 , he ordered a counter - attack . However , more preoccupied with holding the second line than with retaking the first , he committed only 2 battalions ( roughly 1240 men ) out of 12 he had in reserve to the assault . The counter - attack started around 13 : 00 and was supported by a token force of 14 pieces of horse artillery , while General Bem held 21 heavier field cannons in reserve . As soon as the Poles left their ramparts , the sortie came under fire of Russian artillery amassed in front of forts No . 54 , 55 and 56 . Despite heavy fire , Poles reached a point roughly south - east of Fort 56 , where they were met by elements of two Russian rifle regiments ( 1st and 2nd ; ca . 1800 men ) . Despite Russian numerical superiority , the Polish force broke through and pushed the Russians back , but was then defeated by Russian artillery on the eastern rampart of Fort 56 . When Russian reinforcements appeared on both flanks of the Poles , the Polish commander sounded retreat and returned to the Polish lines . The Polish counter - attack failed . To make the situation even more serious , the retreating Poles were followed closely by a large Russian force of the two rifle regiments , reinforced with elements of 1st , 2nd and 5th Infantry Divisions . The Russians assaulted the second Polish line and pierced it in numerous places . However , the position of Russian infantry was very difficult because it overtook the 14 Polish guns sent forward by General Bem to support the Polish counter - attack , which meant that it was under artillery fire both from the front , the sides and from the rear . Eventually a counter - attack by the 4th Line Infantry Regiment under Lt . Col . Kazimierz Majewski repelled the Russians storming the Polish lines . Several smaller Russian units broke through and tried to fortify a group of wooden houses in the suburb of Wola , but were quickly surrounded and killed . At that point , around 13 : 00 , Małachowski wanted to organise yet another counter - attack aimed at Fort No . 56 , but his orders were overridden by Krukowiecki , who feared that the Russians might want to attack further south , near Jerozolimskie Gate , and preferred to keep his reserves intact . The Polish side ceased all offensive actions at the western front , and after that only the artillery remained active . Artillery duel continues . Between 13 : 00 and 14 : 00 General Bem amassed at least 64 pieces of artillery on a narrow front near Forts No . 21 , 22 and 23 , and started firing on both the artillery and infantry of the I Russian Corps . In the artillery barrage that lasted until 17 : 00 , the forces of Russian I and II Corps were eventually forced to withdraw further away , behind the ramparts of the captured forts . On several occasions the Russian cavalry of General Khilkov ( notably the Cuirassier Regiment ) tried to charge the Polish artillery positions , but every time the charge was bloodily repelled with grapeshot and canister shot . Eventually the Russian cavalry withdrew from battle all the way to Górce . Half of the Russian artillery fought an intense artillery duel with the Poles , while the other half started shelling the suburb of Wola and Polish positions behind the second line of defences . However , although the barrage prepared the field for yet another Polish counter - attack , Krukowiecki would not risk it . Meanwhile Paskevich held a war council with his generals . Karl Wilhelm von Toll and many other generals insisted that the assault on Wola be resumed , but Paskevich was sceptical . The Russians still had roughly 25 , 000 fresh troops , but the dusk was nearing , and Paskevich feared that after dark his forces might loose cohesion and suffer excessive losses . Also , the Russian commander feared that an attack on Wola might be hampered by positions of the first line still held by the Poles ( Forts No . 58 , 59 and 60 ; in reality Fort 58 had been abandoned ) , or by a Polish counter - attack from the area of Czyste . Because of that he decided to postpone offensive actions until the following day . Paskevich also sent another envoy to Warsaw , but the hastily called session of the Sejm renounced his offer of a cease - fire . By that point the battle plan of the Russians was still not clear to the Polish Commander - in - Chief General Krukowiecki . Unsure whether the main attack was on Wola or the forts around Królikarnia , he did not reassign any sizable infantry force to the western front , despite the fact that the southern line was safely in Polish hands and repeated Russian attacks there were being repelled one by one . Out of roughly 3000 casualties suffered by the Polish side on the first day only approximately 300 were in the southern sector near Królikarnia , including at most " several dozen killed " . Yet only a small detachment of horse artillery was dispatched to the second line near Wola . In the evening General Krukowiecki called a meeting of the government and described the situation of his forces as extremely difficult . He suggested that talks with Paskevich be resumed and dispatched General Prądzyński to Paskevich ' s camp . 