Plans of the parties for the campaign of 1809
By the beginning of 1809 Sweden's position was hopeless. The Swedish army did not have the opportunity to recapture Finland. The English fleet was ready to support Sweden, but it was clear that the British could not do anything serious. They could attack and sink individual ships, capture merchant ships, plunder undefended settlements on the coast, but no more. Britain had no intention of sending troops to Sweden or Finland. Britain could not organize a strike on St. Petersburg, following the example of Copenhagen, it was dangerous to meddle there.
Nevertheless, the stubborn Swedish king Gustav IV Adolf, despite the dissatisfaction of the environment, which demanded the conclusion of peace, decided to continue the war. At the same time, the king still considered the main task to be the fight against Denmark. The most combat-ready Swedish troops were left in the south of the country - in Scania and on the border with Norway, although no particular threat from the Danes was foreseen in 1809. 5,000 soldiers were recruited to defend the Swedish capital. In the Torneo area, 7,000 people were concentrated. Grippenberg Corps.
6,000 regular troops and 4,000 militias were gathered in the Alands. The defense of the Åland Islands was led by General Debeln. Fearing that Russian troops would bypass the islands from the south, Debeln evacuated the entire population of the southern islands and burned and devastated all the remaining villages there. Döbeln gathered all his forces on the Great Åland, blocked all routes with axes, set up artillery batteries at the most important coastal points, and a redoubt on the westernmost island of Ecker.
Emperor Alexander was not pleased with Count Buxgevden and in early December 1808 Buxgevden's place was taken by Infantry General Knorring. In February 1809, the command of the corps was also replaced. The southern corps instead of Wittgenstein was headed by Bagration, the central corps instead of Golitsyn was headed by Barclay de Tolly, and the northern corps instead of Tuchkov was headed by Shuvalov.
The campaign plan for 1809 was drawn up tactically and strategically competently. The Russian army was increased to 48 thousand bayonets and sabers. The plan provided for the occupation of the Aland Islands by the troops of Bagration from Abo with subsequent access to the coast of Sweden, the offensive of the corps of Barclay de Tolly from Vasa through the Kvarken Strait to Umeå with the simultaneous advance of the corps of General P. A. Shuvalov from Uleaborg along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia to Tornio and Umeå.
Knorring, considering this plan impracticable, delayed its implementation until mid-February. Alexander I, extremely dissatisfied with this, sent the Minister of War, Count Arakcheev, to Finland, who, arriving on February 20 in Abo, insisted on the speedy implementation of the highest will. The Russian army began to move.
The offensive of the Russian army
The offensive of Shuvalov's northern corps. On March 6 (18), 1809, General Shuvalov informed the commander of the northern group of the Swedish army, Grippenberg, about the termination of the truce. The Swedes concentrated their troops near the city of Kalix, 10 versts west of Torneo (Tornio) and decided to give battle.
On March 6, the Russians crossed the Kem River and moved west along the seashore. The Swedish avant-garde, which was located in the city of Torneo, did not accept the battle and retreated, leaving the sick soldiers behind. The offensive proceeded in difficult natural conditions: Russian soldiers made marches of 30-35 versts in a thirty-degree frost. Approaching Kalix, Shuvalov offered the enemy to capitulate, but the Swedes refused. Then the main forces of the corps launched an offensive in the forehead, and the column of General Alekseev went around on the ice and cut off the retreat for the Swedish troops. The Swedes were forced to ask for a truce. Shuvalov did not agree to a truce and demanded complete surrender, giving a period of 4 hours. The Swedes were forced to capitulate. March 13, 1809 Grippenberg signed the act of surrender. His 7 thousand the corps laid down its arms and was disbanded to go home on parole no longer to fight in this war. The Finns went to Finland, the Swedes to Sweden. Trophies of the Russian army were 22 guns and 12 banners. All Swedish reserves up to the city of Umeå were supposed to go intact to the Russian army.
Thus, the northern corps of Shuvalov successfully completed its task. The Russian army interrupted the last connection between Finland and Sweden. Count Shuvalov stopped when he received news of a truce concluded in Aland.
