Editing Tadeusz Kościuszko (section)

===Defense of the Constitution===
[[File:Tadeusz Kośiuszko during battle of Racławice.PNG|thumb|''Kościuszko'', by [[Juliusz Kossak]]]]

The Russians had a 3:1 advantage in strength, with some 98,000 troops against 37,000 Poles;<ref>[[#Bardach|Bardach, 1987]], p. 317.</ref> they also had an advantage in combat experience.<ref name="Storozynski223">[[#Storozynski2011|Storozynski, 2011]], p. 223.</ref>  Before the Russians invaded, Kościuszko had been appointed deputy commander of Prince Józef Poniatowski's infantry division, stationed in [[Western Ukraine|West Ukraine]]. When the Prince became [[Commander-in-chief|Commander-in-Chief]] of the entire Polish (Crown) Army on 3 May 1792, Kościuszko was given command of a division near [[Kyiv|Kiev]].<ref name="Herbst433">[[#Herbst|Herbst, 1969]], p. 433.</ref>

The Russians attacked a wide front with three armies. Kościuszko proposed that the entire Polish army be concentrated and engage one of the Russian armies, to assure numerical parity and boost the morale of the most inexperienced Polish forces with a quick victory; but Poniatowski rejected this plan.<ref name="Storozynski223"/>  On 22 May 1792, the Russian forces crossed the border in Ukraine, where Kościuszko and Poniatowski were stationed. The Crown Army was judged too weak to oppose the four enemy columns advancing into West Ukraine, and began a fighting withdrawal to the western side of the [[Southern Bug|Southern Bug River]], with Kościuszko commanding the rear guard.<ref name="Herbst433"/><ref>[[#Storozynski2011|Storozynski, 2011]], p. 224.</ref>

On 18 June, Poniatowski won the [[Battle of Zieleńce]]; Kościuszko's division, on detached rear-guard duty, did not take part in the battle and rejoined the main army only at nightfall. His diligent protection of the main army's rear and flanks won him the newly created [[Virtuti Militari]], to this day Poland's highest military decoration. Storożyński states that Kościuszko received the Virtuti Militari for his later, 18 July victory at [[Dubienka]].<ref name="Herbst433"/><ref>[[#Storozynski2011|Storozynski, 2011]], p. 230.</ref> The Polish withdrawal continued, and on 7 July Kościuszko's forces fought a delaying battle against the Russians at [[Volodymyr-Volynskyi]], the Battle of Włodzimierz. On reaching the northern Bug River, the Polish Army was split into three divisions to hold the river defensive line—weakening the Poles' point of numerical superiority, against Kościuszko's counsel of a single strong, concentrated army.<ref name="Herbst433"/>

Kościuszko's force was assigned to protect the front's southern flank, touching up to the Austrian border. At the [[Battle of Dubienka]] (18 July 1792), Kościuszko repulsed a numerically superior enemy, skilfully using terrain obstacles and field fortifications, and came to be regarded as one of Poland's most brilliant military commanders of the age.<ref name="Herbst433"/> With some 5,300 men, he was confront 25,000 Russians led by General [[Mikhail Kakhovsky|Michail Kachovski]].<ref name="Storozynski228–229">[[#Storozynski2011|Storozynski, 2011]], pp. 228–29.</ref> Kościuszko had to retreat from Dubienka, as the Russians crossed the nearby Austrian border and began flanking his positions. <ref name="Storozynski228–229"/> Russians won the battle. <ref> Konstantin Karl Falkenstein. Thaddäus Kosciuszko. - Leipzig, 1834 (2. Aufl.). - source: The Foreign Quarterly Review, Vol. 15 (March—July 1835) - P. 117. https://books.google.ru/books?id=pZsYAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>

After the battle, <!-- On 1 August 1792, need source for that date-->King Stanisław August Poniatowski promoted Kościuszko to [[Lieutenant general|lieutenant-general]] and also offered him the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]], but Kościuszko, a convinced republican would not accept a royal honor.<ref name="Otrębski1994">[[#Otrębski|Otrębski, 1994]], p. 39.</ref><ref name="Falkenstein1831">[[#Falkenstein|Falkenstein, 1831]], p. 8.</ref> News of Kościuszko's victory spread over Europe, and on 26 August he received the [[List of people granted honorary French citizenship during the French Revolution|honorary citizenship of France]] from the [[National Legislative Assembly (France)|Legislative Assembly]] of [[French Revolution|revolutionary France]]. While Kościuszko considered the war's outcome to still be unsettled, the King requested a ceasefire.<ref name="Herbst433"/><ref>[[#Storozynski2011|Storozynski, 2011]], p. 231.</ref>  On 24 July 1792, before Kościuszko had received his promotion to lieutenant-general, the King shocked the army by announcing his accession to the Targowica Confederation and ordering the Polish–Lithuanian troops to cease hostilities against the Russians. Kościuszko considered abducting the King as the [[Bar Confederation|Bar Confederates]] had done two decades earlier, in 1771, but was dissuaded by Prince Józef Poniatowski. On 30 August, Kościuszko resigned from his army position and briefly returned to Warsaw, where he received his promotion and pay, but refused the King's request to remain in the Army. Around that time, he also fell ill with [[jaundice]].<ref name="Herbst433"/>