Tykocin w czasie powstania styczniowego

Abstract

Before the outbreak of the January Uprising Tykocin was located within the Kingdom of Poland, in Augustów Governance, Łomża Poviat. The town was private property owned by Count Adam Rostworowski. In 1860 1454 Poles, 66 Germans, 3529 Jews, which amounts to 5049 inhabitants, lived in Tykocin. The moment Tykocin inhabitants joined the organization of the January Uprising cannot be specified precisely. In 1861 4 large patriotic manifestations were held in Tykocin. "The most important manifestation in Podlasie ever": according to Henryk Mościcki, took place in Tykocin on the anniversary o f the Union of Lublin, that is on 12th August 1861. Local church could not seat dozen thousands of parishioners who arrived with processions from many Podlasie towns. Not much information about Tykocin pre-uprising organization bas been preserved. We may suppose that the town inhabitants cooperated with emissariesarriving from the capital who were working actively in the surrounding area as Russian garrison was stationed in the town. Priests missionaries: Michał Stasionis, Józef Knapiński, Paweł Krzypkowski, Wincenty Janiszewski, Piotr Paweł Mystkowski, participated actively in preparations to the Uprising. Most information that has been preserved considers priest Stiasionis' activity. He took oaths from future insurgents, visited villages encouraging people to take part in the Uprising, preached patriotic sermons, received letters from the Uprising leaders. After the outbreak of the Uprising fights for Tykocin took place in the early morning of 24'h January 1864, but after day and night long armed struggle, on 25'h January morning Russian reinforcements from Białystok arrived and the insurgents retreated. During the whole Uprising Tykocin was under Russian rule. Only for a short time, in August 1863, Feliks Górski marched into town with his troops without fight. Tykocin inhabitants served different functions in the Uprising administration of Tykocin district. Local intelligentsia: Ludwik Babecki a teacher, Mr. Budkiewicz, Town Council secretary, Jakub Chludziński apothecary, Konstanty Moniuszko town physician, Mr. Kryczyńsk Tatar and salt warehouse director, took part in the Uprising organization in Tykocin. Notary Wiktor Dornański was very active. He recruited local people to insurgents troops, organized national and insurgent police, distributed press and decrees of National Government. Jan Łopuszański Revolutionary Tribunal Judge mentioned before, collected money and food for the insurgents. Tykocin townsmen took part in the Uprising too - as fighters in insurgent troops, as gendarmes, they also provided the insurgents with shelter and financial help etc. Talking about Tykocin inhabitants taking part in the Uprising we cannot omit the involvement of Tykocin Jews. Probably even before the outbreak of the Uprising Tykocin Jews were engaged in smuggling weapon and ammunition for the insurgents. In Podlasie every town had town governor (a Pole) and a Jew who was his deputy. In Tykocin such a person was probably Nachman Rafałowicz. Jews from Augustów Province helped the insurgents by sewing uniforms, supplying shoes and collecting financial means. Some fought in insurgent units and national gendarmerie. Available sources Jack information about such help provided for the Uprising by Tykocjn Jews. As early as Septernber 1863 reports submitted to namestnik Bergow said that no Uprising organizations had been found in any poviat of Augustów Governance. Between l '' Septernber 1863 and 1st January 1864 Captain Dmitriew served a function of "uczastkowy" in the town. In the then literature and press we can find a lot of examples of his cruel deeds. He arrested a lot of people, used cruel torture in investigations and bit the arrested to frighten local community. He fabricated evidence against people suspected o f taking part in the Uprising. Wishing to divide Poles and Jews he forced the latter to report on Poles who were supporting the Uprising under threat of beating. He extracted contributions from the townsmen. He did not hesitate to interrupt Sunday services in the local church. In effect of Dmitriew activity already in November 1864 the Uprising organization in Tykocio ceased to exist. It is likely that Tykocin inhabitants, similar to other citizens of the Kingdom of Poland, suffered repressive measures, such as russification of education and administration. The priests from St. Bernard Monastery and missionaries priests were wiped out. Two missionary priests stayed in Tykocin as common priests, two escaped to avoid repression, and one was exiled by the Russian authorities to Siberia. Tykocin inhabitants were not severely punished for taking part in and supporting the Uprising. Jan Świętorzecki was sentenced to death penalty. Stanisław Moraczewski was exiled to ten years ordeal. Stanisław Pisarski was brought before military tribunal but his further lot is unknown. On the basis o f vital certificates of Tykocio parish we can establish that other Tykocin inhabitants were not punished and continued to do the jobs they had used to do before the Uprising. After the fall of the Uprising and liquidation of the border dividing the Kingdom of Poland and the Russian Empire Tykocin declined. Between 1867 and 1 897 it lost one third of its inhabitants. Not seeing chances for decent life, at the end of XIX century and the beginning of XX century Tykocin inhabitants emigrated - most often to America. They were both Jews and Poles. In order to specify more precisely the exact participation of Tykocin inhabitants in the January Uprising, explain discrepancies existing in literature and determine a number of the town dwellers punished for participation in the January Uprising, source queries in Lithuanian (especially Vilnius) and Belarusian archives, as well as Central Military Archive in Moscow and Central Historical Archive in St. Petersburg, should be carried out.