General Pavel Andreevich Shuvalov
The offensive of the central corps of Barclay de Tolly. Barclay's corps was supposed to number 8 thousand soldiers, but most of the troops were delayed at the transition to Vasya. Barclay, fearing that the ice would soon begin to melt, ordered an offensive to be launched with the available forces. As a result, his detachment had only 3200 people with 6 guns (6 infantry battalions and 250 Cossacks). On March 6, an order was read to the troops, in which Barclay de Toli, without hiding the upcoming difficulties, expressed confidence that "there is no impossible for Russian soldiers."
On the same day, the first battalion went forward to lay the path. For reconnaissance and the capture of advanced Swedish posts, Kiselev's flying detachment began to move - 40 musketeers of the Polotsk regiment on carts and 50 Cossacks. After a 13-hour transition, Kiselev's detachment approached the island of Grosgrund, where they captured the Swedish post. On March 7, all available forces of Barclay crossed to the island of Vals-Erar, and on March 8 they moved in two columns through Kvarken. In the right column, Colonel Filisov went with the Polotsk regiment and one hundred Cossacks to the island of Golme, in the left - Count Berg with the rest of the troops to the island of Gadden. Barclay was in the same column. Artillery with a battalion of life grenadiers followed separately behind the right column.
Like Shuvalov's troops, Barclay's fighters overcame great difficulties. The soldiers walked knee-deep in snow, constantly bypassing or climbing over blocks of ice. Frosty weather and a strong north wind made it impossible to rest. By evening, the troops reached the islands and settled down to rest. In the early morning the troops continued to move. Filisov's column entered into battle with three enemy companies, which settled on the island of Golm. The Swedes were bypassed and they retreated. Fearing for lagging artillery, Filisov continued to move only the next morning.
Meanwhile, the left column was moving towards the mouth of the Umeå River. After a hard eighteen-hour march, the column was 6 versts from Umeå. The soldiers were extremely exhausted. The troops had to spend the night again on the ice. The soldiers were lucky that they found two merchant ships frozen in the ice nearby. They were dismantled and kindled fires. At this time, the Cossack patrols reached the city of Umeå and started a shootout. Panic broke out in the city: "The Russians are coming!" The commandant of Umeå, Count Kronstedt, was prostrated: shooting in the city, on the ice, a sea of lights.
On the morning of March 10, when the vanguard of Barclay started a fight, and the entire column was already entering the mainland, a Swedish truce arrived and announced the upcoming truce. General Kronstedt handed over to the Russian troops Umea with all supplies and withdrew the troops 200 miles to the city of Gernezand. Thus, the offensive of Barclay's corps also ended in complete success. With the approach of Shuvalov's troops, the Russian army could continue the offensive further.
Having occupied Umea, Barclay de Tolly made all the orders to establish himself in the city and prepared to wait for the approach of Shuvalov's troops. On the evening of March 11, news of the armistice was received, along with an unexpected order to return the troops to Vasa. It was hard for Barclay to carry out this order, since the withdrawal was like a retreat. The main body moved back on March 15, and the rear guard on March 17. Despite the severe frost, the return trip was not so difficult, since the road was already paved. In addition, carts for the sick and wounded were taken from the Swedes, warm clothes and blankets, and various equipment were received from the warehouses.
Medal "For the passage to Sweden through Torneo"
The offensive of the southern corps of Bagration. Bagration's corps had to solve the main task, therefore it was the most powerful - 15.5 thousand infantry and 2 thousand cavalry, 20 guns. The corps had good material support. The troops were well provided with warm clothes - sheepskin coats, warm caps and felt boots. Sleighs loaded with provisions, vodka and firewood moved behind the troops. At the end of February 1809, the corps of Bagration from the Abo region advanced to the starting point on the island of Kumling. The troops were joined by Minister of War Arakcheev, Commander-in-Chief Knorring and the Russian envoy to Sweden Alopeus, who had authority in case of diplomatic negotiations with Stockholm.
On March 3 (15), Bagration's corps went on the offensive with 4 columns from the front from the east, and the 5th column bypassed the Aland Islands from the south. The left avant-garde column was commanded by Kulnev, the right - by Shepelev. The advanced posts of the Swedes left the small islands and went to the west. On the evening of March 3, the first four columns occupied Varde Island, located in front of Big Aland, and the fifth column passed through Sottunga to Bene Island, where it collided with the enemy's rearguard. The Cossacks attacked the Swedes, and Kulnev went around, this forced the enemy to retreat. The head of the Aland Swedish corps, facing the threat of complete defeat, and having received the news of the coup d'état in Stockholm, began to withdraw troops.
