It involved a 3,000-strong unit of Polish insurgents under the command of Marian Langiewicz which had been cornered by Russian forces numbering around 3,500 soldiers and six artillery pieces.

The battle took place in a very unfavorable circumstances, since the Polish forces were caught by the Russians while trying to withdraw through inhospitable forests and swamp land; neither side was prepared to fight in this terrain.

[2] The kosynierzy (peasant troops armed with scythes), under the command of Col. Dąbrowski also contributed to the overall outcome of the engagement when they successfully attacked and routed two regiments of Smolensk infantry.

[1] As a consequence after the battle, Rochebrune was promoted to the rank of general and considered for the role of the overall leader of the uprising (ultimately rejected for political reasons).

[9][11] Hence, while the Polish forces managed to repel the attack and avoid destruction or capture, their high losses and eventual retreat across the border led some commentators to describe the battle as a Pyrrhic victory for the Poles.