Battle of Lesnaya
Phase 1: Swedish dominance ( 1700-1709 )
Humlebæk • Tonning I
Jungfernhof • I • Riga Pühhajoggi Narva • • • Dvina Rauge Erastfer • • • Hummelshof Peipussee • • Tartu Narva II • Wesenberg
Nöteborg Nyenschanz • • • Systerbäck Petersburg, Vyborg • I • Porvoo
Salads • James City • Gemauerthof • Jelgava • Grodno Nyasvizh • • • Kletsk Ljachowitschi •
Klissow • Pultusk • Thorn • Lviv • Warsaw • Posen • Punitz • Tillendorf • Rakowitz • woman • City Kalisch
Golowtschin Moljatitschi • • • Rajowka Lesnaja Koniecpol • • • Weprik Krasnokutsk • Poltava
Phase 2: Sweden on the defensive ( 1710-1721 )
Riga Vyborg II • II • • Pärnu Kexholm Reval • • • Pälkäne Storkyro • Hanko
Helsingborg • Køge Bay Frederikshald • I • Dynekilen Fjord Gothenburg • I • II • Marstrand Frederikshald Strömstad • • • Gothenburg Osel II • Södra Stäket • Grönham • Sundsvall
Lübow • I • Stade Stralsund Rügen • • • Altona • Gadebusch Tonning II • Szczecin • Fehmarn • Wismar Stralsund • II • Jasmund • Peenemünde • Stresow
The Battle of Lesnaya was one of the decisive battles of the Russian campaign of Charles XII. in the Great Northern War. The battle took place on 28 Septemberjul. / September 29, Swed. / 9 October 1708greg. near the village Ljasnaja (now part of Mogilev, Belarus ) instead. The Russian troops under the command of Tsar Peter I and Field Marshal Menshikov was a Swedish army against under the command of General Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt. The battles lasted from 8:00 clock in the morning until 20:00 clock in the evening.
Prehistory
Lewenhaupt commanded one of the best Swedish armies, which was stationed near the port city of Riga and in the previous years could fend off Russian advances to Courland and Lithuania successfully (eg Battle of Jacob City, Battle of Gemäuterhof ). In the summer of 1708 Lewenhaupt moved his troops to the Swedish king Karl XII command. in a southerly direction to meet up with the main forces of Charles XII. to unite stationed in Poland. His entire invading army, marched with the king in September 1707 by Saxony to Moscow, sat down in the meantime made up of nearly 70,000 soldiers.
The main army of Charles XII. suffered significant Versorgunsproblemen because the Russian troops took the vastness of the country and retreated steadily and consistently employ applied the scorched earth tactics. Karl expected therefore urgent that troops under the command of Lewenhaupt and replenishment of ammunition and equipment to then continue the campaign in the direction of Moscow.
However, preparations for the departure of Lewenhaupts troops took longer than expected and the necessary gain was delayed. After long weeks of fruitless waiting, Charles XII decided. for the invasion of Ukraine and his troops were on 15.jul. / 16.schwed. / September 26 1708greg. the order to march. The troops Lewenhaupts were just about 80 miles from the position of the main forces at this time.
The budget for the Russians turn of events did not escape the attention of Tsar Peter I and he ordered an immediate attack on the smaller army of Sweden, before they could unite with the main army. Together with his closest confidants Menshikov, whom he had raised after the victory of Kalisch Duke of Ingria, the Czar himself took command of ten battalions of his most experienced infantry, ten regiments of dragoons and four batteries of mounted artillery, together 11,625 men. The Russian troops should perform a quick maneuver to cut troops Lewenhaupts the way to the safe rescue on the other bank of the river Sozh. That was no surprise to Lewenhaupt and he ordered his troops to prepare for battle. Lewenhaupts force consisted of 7,500 infantry and 5,000 horsemen who accompanied a supply train with nearly 1,000 cars. On September 18 (Jul. ) Lewenhaupt reached the Dnieper. The crossing of the river went on for a whole week in which the Russians were approaching the Swedes to finally take up the pursuit. On September 27 (Jul. ), the Swedes were caught up in the village of Lesnaya.
Battle Record
On the day of the battle there was a heavy snowstorm, which was also of Russian weather conditions ( end of September ) is very unusual. The troops of Sweden proved unable to fight under such conditions were quickly disoriented and disorganized and Lewenhaupt ordered a retreat. The commander also gave the order to burn the prepared for the main troops and ammunition replenishment. The reinforced with Cossacks Russian troops ended the battle with the capture of hundreds of Swedish soldiers.
In this battle, the Swedes lost 6,307 troops, more than half of which was taken prisoner. The rest of the Swedish troops reached the main army of Karl XII. only at 8.jul. / 9.schwed. / October 19 1708greg. near the small village Starodub, 60 kilometers west of the creek Desna. But the remains of the army Lewenhaupts proved for Karl XII. rather as a burden than as reinforcing his army.
Follow
The victory at the Battle of Lesnaya brought a great moral support of the Russians, because the troops Lewenhaupts were undefeated during the last nine years and were considered as the best and strongest fighting strength of the Swedish army. The victory strengthened the self-confidence of the Russian troops and contributed significantly to the victory of the Russians in the great battle of Poltava, in the Swedish army of King Charles XII. was defeated.
Peter I the Great called this battle later " The mother of the Battle of Poltava ", which took place exactly nine months after that.