There really was a coup d'état in Stockholm. The war was unpopular among the guards and the aristocracy. In the winter of 1808-1809. opposition groups began to develop a plan to overthrow Gustavus Adolf and eliminate absolutism. Higher officers and officials participated in the conspiracy. They were led by Adjutant General Adlerkreutz, the commander of the Western Army, General Adlersparre, and an official of the judicial department Erta. Having promised the Danish commander, Prince Christian of Augustenburg, the title of heir to the Swedish throne, Adlersparre concluded an agreement with him on a temporary ceasefire and moved with part of the troops to Stockholm. On March 1 (13), he broke into the chambers of the king with the guards and took him into custody. Gustav's uncle, the Duke of Südermanland, named Charles XIII, who commanded the Swedish fleet during the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790, was chosen as the new king. However, by this time he had already fallen into dementia and had no real influence on politics. In fact, power was in the hands of the aristocracy.
The Swedish capital was in danger of falling. The Russian troops were left with only 5-6 transitions to it. Therefore, the new Swedish government turned to the Russians with a request for a truce. First, Colonel Lagerbrinn was sent to meet our army. But Bagration did not negotiate with him and sent him to the convoy to Arakcheev and Knorring. Bagration himself ordered the troops to continue the offensive. Two days later, the entire Aland archipelago was occupied without a fight. The cavalry of the avant-garde of Kulnev overtook the rear guard of the Swedish army. Isaev's Cossacks surrounded one column, repulsed two guns and captured 144 people. Then they overtook the second square and beat off two more guns. The Grodno hussars surrounded the battalion of the Südermanland Regiment (14 officers and 442 lower ranks, led by the commander) and, after a short skirmish, forced them to capitulate. As a result, Kulnev captured more prisoners than he had in the detachment, not counting the large number of trophies. Russian troops captured more than 2 thousand prisoners, 32 guns, over 150 ships and vessels.
Hero of the Russo-Swedish War Yakov Petrovich Kulnev
On March 4 (16), Major General Debeln arrived in Bagration's corps with a request for a truce. He negotiated with Arakcheev and Knorring. Arakcheev at first did not agree to a truce, referring to the fact that the goal of Emperor Alexander was to sign peace in Stockholm. Then Arakcheev sent the terms of the armistice to the Swedes: 1) Sweden was to forever cede Finland in the borders to the Kalix River, the Aland Islands, the maritime border between the two powers would have to pass through the Gulf of Bothnia; 2) Sweden will abandon the alliance with England and enter into an alliance with Russia; 3) Russia can support Sweden with troops if England lands troops against Sweden.
However, Arakcheev made a mistake by not finishing the job. Peace had to be dictated on the Swedish coast. There was very little left - the vanguard of the Russian troops, led by Major General Kulnev, reached the coast of Sweden on March 7 (19), captured Grisselgam, creating a direct threat to Stockholm. Kulnev so skillfully scattered his detachment that he seemed to the Swedes much stronger than he really was. The appearance of a small detachment of Kulnev caused great fear in Stockholm.
Arakcheev and Knorring, in order to show the sincerity of our aspirations for peace, ordered Bagration's troops to return to Abo. The detachment of Barclay de Tolly, who had already crossed the bay at Kvarken, was also recalled back. In fact, Debeln deliberately misled the Russian generals in order to play for time and save Stockholm.
Medal "For crossing to the Swedish coast"
Continuation of the war
At the beginning of April 1809, when the Russian troops left the Swedish territory, and the melting of the ice made a new attack on Stockholm impossible, the Swedish government began to put forward unacceptable peace conditions to St. Petersburg. Alexander I on March 19 (31) canceled the truce. Knorring was replaced by Barclay de Tolly. Shuvalov's corps, which, under the terms of the armistice, withdrew to Northern Finland, received an order to re-enter the territory of Sweden.