7 September . Negotiations and preparations . Prądzyński met with Paskevich at the outskirts of Wola at 3 : 00 on 7 September . Prądzyński asserted the Russian commander , that " Krukowiecki and the Polish nation are willing to return to under the rule of Nicholas " . Paskevich in turn proclaimed a cease - fire and invited Krukowiecki to meet him in person at 9 : 00 . The meeting , held in the village tavern of Wola , was far from amicable . Paskevich demanded that Warsaw and Praga be surrendered unconditionally and that Polish Army be evacuated and disarmed in Płock . Krukowiecki did not want to agree to Paskevich ' s terms and retracted his earlier statement that he was willing to accept Russian terms unconditionally . The Russian commander insisted that the Poles sign unconditional surrender and withdraw to Płock , where the Polish Army was to await the decision of the tsar who would then either pardon them or imprison them as rebels . At the same time Krukowiecki maintained that the war was waged by two independent states , and not by rebels against their monarch . He wanted Paskevich and Grand Duke Michael to promise the return of Poland ' s independence and a general amnesty in exchange for revoking the act of Sejm deposing Nicholas from the throne of Poland . The negotiations were stormy and eventually around noon the Polish commander announced that he has to consult the Sejm about further actions . He departed for Warsaw , while Paskevich agreed to extend the cease - fire to 13 : 00 , and to continue negotiations even if warfare is resumed . To gain support of the Polish Sejm , Krukowiecki asked General Prądzyński to represent him during the joint session of the Sejm and Senate . His political plan as the leader of the Uprising was to end it at all cost , return to status quo ante , with himself as the " saviour of the fatherland " , who stopped further bloodshed . In his speech Prądzyński seriously overestimated the Russian force , while also underestimating the strength of the Polish units . He also threatened the government and the Sejm that the city would be massacred the way it was in 1794 should fights continue . He also promised , that should negotiations resume , the return to full independence under the sceptre of Nicholas was easily achievable , something he knew for sure was not true . Yet , he failed to convince his government and the Sejm that surrender was the only option , and a heated debate extended past the deadline of 13 : 00 . The Russians resumed hostilities , and artillery of both sides started yet another duel . The fights of the previous day resulted in similar casualties for both sides . Russian capture of the most important forts in the western sector gave their artillery clear line of fire into the suburbs of Czyste and Wola , it also strengthened the morale of Russian soldiers , convinced that the battle was over once Fort 54 fell . The battle was far from lost for the Polish side though : although the Russians could now attack the third line of Polish defences , their attacks could easily be flanked by Polish defences of the second line still manned by Polish crews . Should the Russian commander decide to attack Czyste ( Forts 20 - 22 ) , his forces could be fired upon from forts 73 and 74 . Should Paskevich decide to attack Wola instead ( Forts 23 and 24 ) , his forces would be outflanked by Polish forts to their rear ( 58 , 59 and 60 ) . Also , to support their advance with artillery , Russian guns would have to be placed in front of recently captured Polish defences , deprived of their protection . Yet , the Polish plans for the battle remained unchanged . Fort 59 was evacuated and Polish positions around Czyste and close to Jerozolimskie Gate were slightly reinforced , yet Polish forces remained almost equally split between the western and southern sectors . Unbeknownst to the Poles , Russian orders for 7 September were not changed either . The II Infantry Corps was to attack the group of forts at Czyste ( No . 21 and 22 ) , while the I Infantry Corps was to assault further north ( Forts No . 23 and 24 ) . Muraviev ' s forces were to attack the Jerozolimskie Gate , while the remaining forces were to continue with their diversionary attacks of the previous day . When artillery fire was restarted around 13 : 30 , the Russian soldiers were not yet ready for the attack . The previous night was very cold , yet most Russian soldiers had no winter garment and spent the night in open field . Also , many did not receive any food in the morning , and the morale dropped significantly . When the Russians finally started to sort their ranks , General Umiński correctly assumed that the main attack in his sector would be aimed at the Jerozolimskie Gate . He reinforced the area with almost all his reserves , including almost the entire 4th Infantry Division and 2nd Cavalry Division . He also dispatched the 1st Cavalry Division ( 1300 men ) closer to Czyste . Generals Małachowski and Dembiński intended to attack the flank of the Russians assaulting Wola by a strong force ( roughly 