26 October in history: Battles of Myeongnyang and Kobyłka

Quick answer

On 26 October 1597, a date converted from the Korean lunar calendar (some studies give 25 October), Admiral Yi Sun-sin, restored to command after a spell in prison, held the roaring Myeongnyang Strait off Korea's south-west coast with 13 warships against a Japanese fleet ten times larger, and destroyed 31 of its ships. On the same day in 1794, 16 days after Kościuszko fell wounded into Russian hands at Maciejowice, Suvorov's cavalry caught the retreating Lithuanian divisions of the uprising at Kobyłka, north-east of Warsaw. The insurgents lost the battle and about 1,300 men, but bought time for the army to reach Praga, where Suvorov struck nine days later.

Battle of Myeongnyang, 1597: 13 ships in the roaring strait

26 October 1597 · 429 years ago

In the Myeongnyang Strait off Jindo Island, Admiral Yi Sun-sin and the 13 ships left to the Joseon navy faced a far larger Japanese fleet during the Japanese invasion of Korea. Yi held the strait and the Japanese suffered a humiliating defeat, with 31 of their ships destroyed.

Read the full story of Battle of Myeongnyang, 1597: 13 ships in the roaring strait ›

Battle of Kobyłka, 1794: the Lithuanian rearguard before Praga

26 October 1794 · 232 years ago

At Kobyłka, north-east of Warsaw, Suvorov's Russian forces caught Polish-Lithuanian insurgents retreating toward the capital during the Kościuszko Uprising. The insurgent columns were defeated and laid down their arms, and Suvorov went on to prepare the assault on Praga.

Read the full story of Battle of Kobyłka, 1794: the Lithuanian rearguard before Praga ›

Also on this day

In 1917 the Canadian Corps went into the Battle of Passchendaele on 26 October, after its commander, Arthur Currie, objected and was overruled. The ridge was taken on 10 November. The battle is told on our 31 July page.¹

In 1942 American and Japanese carriers fought the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the Guadalcanal campaign. The carrier Hornet was sunk, but the Japanese lost about a hundred aircraft. John Rickard notes that on the face of it the Americans suffered the worse losses, but that Japan lost 100 aircraft and experienced crews it lacked the training facilities to replace.²

Frequently asked questions

What happened at Myeongnyang on 26 October 1597?

Admiral Yi Sun-sin, restored to command after a spell in prison, held the narrow Myeongnyang Strait near Jindo Island with 13 warships against a much larger Japanese fleet. By his diary, his ships destroyed 31 Japanese vessels, and Mark Peterson writes that he lost none of his own. The date is converted from the lunar calendar, and some studies give 25 October.

How many Japanese ships were at Myeongnyang?

The sources disagree. Yi's diary counts about 133 ships in the attack, the Joseon court annals and Jingbirok more than 200, and some modern accounts 330. One explanation is that about 330 were gathered nearby and 133 of them entered the strait.

Was Myeongnyang a decisive victory?

Korean historians see it as the victory that stopped the Japanese advance by sea toward the west coast. Ogawa Takaaki points out that Yi withdrew north after the battle and calls it a tactical victory over the Japanese vanguard rather than a strategic one.

What happened at Kobyłka on 26 October 1794?

Suvorov's Russian troops, mostly cavalry, caught the Lithuanian divisions of the Kościuszko Uprising retreating toward Warsaw and defeated them at Kobyłka and in the woods toward Zielonka. About 450 insurgents were killed and about 850 captured, among them, according to Leszek Podhorodecki, the wounded General Byszewski.

Why did Kobyłka matter?

It was the last battle before the storming of Praga. The rearguard's resistance let Mokronowski's corps withdraw and take part in the defense of Praga, which Suvorov stormed on 4 November 1794.