April 18 (30) 5 thousand. Shuvalov's corps set out from Torneo. On April 26, Shuvalov approached Piteo with a forced march and, having learned about the concentration of enemy troops in Skellefteo, went there. Before reaching 10 versts, on May 2, under the command of General Alekseev, he sent 4 infantry regiments (Revelsky, Sevsky, Mogilev and 3rd Chasseurs) with artillery and a small number of Cossacks along the ice barely holding on to the coast (two days later - by May 5, the bay already freed from the ice) to the rear of the enemy. Himself with 4 regiments (Nizovsky, Azov, Kaluga and 20th Chasseurs) continued to move along the coast.
The decision was extremely risky, but justified itself. Furumak's detachment was taken by surprise, clamped in pincers and capitulated. About 700 people were taken prisoner, 22 guns and 4 banners became Russian trophies. At this time, Döbeln was appointed commander of the Swedish army in the North. Arriving at Umeå, he resorted to the same trick. Debeln asked Count Shuvalov to stop the bloodshed, which was pointless in view of the imminent conclusion of peace. Shuvalov stopped traffic and sent Debeln's letter to Barclay.
While the negotiations were going on, the Swedes hurriedly took away the transports with all the supplies and property. Finally, when on May 14 Shuvalov, without waiting for a response from the commander in chief, concluded a preliminary agreement with the Swedes on the transfer of Umeå to the Russians. Barclay de Tolly rejected the truce and ordered Shuvalov "to threaten the enemy with the most active war in Sweden itself." But this order was late, the Swedes took out supplies and entrenched themselves in new positions. Shuvalov, due to illness, had already surrendered the corps to General Alekseev. The latter advanced forward detachments to the southern borders of Vestrobothnia, occupying a number of points on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia.
Swedish commander Georg Carl von Döbeln
Alekseev's corps was in a dangerous position, as it was located 600 km from the main base in Uleaborg. The sea supply was interrupted, the coastal flank was threatened by the Swedish fleet. There was a shortage of food. The region was depleted by the war, and all food supplies were taken out by Debeln.
When the Riksdag, assembled in Stockholm, proclaimed the Duke of Südermanland King Charles XIII, the new government, wanting to restore the prestige of the kingdom, inclined to the proposal of General Count Wrede to continue the war and oust the Russians from Esterbotnia (central Finland). The Swedish command decided to take advantage of the inactivity of the Russian sailing fleet, which had been defending in Kronstadt for almost the entire war, and, taking advantage of superiority at sea, to defeat Alekseev's corps.
Alekseev also understood that the situation was dangerous, he brought together individual parts of the corps and pulled the avant-garde located on the Era River closer to Umeå. In June, the Ume-Elv River flooded from the melted snows on the Lapland Mountains and damaged the bridge near Umeå between the vanguard and the main forces of Alekseev's detachment. Having learned about the damage to the bridge and believing it possible to break the vanguard before the arrival of reinforcements from Umeå, Sandels decided to attack it and began to prepare for the action. He had 3 thousand soldiers and support from the sea of 4 frigates and a rowing flotilla.
However, General Alekseev received news of the enemy's offensive and decided to counterattack the Swedes. He fixed the bridge and ordered General Kazachkovsky to attack the enemy with infantry regiments of Sevsky, Kaluga, Nizovsky, 24th and 26th Chasseurs, half a squadron of Mitavian dragoons, fifty Cossacks and 4 guns. Sandels stood at Hörnefors, behind the river Görne, sending forward the small vanguard of Major Ernroth. On the evening of June 21, the advanced units of the Swedes were defeated.
Not reaching a few kilometers to Hörnefors, Kazachkovsky divided his detachment into two parts: with the Sevsky, Kaluga and 24th Jaeger regiments, he went the high road, and sent Lieutenant Colonel Karpenko with the 26th Chasseur regiment to the right, into the forest, bypassing the left flank of the Swedes . The Nizovsky regiment was left in reserve. The execution of this plan was favored by thick fog and the extreme carelessness of the Swedes, who did not expect an attack by Russian troops. The attack was unexpected for the Swedes; having knocked down the outposts, the Russians began to push the enemy, who had fallen into disarray and confusion. Sandels' attempt to arrange troops behind the bridge failed, and he began to withdraw them back, and to cover the retreat he appointed a battalion of the famous partisan Dunker, who completed the task, but died in this battle. In the following days, the fighting continued, but the Swedes repulsed the Russian attacks. Interestingly, after this success, Alexander removed Alekseev from command of the corps and appointed Kamensky instead.
