The soldiers fell during the Battle of Budomir on December 11, 1848, and their remains were buried near Kosice in what is now eastern Slovakia.

Fought between the experienced Austrian units of General Franz Schlick and Hungarian revolutionary forces led by Sandor Pulszky, the battle lasted just two hours and resulted in an emphatic Austrian victory. Fighting alongside the Hungarians, about 20 Poles are known to have died.

There the story may have ended were it not for an entry in a periodical titled Felvideki Kozlony. Dated October 20, 1880, the newspaper mentioned a Polish military grave located close to a stone pillar in Tahanove, a borough of Kosice.

The article piqued the interest of local history buffs. “Military practice dictated that soldiers were buried close to where they fell to prevent epidemics,” said Ursula Ambrusova, a politician and historian at the East Slovak Museum. Speculating that an 18th century stone column was the landmark that had been referenced, Ambrusova and a team of two archaeologists set about digging.

“Thanks to the professionalism of my two colleagues, and also a little archaeological luck, we were able to find the skeletal remains of six young Polish soldiers,” said Ambrusova.

According to initial tests on their bones, Ambrusova added that the troops were between 19 and 20 years old. The remains will now undergo DNA analysis.

The archaeologists found three complete skeletons, and three partial, but believe a total of 20 could be buried. Aside from the remains, several brass buttons and one iron button were also discovered; according to the historians, one of the soldiers also had several coins stitched inside his coat.

The find has been hailed by Dominik Beres, the director of the East Slovak Museum: “Even though combatants faced death, challenging conditions and freezing cold temperatures, we can see that they treated their fallen comrades with the utmost respect,” he said.

He added: “This discovery is not just a historical find, but a testament to the humanity that existed during these most tense of times.”

The Polish Embassy in Slovakia has also announced their willingness to help the researchers as well as creating a memorial site.

A largely forgotten footnote in history, the Battle of Budomir was one of many battles that took place during the so-called Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence. Erupting on March 15, 1848, the insurrection broke out at a time when Hungary fell under the yoke of the Austrian Empire.

Rising in rebellion under the leadership of Lajos Kossuth, the revolution lasted 18 months before it was quashed. However, whilst it ended in failure, it is remembered as a seminal moment in Hungarian history, and one that shaped the nation’s psyche.