3500 infantry , 800 cavalry and 10 pieces of horse artillery ) under General Paweł Muchowski gathered in Młociny ( near Fort 62a ) . However , once it became clear that the Russians would attack further south , the plan was called off and the defence of the western sector of Polish defences was to switch back to fixed defences . The Grand Battery . The Russian Grand Battery of 94 guns , commanded by Prince Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov , opened fire around 13 : 30 . Altogether the Russians started shelling Polish fortifications with 132 pieces of artillery and 4 mortars . The Poles initially responded with 79 pieces of field artillery and 10 rocket launchers , but by 14 : 00 General Bem moved additional 31 guns to a position right in front of the Russian artillery . To counter the threat , the Russian General von Toll ordered his Grand Battery to advance some closer to the Poles , but this exposed his flank to Polish guns hidden to the south , near the road to Kraków . The Russians suffered casualties , and the Grand Battery had to be split onto two separate units . To make matters worse for the Russians , many batteries had to cease fire and withdraw due to insufficient ammo reserves . Seeing that the artillery would not break the Polish fighting spirit , Generalvon Toll devised a new plan of attack . Although explicitly told by Paskevich not to assault Warsaw , he decided to disregard that order . Although the dusk was nearing rapidly , von Toll ordered both the two infantry corps on the western approaches to the city and the exhausted forces at the southern front to attack Warsaw simultaneously . As there was no time for proper artillery preparation of the infantry attack , von Toll wanted to overwhelm the defenders by sheer numerical superiority , even if it meant increased casualties from Polish artillery positions . To distract the Polish artillery at Czyste and prevent it from firing at the Russian columns attacking Forts No . 21 and 22 , Muraviev ' s forces were to lead the attack directly towards the Jerozolimskie Gate . Before 15 : 00 von Toll dispatched General Neidhardt to Paskevich , to receive his blessing for the new plan , but Paskevich categorically refused , and ordered his subordinate to continue shelling the Polish forts with artillery at least until 16 : 00 . However , as the Russian Commander - in - Chief was away , von Toll decided to act despite Paskevich ' s orders . Muraviev ' s assault and retreat . Around 15 : 00 masses of Russian troops started preparations for the assault on Polish positions near the Jerozolimskie Gate . A strong force under Muraviev and Nostitz occupied positions on both sides of the road towards Cracow , in the vicinity of Rakowiec . The screening force included the Grenadier Brigade ( ca . 1700 infantry , 16 guns ) , Cuirasseur Brigade ( ca . 1300 cavalry , 16 guns ) , Guard Uhlans Regiment ( 392 cavalry ) and three regiments of cavalry ( ca . 1700 cavalry , 16 guns ) . Between the screening forces two columns were formed . The left column commanded by Col . Nikolai Lukash was composed of Lutsk and Samogitian Infantry Regiments ( 1989 men altogether ) , with the Finland Guard Regiment in reserve ( 1374 men ) . The column was to storm the Fort No . 74 . The right column was commanded by Col . Roth and was composed of a reinforced Nieśwież Infantry Regiment ( 1278 men ) , with the 4th Jäger Regiment ( 900 men ) , Guards Rifle Regiment ( 1353 men ) and the Finland Rifles ( 142 men ) in reserve . This column was to assault Fort No . 72 . On the southern front the forces of Strandmann were to attack in force towards Królikarnia and elsewhere , to pressure the Poles on more than one front . The assault started around 16 : 00 . The left column suffered significant casualties , but eventually reached Fort 74 , only to be met by Polish reinforcements dispatched there by General Antoni Wroniecki , the commanding officer of this sector of Polish defences . Roughly 2000 Russians clashed with less than 850 Poles inside of the fort , but were defeated in a bayonet charge and had to retreat . As the attack failed and the Polish artillery batteries were still active , von Toll decided to use his cavalry reserves . Two regiments of the 3rd Cuirassier Division ( roughly 1200 cavalry ) followed a county road linking Szczęśliwice and Czyste , and were ordered to charge the Polish artillery from behind . However , the Poles had full visibility of the battlefield and had enough time to prepare for the attack , as the Russian advance slowed down due to swampy terrain . When the Russian cavalry switched from columns to battle line , Polish artillery opened canister shot fire on the Russians , dispersing them . The Russian commander reorganised his forces and repeated the charge , but this one stalled as well and the Russians were repelled before reaching the Polish artillery emplacements . The Novgorod Cuirassier Regiment alone lost over 200 men out of roughly 450 taking part in the charge . After half an hour the Russians finally stormed the ramparts of Fort No . 