Battle of Hörnefors.
Plan
Introduction
1 Causes and purposes of the war
2 State of the parties before the war
3 Undeclared war
4 Declaration of war
5 Unsuccessful start of the war for Russia
6 Fracture
7 Defeat of the Swedes in Finland
8 Foreign policy results
9 Military totals
Russo-Swedish war (1808-1809)
Introduction
The Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809, also the Finnish war (fin. Suomen sota, swed. Finnish kriget listen)) is a war between Russia supported by France and Denmark against Sweden. It was the last of a series of Russian-Swedish wars.
The war ended with the victory of Russia and the conclusion of the Friedrichsham Peace Treaty, according to which Finland passed from Sweden to Russia, becoming part of the Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland.
1. Causes and objectives of the war
Upon the conclusion of the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807, Alexander I offered the Swedish king Gustav IV his mediation to reconcile him with France, and when the British, suddenly and without declaring war, attacked Copenhagen and took the Danish fleet away, he demanded the assistance of Sweden, so that, on the basis of treaties of 1780 and 1800, to keep the Baltic Sea closed to the fleets of the Western powers. Gustav IV rejected these demands and took a course towards rapprochement with England, which continued to fight Napoleon, who was hostile to him.
Meanwhile, there was a break between Russia and Great Britain. On November 16, 1807, the Russian government again turned to the Swedish king with a proposal for assistance, but for about two months did not receive any answer. Finally, Gustav IV responded that the execution of the treaties of 1780 and 1800. cannot proceed while the French occupy the harbors of the Baltic Sea. Then it became known that the Swedish king was preparing to help England in the war with Denmark, trying to win back Norway from her. All these circumstances gave Emperor Alexander I a reason to conquer Finland, in order to ensure the security of the capital from the close proximity of the hostile Russian power.
2. The state of the parties before the war
At the beginning of 1808, the Russian army (about 24 thousand) was located along the border, between Friedrichsham and Neishlot, the leadership was entrusted to Count Buxgevden.
The Swedes in Finland at that time had 19 thousand troops, under the temporary command of General Klerker. The commander-in-chief, Count Klingspor, was still in Stockholm, where everyone hoped for a peaceful resolution of misunderstandings: the king himself did not trust the news of the concentration of Russian troops in the Vyborg province and the Swedish army was not transferred to martial law.
When Count Klingspor finally went to Finland, the essence of the instructions given to him was not to go into battle with the enemy, to hold Sveaborg to the last extreme and, if possible, to operate behind Russian lines.
3. Undeclared war
Although war was not declared, Russian troops crossed the border on February 9. On February 18, Count Buxhoeveden entered Helsingfors; Swedish troops took refuge in the fortress of Sveaborg.
On February 23, Count Klingspor retreated to Tammerfors, ordering all detachments scattered in northern Finland to be drawn there.
Following that, Tavastehus was occupied by Russian troops.
On February 27, Buxgevden ordered Prince Bagration to pursue Klingspor, and General Tuchkov to try to cut off his retreat; Buxhoeveden himself decided to proceed with the siege of Sveaborg.
The Swedes withdrew unhindered to Bragestad, but Sveaborg - mainly thanks to the "golden powder" - surrendered to the Russians on April 26, who got 7.5 thousand prisoners, more than 2 thousand guns, huge stocks of all kinds and 110 warships.
Even earlier, on March 5, the fortress of Svartholm surrendered; almost at the same time, the fortified Cape Gangut, as well as the island of Gotland and the Aland Islands, were occupied.
4. Declaration of war
A formal declaration of war from the Russian side followed only on March 16, 1808, when news was received that the king, having learned about the passage of Russian troops across the border, ordered the arrest of all members of the Russian embassy who were in Stockholm.
Public opinion in Sweden was not on the side of the war, and the emergency measures ordered by the king were carried out reluctantly and weakly.
5. Unsuccessful start of the war for Russia
Meanwhile, in the north of Finland, things took an unfavorable turn for Russia. Tuchkov's detachment, due to the separation of stages and garrisons, decreased to 4 thousand.
