Memoirs of Antanas Andriuškevičius, a volunteer in the struggle for independence, joining the Lithuanian Army
The memoirs represent farewells to family members, trips to a military unit, and experiences of the first days in the army.
The future volunteer's decision to join the Lithuanian army was accompanied by a sleepless night and a wait for the morning, while the future volunteer Antanas' sister packed her things for departure. The memoirs record the farewell to the family, the crying old woman, the last look at the picture of his recently deceased mother, and the thoughts that accompanied Antanas as he left his hometown of Šunskai in Suvalkija.
The future volunteers traveled to Marijampolė by sleigh, where they were met and seen off by a large crowd of townspeople. The memoirs record that the Vilkaviškis railway station was full of volunteers who were determined to join the army, and their tears of joy and determination, as well as new acquaintances being made and a soul-refreshing song, were noted. The crowd of volunteers was transported to Kaunas by a train with broken windows, where military service began with formation exercises and learning to use weapons. The briefly trained volunteers went to the front, where their first baptism of fire awaited them. A. Andriuškevičius experienced his first baptism of fire in the battles of Jiezna, where units of the Lithuanian army forced the Red Army to withdraw from the town.
After the aforementioned battles, the volunteer was released on leave and returned to his native town of Šunskai, where he met a man who had come to recruit volunteers for the army. The aforementioned person invited A. Andriuškevičius to tell about the first battle, to which a school full of young people crowded to listen, and after listening, they promised to "join the volunteers."
- ANTANAS ANDRIUŠKEVIČIUS, Notes of a Volunteer, War Archives, vol. VI, 1935, pp. 101–106.
Related objects
Monument to the Soldiers Killed for Lithuania’s Freedom in 1919-1920
The monument to the Soldiers Killed for Lithuania’s Freedom in 1919-1920, in the battles of freedom, is located in Kupiškis Cemetery and is part of the Lithuanian Volunteers Memorial. The monument was built based on the design of Antanas Aleksandravičius; funds were donated by the residents of Kupiškis and surrounding towns and villages, as well as members of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union and the Spring Union. The monument is made of concrete, with steps at the base and a white rectangular obelisk that has white Gediminas columns and a cross at the top on a cubic grey pedestal. This was the basic symbol of the burial of volunteer soldiers, which was not demolished during the Soviet occupation, but the
symbolism was covered with plaster at the time.
In 1989, on the initiative of the Sąjūdis of Kupiškis, the monument was reconstructed and consecrated.