74 and defeated the Polish battalion defending it . This forced the Polish mobile artillery in Czyste , until then shelling both the advancing Russian columns and their Grand Battery , to fall back . Meanwhile the Russian right column was approaching Fort 72 . Defended by only 200 men , the fort was approached by the Russian spearhead formed by the reinforced Nieśwież Regiment . Seeing this , the Polish commander ordered his cavalry reserve to charge the Russian infantry . Russian grenadiers stormed the ramparts of Fort 72 , but were repelled and forced back behind the moat , where the Polish cavalry charged them . The Russians formed infantry square s , but were defeated and forced to retreat . To counter the threat to Russian infantry , General Nostitz charged his own cavalry reserve under General Georg von Sass , and a cavalry battle ensued . This saved Roth ' s infantry , as the Polish artillery ' s line of fire was blocked by both Polish and Russian cavalrymen . Both commanders threw additional cavalry into the fight and soon the forces of both sides were roughly similar , with 550 cavalrymen on both sides . Both forces soon lost cohesion and the battle turned into a series of duels between Polish Uhlans and Hussars ( armed with lances and sabres ) and Russian Cuirassiers and Dragoons ( armed with heavier swords ) . The Poles were initially victorious and managed to incapacitate both General Nostitz and General von Sass , but were then attacked by additional Russian reinforcements and had to retreat . This forced some of the Polish artillery crews to retreat to behind the ramparts of the third line as well . The Russian Guard Hussar Regiment under Georg von Arpshofen , riding dapple grey heavy horses and wearing distinctive bright red uniforms pursued the fleeing Polish cavalry all the way to the space between forts 71 and 72 . There they were met by Polish cavalry reinforcements : the 3rd Mounted Rifle Regiment was to hold the Hussars in place , while the 4th Uhlans Regiment was to attack the Russians from the flank . However , before the plan could be enacted , the Russian veterans broke through this new Polish line of defence . The 3rd Regiment broke and started a retreat , followed by the Russians . Furious , General Umiński ordered his infantry and artillery to open fire at the mass of cavalry , both Polish and Russian . Small groups of Russians retreated to rejoin their lines , while others in apparent war fury tried to storm the heavily - defended gates of Warsaw and were decimated by Polish infantry . A small group succeeded and the last of them was killed as far as the gate of the Ujazdów Palace , into the city . The cavalry battle ended with all three regiments engaged in the skirmish almost annihilated . Although the Poles managed to contain and defeat the Russian cavalry , its charge and initial successes caused a widespread panic in Polish ranks . The garrison of Fort 72 abandoned its positions , leaving its guns behind , and retreated to Fort 73 without a fight . Likewise , the garrison of Fort 73 panicked , and its commanding officer , Col . Przedpełski , ordered his soldiers to block the guns , abandon the main rampart and assume defensive positions facing the back wall of the fort , expecting the Russian cavalry to enter the fortification from behind . This allowed the Russian infantry to capture Fort 72 , a fortified " Red Inn " ( ) and head towards Fort 73 unopposed . However , Polish officers managed to contain the panic just in time for their infantrymen to open rank fire on the approaching Russians and force them to withdraw . Fort 72 , however , remained in Russian hands . The apparent panic in Polish ranks convinced Muraviev to renew his assault with fresh forces , despite the losses his columns suffered already . Col . Lukash ' s grenadiers reinforced with two battalions of the Finnish Guards Regiment ( 1300 men , 4 guns ) outflanked Fort 73 from the north and captured a brickyard and yet another fortified inn , the Karczma Żelazna located directly to its rear . Its garrison offered only light resistance before retreating in disarray . The situation seemed critical , as the Russians were now in possession of a large part of the second line of Polish defences . Despite the apparent gravity of the situation , the Polish defenders still had sufficient fresh troops to counter - attack and regain the initiative . To make matters worse for the Russians , their recently captured positions were too far ahead of their artillery , while were all under well - aimed fire from Polish fixed artillery positions atop the ramparts of the third line of defences , as well as numerous mobile artillery batteries . Forts 72 and 73 , as well as the Karczma Żelazna inn and the brickyard received constant grapeshot fire . Under fire from all sides , the Russians had to hide behind the outer sides of the ramparts , unable to return fire or even observe the field in front of them . Tirailleurs of the Polish 3rd Foot Rifle Regiment were able to approach the Karczma Żelazna inn virtually unopposed and retake it from the Russians . Soon afterwards they