On April 6, the vanguard of Russian troops, under the command of Kulnev, attacked the Swedes near the village of Siikajoki, but, having stumbled upon superior forces, was defeated; after that, on April 15, the same fate befell a detachment of Russian troops at Revolax, and the commander of this detachment, General Bulatov, Mikhail Leontyevich, who had already fought a number of successful battles, defeating several enemy detachments, was seriously wounded and taken prisoner. In February 1809, the captured general was offered freedom in exchange for a promise not to fight against the Swedes and their allies, but he refused, after which he was allowed to leave for Russia without preconditions.
The Finns, incited by the proclamations of the king and count of Klingspor, rose up against the Russians and, with their partisan actions, under the command of Swedish officers, caused a lot of harm to the Russian army.
In eastern Finland, a detachment under the command of Colonel Sandels (sv: Johan August Sandels) spread the alarm all the way to Neishlot and Wilmanstrand.
At the end of April, a strong Swedish flotilla appeared near the Aland Islands and, with the help of the rebellious inhabitants, forced the detachment of Colonel Vuich to surrender.
On May 3, Rear Admiral Bodisko, who occupied the island of Gotland, signed a capitulation, by virtue of which his detachment, having laid down their arms, went back to Libau on the same ships on which they arrived in Gotland.
On May 14, an English fleet arrived in Gothenburg with an auxiliary corps of 14 thousand people under the command of General Moore, but Gustav IV could not agree with him regarding the plan of action, and Moore's troops were sent to Spain; only the English fleet remained at the disposal of the Swedish king, consisting of 16 ships and 20 other vessels.
Meanwhile, detachments of Russian troops operating in northern Finland were forced to retreat to Kuopio. Klingspor did not complete his success with persistent pursuit, but stopped at a position near the village of Salmi, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements from Sweden and the result of the landings undertaken on the western coast of Finland. The landing forces were defeated in the battle of Lemu and Vaasa. Taking advantage of this, General Count N. M. Kamensky on August 2 again went on the offensive.
On August 20 and 21, after stubborn battles at Kuortane and Salmi, Klingspor retreated in the direction of Vasa and Nykarleby, and on September 2 suffered a new setback in the battle of Oravais.
Swedish landings, which at first acted not without success, on the orders of Klingspor, also retreated to Vasa. Other landings made in September from the Åland Islands also ended in failure.
6. Fracture
In eastern Finland, General Tuchkov, having against him the Swedish detachment of Sandels and a detachment of armed inhabitants, kept in a defensive position. The detachment of Alekseev, sent to him for reinforcements, was stopped by the actions of the partisans and returned to Serdobol on July 30. Only on September 14, Prince Dolgorukov, who replaced Alekseev, reached the village of Melansemi and entered into contact with Tuchkov. The joint attack they planned on Sandels did not take place, since the latter, having learned about the failure of Klingspor near Oravais, retreated to the village of Idensalmi.
Soon the unrest in eastern Finland subsided. Due to the onset of autumn, lack of food and the need to rest the troops, Count Buxhoeveden accepted Klingspor's offer of a truce, which was concluded on September 17, but was not approved by the emperor. The offensive resumed on the Russian side was already almost unhindered. Klingspor left for Stockholm, handing over his command to General Klerker, and the latter, convinced of the impossibility of detaining Russian troops, started negotiations with Count Kamensky, the consequence of which was the retreat of the Swedes to Torneo and the occupation of all Finland by Russian troops in November 1808.
Emperor Alexander, however, was not completely satisfied with Count Buxgevden, since the Swedish army, despite the significant superiority of the Russian forces, retained its composition, and therefore the war could not be considered over. At the beginning of December, Buxhoeveden's place was taken by General of Infantry Knorring. Emperor Alexander ordered the new commander-in-chief to immediately and resolutely transfer the theater of war to the Swedish coast, taking advantage of the opportunity (the rarest in the history of the usually non-freezing bay) to cross there on ice.
The northern detachment was to move to Tornio, take possession of the shops there and follow to the city of Umea, to join with another detachment, which was ordered to go there from Vasa on the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia near the Kvarken Islands; finally, the third detachment was to attack the Aland Islands, then all three detachments were to move towards Stockholm.
Knorring delayed the execution of a bold plan and remained inactive until mid-February. Alexander I, extremely dissatisfied with this, sent the Minister of War, Count Arakcheev, to Finland, who, arriving on February 20 in Abo, insisted on the speedy implementation of the highest will.
