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Yuzef Poniatowski or just Pepi to his relatives and friends, was an
average jet setter dancing and drinking his life away in Back in those days Poland was part of the Russian empire. The proud and independence-minded Poles just couldn’t resign themselves to their subordinate status and so Russia had to send in troops to bring them to heel. After a series of reversals and retreats, the Polish commanders led by Yuzef Poniatowski engaged the Russian forces outside the village of Zelentsy. Poniatowski won his first battle but it only slightly delayed the Russian advance on Warsaw. That victory still buoyed the Polish spirits and their sense of self-respect. Poniatowski proved to be a talented strategist sincerely admired by his men for his amazing largesse. During stopovers Poniatowsky laid tables enough to feed a hundred people and even more. The feasts over, the guests were welcome to help themselves to leather sacks filled with extremely expensive tobacco without having to pay a thing for the enjoyment. The Polish rebellion finally crushed, Poniatowski discharged from the army, but it wasn’t long before he picked up his saber again… In 1794 there was a new uprising, this time led by Tadeusz Kostiuszko. Poniatowsky volunteered into rebel ranks. Before very long he already commanded the right flank of the Polish forces defending Warsaw. The Russian troops were commanded by the invincible Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov. The uprising by the so-called “Polish Jacobins” was crushed again and Kostiuszko taken prisoner. A Polish delegation then came to Suvorov, waving a white flag and handing in the symbolic keys to the city. The Poles prepared for the worse, but, much to their surprise, Suvorov said, “You are pained to see all these dead people and the destruction aren’t you? We killed many of your own here, that’s true, but we did not spare our own lives either. And all this for the sake of ending the bloodshed unleashed by you. We had to end war with war…” The Generalissimo then laid out his conditions, much to the amazement of the Polish messengers, “Fix the bridge across the Vistula, the city can keep all its guns. All those who surrender will be free to go and the Russian soldiers will offend no one because we brought you peace…” The Poles liked independence more than they did peace though and they were now pinning all their hopes on Napoleon. Poniatowski was quick to side with the French in their campaign against Austria. He took up command of the Warsaw duchy’s armed forces and defeated the Austrians at Rasin. Then there came the war of 1812… A tragic and, at the same time, glorious time for Poniatowski. During the battle of Smolensk he fought so valiantly that Napoleon just couldn’t get it out of his head even during his final exile to St. Helena Island. After that battle the French Emperor personally handed out 88 orders of the Legion of Honor to members of Poniatowski’s corps. Poniatowski was seriously contused near Smolensk and starved and suffered from cold along with his soldiers during the French retreat. They say he was really overjoyed when someone gave him a couple of baked potatoes… Back in Warsaw Yuzef Poniatowski had a bittersweet moment. His aide-de-camp said there was a crowd of soldiers gathered outside the gate. The ailing Poniatowsky ordered to carry him out and gasped at the heartrending sight of his comrades in arms, standing there barefooted with only a handful wearing rundown top boots held together by straps of rope. Seeing their commander, the soldiers lowered their banners. “We’ll go with you wherever you take us, even to hell itself” they roared… Unable to hold back tears welling up in his eyes, Poniatowski cried and laughed all at the same time… He fought his last battle at Leipzig. Pushing back the Austrians, he
took their corps commander prisoner. Napoleon, meanwhile, was already forced
into retreat. He ordered his sappers to blow up the bridge across the river
Elster as soon as the French troops had all crossed over and the enemy
was in sight. For some unknown reason the bridge went up when there
still was a considerable force, Poniatowski among them, on the other side
covering the French retreat. Twice wounded, Poniatowski angrily refused
all pleas to save his life and surrender to the enemy. Already losing
consciousness, he got on his horse and tried to swim his way to the opposite
bank. Both the Marshal and his wounded horse, went under unable to climb
onto the steep and slippery bank. The old Gypsy woman’s prophesy came true...
The body of the Polish Prince and a Marshal of France was later found by
a German fisherman who laid the dead hero, in uniform and with the orders
shining on his chest, in his hut and showed it to the idlers for a reasonable
commission…
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the
salons of high-born ladies. A handsome pleaser of the fair sex, an
excellent horse rider, the best dancer you could find in Warsaw, in a word,
a high-living playboy. In a country divvied up by its powerful neighbors,
the salons were a breeding ground for nationalistic ideas. Acting against
the will of his mother and uncle – King Stanislaus August – Yuzef headed
to Austria to learn the art of making war. He was a diligent student regularly
commended by his instructors, but because of his young age (he was only
17 when he embarked on a military career) Yuzef Poniatowski was a
real daredevil. Once he made a bet with a friend that he would swim across
the Elbe, then swollen from the summer rains, on the back of his horse.
And swim he did! According to legend, a Czech Gypsy woman once prophesied
to Yuzef, “You conquered the Elbe, but the Elster will kill you…”
