Józefa Rostkowska (1784–1896), was a Polish cross-dresser who participated in the November Uprising against Russia under the nom de guerre Józef Kluczycki. She served as a nurse both in the uprising of 1830 as well as during the Crimean War.
Biography Rostkowska was born in Warsaw on 19 March 1784. During the November Uprising she enlisted in the military, using the surname of her deceased husband, as Józef Kluczycki. She participated in several battles including those at Białołęka, Dębe Wielkie, and Ostrołęka. In her seventies she served as a nurse for the Ottomans during the Crimean War under the command of the Polish muslim Sadyk Pasha. Rostkowska died in Aniche on 18 July 1896, aged 112.
References
Bibliography Henri Musielak, Polonica w Archiwum Północnej Francji w Lille. Archeion, t. LXII, 1975.