Polish Veteran (The More it Changes)

A Polish veteran took charge of the town of Kolomija's doomed attempt to fight off Sabbatean haidamacks in November, 1772. He placed his defenders on the east end of town and ordered barricades be built. When a Jewish boy named Aaron asked what would happen if the haidamacks went to the west end of town, the veteran (after noting that Aaron was a "smart Jew") admitted that they would be crushed. However, he pointed out that the haidamacks didn't think in such a strategic manner, and so did not worry about that.

When the haidamacks did arrive, they didn't attack immediately, instead giving the town a chance to convert. They staged a drunken celebration on the eve of the attack. Aaron's father, Yitzkhak, approached the veteran about attacking the haidamacks while their guard was down. The veteran (noting that Yitzkhak was also a Jew) stated that if the defenders had all been experienced veterans, he would have staged such an attack, but that these inexperienced "odds-and-sods" would be hacked to pieces by even drunken haidamacks.

Literary comment
The veteran's fate is unknown.