Scientists accidentally found the place of a large-scale battle with the participation of Bogdan Khmelnitsky

History hides many more secrets. Recently, scientists were shocked by a new discovery – during the planned archaeological excavations of the Cherkasy region, they found the site of a grandiose battle from the times of the Commonwealth, in which Bogdan Khmelnitsky took part.

The battle near Kumeyki took place on December 6, 1637 between the Cossacks and the army of the Commonwealth. Bogdan Khmelnitsky then held the position of a clerk. The National Museum of the History of Ukraine displays the first finds found by archaeologists at the site of the battle. Details told the publication Facts.

Unique find

The Kumeykovskaya battle was a large-scale battle – the battlefield was the territory between Kumeyki, Sofiyivka, Yasnozvezdiy and the village of Moshny. According to Sergei Didenko, head of the archaeological expedition, at first the scientists noticed a large number of bullets from muskets. Subsequently, they already stumbled upon the remains of cold and firearms. Fragments of Polish equipment were also found, items of Cossack life, even handcuffs (probably for prisoners). Among the finds were coins minted no later than 1637.

An interesting exhibit is the tip of a Polish hussar’s pike. Didenko noted that this is the rarest exhibit of the early period, which is almost never found in museums.

Some things archaeologists unearthed from a depth of 0.5 meters, others lay almost on the surface. The scientist stressed that it took many years to fully explore the battle site, because the battlefield occupied hundreds or even thousands of hectares.

What is known about the battle of Kumeyki

In 1637, a great uprising began against the oppression of the gentry under the leadership of the hetman of the non-registered Cossacks, Pavel But.

To suppress the uprising, the Commonwealth sent the best crown army – more than 5 thousand professional soldiers (at that time – a significant number). According to the scientist Didenko, on December 5, 1637, on the eve of the day of St. Nicholas, the crown army took up positions between the villages on the territory of the modern Cherkasy region.

The next morning, the Cossacks launched an attack, but ran into a swamp in front of the Polish positions. The Cossacks were forced to go around to go to the rear – and it was during this maneuver that the army of the Commonwealth attacked the flank of the Cossacks. The Ukrainians quickly built a circular defense and opened fire. During the day, the Cossacks repelled three powerful attacks, the army of the Commonwealth lost almost all ammunition.

In the end, on December 6, the crown army broke through the defenses. The Cossacks withdrew towards Cherkasy.

“The war continued with varying success in the next year of 1638. In the end, it ended with the defeat of the Cossacks. But these events became a kind of dress rehearsal for the victorious liberation war of 1648-1654,” Sergey Didenko emphasized.

Prominent persons who participated in the battle of Kumeyki

Many people took part in the Battle of Kumeyki, whose names went down in history. These are, in particular:

• Bogdan Khmelnytsky – then – clerk of the Zaporizhzhya Army

• Pavlo But – Hetman of the Zaporizhian Army
• Dmitry Gunya – hetman, one of the leaders of the Cossack uprisings
• Nikolai Pototsky – military and statesman of the Commonwealth
• Stefan Czarnecki – the future national hero of Poland, then a lieutenant
• Guillaume Levasseur de Beauplan – the future author of maps of Ukraine, then – the commander of artillery.

Earlier, GLOBAL HAPPENINGS talked about the main events in the life of Bogdan Khmelnitsky and his participation in the war against the Commonwealth.