Editing Battle of Berestechko (section)

==Armies==
{{more citations needed section|date=June 2017}}
The number of Polish troops is uncertain. One of the senior Polish commanders, [[Duke]] [[Bogusław Radziwiłł]], wrote that the [[Crown Army]] had 80,000 soldiers,<ref>Jan Widacki, ''Kniaź Jarema'' p. 255.</ref> which included "40,000 regulars and 40,000 nobles of the ''levée en masse'', accompanied by roughly the same number of various servants, footmen, and such."<ref name="Hrushevsky, p. 304">Hrushevsky, p. 304</ref>  Some modern historians, such as Zbigniew Wójcik, Józef Gierowski, and [[Władysław Czapliński]], have reduced this figure to 60,000–63,000 soldiers.<ref>Zbigniew Wójcik, ''Jan Kazimierz Waza'', p. 75; Władysław Czapliński, ''Glosa do Trylogii'', p. 45; Józef Gierowski, ''Historia Polski'', p. 223.</ref>

There is no reliable source on the number of [[Zaporozhian Cossacks|Zaporozhian Cossack]] and [[Crimean Tatars|Crimean Tatar]] troops. The possible estimates range from 90,000 men<ref>Tadeusz Wasilewski, ''Ostatni Waza na polskim tronie.'' p. 103.</ref> to 130,000 men.<ref>"Cyprian Pawel Brzostowski's letter of 9 July [N.S.] from the camp" according to Hrushevsky, p. 304</ref> The core of Cossack forces at Berestechko consisted of 12 [[Registered Cossacks|Registered Cossack]] regiments named after towns they were stationed in (list numbers provided according to the [[Treaty of Zboriv]] (1649):
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Regiment of
!Colonel
!Strength
|-
|[[Chyhyryn]]
|[[Mykhailo Krysa]]
|3,220
|-
|[[Cherkasy]]
|[[Yakiv Voronchenko]]
|2,990
|-
|[[Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi|Korsun]]
|[[Ivan Gulyanitsky]]
|3,470
|-
|[[Bila Tserkva]]
|[[Mykhailo Gromyka]]
|2,990 
|-
|[[Uman]]
|[[Yosyp Glukh]]
|2,977 
|-
|[[Bratslav]]
|[[Danylo Nechai]]
|2,662
|-
|[[Vinnytsia]]
|[[Ivan Bohun]]
|2,050
|-
|[[Pereiaslav]]
|[[Fedir Loboda]]
|2,986
|-
|[[Kropyvna]]
|[[Filon Dzhelaliy]]
|1,993
|-
|[[Myrhorod]]
|[[Matviy Hladky]]
|3,009
|-
|[[Poltava]]
|[[Martyn Pushkar]]
|2,970
|-
|[[Pryluky]]
|[[Tymofiy Nosach]]
|1,996
|-
| colspan="2" |Total
|33,313
|}
A total of 33,313 from the above. Additional 5 Cossack regiments (of [[Kyiv]], [[Kaniv]], [[Chernihiv]], [[Nizhyn]], [[Pavoloch]]) didn't participate in the battle being deployed mostly against the Lithuanian forces of [[Janusz Radziwiłł (1612–1655)|Janusz Radziwiłł]] advancing on [[Kyiv]]. The Registered Cossack force was supported by a large number of Ukrainian peasants armed with scythes, flails and the likes which were rather undisciplined and organised poorly. The Crimean Tatar force is estimated to 25,000–30,000 men, though might be lower. There were also 2,000 Don Cossacks and a few thousand of [[Turkish people|Turks]] and [[Vlachs]].

On 19 June 1651, the [[Crown Army]] numbered 14,844 Polish cavalry, 2,250 German-style cavalry, 11,900 German-style infantry and dragoons, 2,950 Hungarian-style infantry (''[[haiduks]]''), 1,550 Lithuanian volunteers, and 960 [[Lipka Tatars]].<ref>Tadeusz Wasilewski, ''Ostatni Waza na polskim tronie.'' p. 102.</ref>  A number of [[registered Cossacks]] remained loyal and participated in the battle on the Polish side. Many [[magnate]]s brought in their large private armies. In addition, there was a huge militia force, of limited value, numbering 30,000 noblemen of the ''[[pospolite ruszenie|levée en masse]]''.

The Polish commanders were hoping to break the Cossack ranks with a charge of the Polish [[Winged Hussars]], a tactic that had proven effective in many previous battles, including at [[Battle of Kircholm|Kircholm]], and [[Battle of Kluszyn|Kłuszyn]] (and which would later prove successful at the 1683 [[Battle of Vienna]] against the Turks).

The [[Zaporozhian Cossacks|Cossack Army]] was well acquainted with this Polish style of war, having had much experience fighting against the Poles and alongside them. Their preferred tactic was to avoid an open field battle, and to fight from the cover of a huge fortified camp.