retook the brickyard as well . The Russians abandoned the two forts as well and although Russian light infantry tried to retake them , they were unsuccessful . Around 16 : 45 the field artillery batteries of Józef Bem were free to leave the safety of the inner defences and return to the battlefield and open fire on the Grand Battery . However , despite over three hours of intensive fighting in the west , the commander of the relatively peaceful southern sector , General Małachowski , did not reinforce the defenders of the western approaches . Russian assault in the west . Although Muraviev ' s attack failed , it forced Polish artillery to lessen the pressure on Russian Grand Battery , which was now free to support the main Russian attack , directed at the westernmost Polish defences . The Russian artillery was free to shell the ramparts of the second line with relative impunity , thus damaging both the defences and the morale of the crews . Polish infantrymen manning the forts were ordered to lie down behind the gabions , which minimised the losses . Soldiers in the field , however , were deprived of such measures and suffered casualties . The Grand Battery was also able to silence some of the guns in Forts 21 , 22 and 23 . General von Toll initially planned to order his infantry to start the assault at 16 : 00 , but Paskevich through his aides ordered him to postpone the attack until 16 : 45 . Eventually around 5 : 00 von Kreutz ' s corps advanced towards Forts No . 21 and 22 in two columns . Russian horse artillery reached a position merely 200 paces from Fort 22 and started shelling the defenders at close range . Already shaken by the fire of the Grand Battery , the Poles retreated before the surprised Russian infantry approached and abandoned the fort . It was a rare example of artillery capturing a fortified position without the help of other forces . Meanwhile the fights for the nearby Fort No . 22 were heavy . In the end its garrison fell almost to the last man . Simultaneously , von Pahlen ' s Corps attacked forts No . 23 and 24 , and the Polish position at the Evangelical Cemetery . Heavy fights followed , and many Russian commanders , including Paskevich himself , proposed that further fights be postponed until the following day . General von Toll , however , insisted on reaching the last line of Polish defences before sundown . The surrounding forts changed hands many times , but in the end most of them remained in Russian hands by 22 : 00 , when the Russians broke off . Around midnight General Berg arrived in Warsaw with a new ultimatum signed by Paskevich . Polish surrender . Meanwhile , General Prądzyński was once again dispatched to the Russian headquarters , where he was greeted by Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich as Paskevich had been wounded shortly before . Although Michael believed the Poles were playing for time to allow Ramorino ' s Corps to return from Podlachia , Prądzyński convinced him to send General Berg to Warsaw with a complete project of an act of unconditional surrender . The cease - fire agreement ( apparently never signed on paper ) stipulated that the Polish Army was free to leave the city , a two - day cease fire would come into effect and that the city of Warsaw would be spared the horrors it experienced during the 1794 siege . No political clauses were included . Around 17 : 00 Prądzyński and Berg arrived to Warsaw , where Krukowiecki generally agreed to Russian terms , but considered them too harsh . Berg and Prądzyński then returned to Russian headquarters and Grand Duke Michael agreed to allow the Polish Army free passage to Modlin and Płock , an amnesty to all fighters of the Uprising , and to exchange of prisoners . The new terms were more than acceptable to Krukowiecki . However , upon Prądzyński ' s return the more liberal wing of the government won a temporary majority , and Krukowiecki was ousted from power and replaced with Bonawentura Niemojowski as head of government and General Kazimierz Małachowski as Commander - in - Chief . 8 September . The ultimatum required that Warsaw be surrendered immediately , along with the bridge and the suburb of Praga , and threatened the complete destruction of the city the following day . Following a heated debate , the new Polish authorities agreed to leave the city with the army by 5 : 00 . Małachowski also sent a letter to Paskevich notifying him that the army was withdrawing to Płock " to avoid further bloodshed and to prove its loyalty " . The letter also expressed Małachowski ' s hope that the Russians would allow free passage to troops unable to withdraw prior to 5 : 00 , and that the army would honour the terms negotiated with Grand Duke Michael . The surrender of Warsaw was thus not a formal convention , but rather the effect of lengthy negotiations . In any way , the Russians initially respected its terms . The Polish Army withdrew to the other side of Vistula and continued north towards the Modlin Fortress . The Sejm , Senate and many civilians also left the city " in grim silence " . Many soldiers and officers however , including high - ranking officers , decided to stay in the city and lay down their arms . Up to 5000 soldiers stayed in Warsaw , along with roughly 600 officers , among them generals Krukowiecki , Małachowski , Chrzanowski and Prądzyński . The food stores were opened , and their contents was distributed among the civilians . In the evening of the following day Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich entered the city leading his Imperial Guard . Warsaw capitulated . Aftermath . Although no large - scale evacuation of supplies from Warsaw was ordered , the Modlin Fortress was well prepared for a lengthy siege . Its magazines contained over 25 thousand cannon rounds , almost 900 thousand musket and rifle rounds and enough provisions for several months of full siege . Despite the fall of Warsaw , the treasury of the Polish government was still intact and contained more than 6 . 5 million złoty s . The fall of Warsaw was synonymous with the fall of entire Poland , both to Poles and to foreigners . To commemorate the crushing of the November Uprising , Pushkin wrote " On the Taking of Warsaw " , hailing the capitulation of Poland ' s capital as the " final triumph " of Mother Russia . Other writers and poets joined in to celebrate , among them Vasily Zhukovsky , Fyodor Tyutchev and Aleksey Khomyakov . Soon afterwards the tsar practically dismantled the Kingdom of Poland : its constitution was abolished , the government given to Russian officials and its Warsaw University closed . The news of the fall of Warsaw spread quickly throughout the world . The French government , until then pressured both by Polish emissaries and by its own opposition to support the Poles , was relieved : French Minister of Foreign Affairs Horace Sébastiani to the Chamber of Deputies that " Order now reigns in Warsaw " . The phrase was later often ridiculed by the supporters of the Polish cause , but also became one of the best - known comments on the fall of Warsaw . Russian taking of the city in 1831 incited a wave of sympathy towards Poles and their plight . Several towns in the United States voted to change their names to Warsaw after the news of the battle reached their residents , among them Warsaw , Virginia and Warsaw , Kentucky . Shortly after the battle , in December 1831 , the tsarist authorities issued a " For the Taking of Warsaw by Assault in 1831 " Medal awarded to Russian veterans of the battle . Soon afterwards a monument , " To the Captors of Warsaw " , was constructed not far from the site once occupied by Redoubt No . 54 . Demolished after Poland regained independence in 1918 , the spot is now occupied by a post - war monument to Juliusz Konstanty Ordon and his soldiers . There are plans to move the monument closer to where the actual redoubt was . Casualties . Early official Russian data assert that the total number of casualties were between 8 and 10 thousand killed and wounded for the Russian side , and between 6 and 7 thousand for the Polish . Later the number of Polish losses mentioned in the Russian Army ' s dispatches was clarified as 139 officers and 7745 NCOs and soldiers . This number includes both killed and wounded . Other sources give the total Polish casualties as 9000 : " probably at least 3000 " or even " over 4000 " on the first day and between 3800 and 6000 on the second day of the battle . Those numbers do not include sick and wounded taken prisoner following the Russian entry into Warsaw . Altogether the Polish Army lost roughly 16 , 000 men by 12 September , but this number includes an unusually high number of deserters in the period immediately following the battle . The Russian official estimates are 2300 - 3000 killed and wounded on the first day , and 7460 on the second day of the battle . Both numbers are considered " ridiculously low " by later historians . Tomasz Strzeżek in his 1998 monograph of the battle notes that the official quota of casualties was 10 , 559 Russian soldiers killed in action , including 2 generals , 16 colonels , 47 officers and 1767 NCOs , as well as 1182 soldiers missing , presumably dead . He notes however that the official head count might have been seriously underrated as some Russian regiments suffered tremendous losses , which is known from their official roll papers , but the data on their losses is apparently omitted in official papers of the army . In addition , after the battle there were roughly 7000 wounded Russian soldiers in Warsaw ' s hospitals , in addition to some 5000 wounded soldiers being taken care of in field hospitals outside of town ( earlier monograph by Mierosławski cites 12 , 000 Russian wounded treated in Warsaw alone ) . The casualty rate among the wounded Russians was very high due to low number of medics in the Russian army . Strzeżek estimates the total number of Russians who were killed in battle or died of wounds at between 14 and 16 , 000 , and the total number of missing ( presumed dead ) at 4000 . At the time of the capitulation , the Poles had at least 3000 Russian prisoners of war held in Warsaw , while the Russian side held 2590 captives .