Lithuanian Rifle Regiment

The 1st Lithuanian Foot Rifle Regiment also known commonly as the Lithuanian Rifle Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw, active from 1812 to 1813.

1812

Formation

On 12 August 1812, the Lithuanian Provisional Governing Commission decreed the creation of two battalions, which in November 1812, were merged in Minsk into the 1st Lithuanian Rifle Regiment. The 1st Battalion was commanded by Józef Kossakowski, while the 2nd by Rokicki. Count Kazimierz Plater became the commander of the 3rd, formed later in Vilnius.

November–December

On 4 November 1812, the 1st was stationed in Timkavichy, and counted 624 riflemen, while the 2nd was stationed in Nyasvizh. The 3rd was based in Vilnius and had 249 riflemen at that time.
The regiment fought in the vicinity of Timkavichy in the early November 1812. and the rest of the 1st and 2nd then fought in Paneriai, and on 4 December the Regiment's 1st and 2nd entered Vilnius, joining the 3rd stationed there. In Vilnius, the regiment numbered 341 soldiers.

2nd Lithuanian Rifle Regiment

In addition to the three battalions used in combat, from December 1812, the 4th was formed in Grodno under Kurczewski's command. Obuchowicz's 5th and Hański's 6th were also to be formed, but they remained only on paper and these last three battalions were to form the 2nd Lithuanian Foot Rifle Regiment but this didn't come to fruition.

1813

During the retreat of Napoleon's Grande Armée from Russia, the Lithuanian Rifle Regiment was devasted and Kurczewski's 4th arrived with the rest of the army in Warsaw. That consisted of 40 officers and 23 soldiers and as part of the army's reorganisation in 1813, the unit was incorporated into the Lithuanian infantry regiments.