Battle of Jakobstadt: Difference between revisions

Battle of Jakobstadt
	Part of the Great Northern War
	; The Battle of Jakobstadt (engraving from the Johann Christoph Brotze's collection)
Date	25 July 1704 (O.S.); 26 July 1704 (Swedish calendar); 5 August 1704 (N.S.)
Location	Jakobstadt, Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, (present day Jēkabpils, Latvia)
Result	Swedish victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire	Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth; Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt; Krzysztof Zawisza	Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki; Grzegorz Antoni Ogiński
Strength
5,000:; 3,000 Swedish; 2,000 Lithuanian	15,000:; 10,000 Polish; 5,000 Russian
Casualties and losses
420:; 238 killed ; 181 wounded	3,000:; 2,300 killed; 517 captured

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Revision as of 16:01, 19 October 2021

The Battle of Jakobstadt (Lithuanian: Jėkabpilio mūšis, Latvian: Kauja pie Jēkabpils, Swedish: Slaget vid Jakobstadt, Polish: Krzyżbork) was a battle fought in the Great Northern War. It took place on 25 July 1704 (O.S.) / 26 July 1704 (Swedish calendar) / 5 August 1704 (N.S.) between a Swedish army under Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt and a combined Lithuanian/Russian force under Great Hetman Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki at the town of Jēkabpils (German: Jakobstadt) in the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The Swedes were victorious.^[4]^[1]

Battle

Lewenhaupt divided his troops into two divisions. The first formed by the Swedes and the second formed by the Poles commanded by General Sapieha. The commander-in-chief of the Swedes did not intend for the Poles to bear the brunt of the battle, only the Polish cavalry could pursue the Russo-Poles after a hypothetical easy Swedish victory.

After disposing the troops, the Swedes marched on a broad front over the Russian lines. In the center, some battalions advanced too far and were repulsed.

Encouraged by the initial successes of the Swedes, Sapieha's son advanced with his contingent on the Russians. This interference with the order of the battle meant that the Russians gained the upper hand in this part of the battle and the Poles already saw the battle as lost. They left the battlefield in a panic.

The Swedes retreated and reorganized, and launched a second attack in perfect battle order. This attack had the support of artillery, which quickly put the Poles to flight, leaving only the Russians on the battlefield. The sun was turning and it was facing the Russians, obstructing their sight of the enemy, and it was not possible for them to know where and with what force they were attacking the Swedes. Lewenhaupt managed with an iron fist to regain control of his troops and ordered a simultaneous salvo of all battalions on the Russian battle line. When the smoke of the powder cleared, the damage caused by the Swedish fire could be seen. The battlefield was covered by dead and wounded Russians. The remaining Russian troops retreated to their camp where they formed a circle with the food chariots, so that they could easily repel the cavalry attack and inflict considerable losses on the Polish horsemen.

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b ^c Forces are usually set at 5,000-6,000 Swedes and Lithuanians and 15,000-17,000 Poles, Lithuanians and Russians. - Northern Wars, Oskar Sjöström^{[dead link]}
^ 238 killed where of 57 Swedish. - Н. П. Волынский. Постепенное развитие русской регулярной конницы в эпоху Великого Петра. СПб. 1912.
^ 517 captured, where of 287 Russian. Some also drowned or wounded. - The Military History Of Charles Xii. King Of Sweden, Gustavus Adlerfeld (2011). pp 328
^ Kuvaja, Christer (2008). Karolinska krigare 1660–1721 (in Swedish). Helsingfors: Schildts Förlags AB. p. 164. ISBN 978-951-50-1823-6.

56°30′13″N 25°52′15″E / 56.50361°N 25.87083°E / 56.50361; 25.87083

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[Northern_Wars-1] Forces are usually set at 5,000-6,000 Swedes and Lithuanians and 15,000-17,000 Poles, Lithuanians and Russians. - Northern Wars, Oskar Sjöström^{[dead link]}

[gnw-2] 238 killed where of 57 Swedish. - Н. П. Волынский. Постепенное развитие русской регулярной конницы в эпоху Великого Петра. СПб. 1912.

[karlxii-3] 517 captured, where of 287 Russian. Some also drowned or wounded. - The Military History Of Charles Xii. King Of Sweden, Gustavus Adlerfeld (2011). pp 328

[Kuvaja-4] Kuvaja, Christer (2008). Karolinska krigare 1660–1721 (in Swedish). Helsingfors: Schildts Förlags AB. p. 164. ISBN 978-951-50-1823-6.

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 The Swedes retreated and reorganized, and launched a second attack in perfect battle order. This attack had the support of artillery, which quickly put the Poles to flight, leaving only the Russians on the battlefield. The sun was turning and it was facing the Russians, obstructing their sight of the enemy, and it was not possible for them to know where and with what force they were attacking the Swedes. Lewenhaupt managed with an iron fist to regain control of his troops and ordered a simultaneous salvo of all battalions on the Russian battle line. When the smoke of the powder cleared, the damage caused by the Swedish fire could be seen. The battlefield was covered by dead and wounded Russians. The remaining Russian troops retreated to their camp where they formed a circle with the food chariots, so that they could easily repel the cavalry attack and inflict considerable losses on the Polish horsemen.
-==Consequences==
-Due to the success of the Swedes and the retreat of the Russians, the fortress and castle of Birse remained almost unprotected. The garrison numbered only 800 men, all of them veterans.
-Because the Swedes did not have enough artillery and mortars at their disposal, Lewenhaupt wanted to lead his troops into the winter quarters. Only the escape of a Swedish prisoner from Birse allowed the Swedish field marshal to know the actual size of the garrison. To prevent bloodshed Lewenhaupt allowed Sapieha to write a letter to the fortress commanders urging them to surrender.
-The letter explained General Sapieha's benevolence towards his Polish compatriots, who would not suffer any punishment if they surrendered. The letter clarified that the garrison would not survive if an attack was launched. The commander sent a mediator with the prayer for the surrender and free withdrawal of troops guaranteed by Lewenhaupt. The besieged commander agreed and the Swedes occupied Birse without a fight.
 ==Notes and references==