Hungarian Heritage Review, 1987 (16. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1987-08-01 / 8. szám

^feature of "Monti]-----ROZSA SÁNDOR:

THE “ROBIN HOOD” OF HUNGARY

— by —

ENDRE HARASZTI

(translated from the Hungarian by Zoltán Solymosi)

PART III

When it became known that Kossuth had enlisted him in the ranks of the army, Sándor Rozsa and his men received what we would call a “bad press" from many segments of the population. Members of the bourgeoisie would have felt more comfortable with Rozsa "dangling at the end of a rope.” Others said that "when his (Rozsa’s) own skin is in danger, he will go inside the ditch."

Despite this, however, Rozsa and his band were given a heroes’ welcome when, in 1848, they emerged from their hiding place and marched through the streets of Szeged. Shortly after this, with the formation of the Thirteenth or First Honved Hussar Regiment, Rozsa and his band of some 150 fighters, were attached to the unit that became famous as the “Hunyadi Hussars.” And the betyár band received its baptism of fire on November 9, 1848, at the

A photograph of Rozsa Sándor found in the archives of the Kiskun Museum in Hungary.

Battle of Strasza. Following this victory, General Janos Damjanich — future martyr of Arad — made this observation:

"Watching the fight the troops of Sándor Rozsa put up, the children of the desert come to mind. One sees them speeding by like flashes of lightning on their steeds chasing the enemy up the hills and down the valleys; then they astutely capture the cattle of the enemy and drive them away and,

if caught by the enemy, they leave their booty and immediately take the foe in pursuit, only to return to their booty once again. They handle their short whips wonderfully; they use them to knock out the eyes of enemy cavalrymen, or* throw a lasso around their necks and shake them loose from the saddle. ”

Danger — Within and Without

Because Rozsa was able to use his skills in guerrilla fighting against the Austrians, and because he was held in such high esteem by Kossuth himself, there was much jealousy felt by Honved officers. This feeling was only augmented by incidents such as the one in which Rozsa returned a military treasure chest taken by a Honved officer who "had taken a wrong turn along the road.” The pressure from other officers

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AUGUST 1987

HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW

23