The troops of Prince Bagration, who marched to the Aland Islands on March 2, quickly captured them, and on March 7 a small Russian cavalry detachment under the command of Kulnev already occupied the village of Grisselgam (now part of the commune of Norrtelier) on the Swedish coast. Two days later, he was ordered to return to Aland, where a Swedish commissioner arrived with a letter from the Duke of Südermanland, who declared his desire to make peace on the condition that Russian troops did not cross to the Swedish coast. Knorring agreed to a suspension of hostilities; the main forces of Prince Bagration were returned to Abo; the detachment of Barclay de Tolly, who had already crossed the bay at Kvarken, was also recalled back.
Meanwhile, the northern detachment of Russian troops, under the command of Count Shuvalov, managed to gain significant success. The Grippenberg detachment that stood against him lost the city of Tornio without a fight, and then, on March 13, bypassed by the troops of the Russian Empire near the village of Kalix, laid down their arms. Then Count Shuvalov stopped, having received news of the truce concluded on Aland.
On March 13, 1809, a coup d'etat took place in Sweden, Gustav IV was deposed, and royal power passed into the hands of his younger brother, the Duke of Südermanland and the aristocracy surrounding him.
7. The defeat of the Swedes in Finland
On March 19, Emperor Alexander arrived in Abo, ordering to interrupt the truce concluded on Aland. In early April, Barclay de Tolly was appointed to replace Knorring. Hostilities resumed and from the Russian side were carried out mainly by the northern detachment, which on May 20 occupied the city of Umeå. The Swedish troops were partly overturned, partly retreated hastily. Even before the occupation of Umeå, the Swedish general Döbeln, who commanded in Vestro-Botnia, asked Count Shuvalov to stop the bloodshed, which was pointless due to the imminent conclusion of peace, and offered to cede all of Vestro-Botnia to the Russians. Shuvalov agreed to conclude a convention with him, but Barclay de Tolly did not fully approve of it; the northern detachment of the Russian army was ordered to start hostilities again at the first opportunity. In addition, measures were taken to provide the detachment with food, in which there was a severe shortage.
When the Diet, assembled in Stockholm, proclaimed the Duke of Südermanland king, the new government inclined to the proposal of General Count Wrede to push the Russians out of Vestro-Botnia; hostilities resumed, but the successes of the Swedes were limited only to the capture of several transports; their attempts to start a people's war against Russia failed. After a successful case for the Russians, a truce was again concluded at Gernefors, partly due to the need for the Russians to provide themselves with food.
Since the Swedes stubbornly refused to cede the Aland Islands to Russia, Barclay allowed the new head of the northern detachment, Count Kamensky, to act at his own discretion.
The Swedes sent two detachments against the latter: one, Sandels, was supposed to attack from the front, the other, landing, landed near the village of Ratan and attacked Count Kamensky from the rear. Owing to the bold and skillful orders of the count, this enterprise ended in failure; but then, due to the almost complete depletion of military and food supplies, Kamensky retreated to Piteo, where he found a transport with bread and again moved forward to Umea. Already on the first transition, Sandels appeared to him with the authority to conclude a truce, which he could not refuse, due to the insecurity of supplying his troops with everything necessary.
8. Foreign policy results
On September 5 (17), 1809, a peace treaty was signed in Friedrichsgam, the essential articles of which were:
1. conclusion of peace with Russia and its allies;
2. the adoption of the continental system and the closure of Swedish harbors for the British;
3. the cession of all Finland, the Åland Islands and the eastern part of Vestro-Botnia up to the rivers Torneo and Muonio, into the eternal possession of Russia.
9. Military results
For the first time in the history of wars, a bay was crossed on ice.
Literature
· Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, Alexander Ivanovich, "Description of the Finnish War on the dry route and at sea in 1808 and 1809." St. Petersburg: 1841.
Bulgarin, Faddey Venediktovich Memoirs
· Ordin K., Conquest of Finland, St. Petersburg, 1889.
Niva P. A., Russian-Swedish war 1808-1809, St. Petersburg, 1910.
· Zakharov G., Russian-Swedish war 1808-1809, M., 1940.
Fomin A.A., Sweden in the system of European politics on the eve and during the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809, M., 2003.
Rostunov Ivan Ivanovich. "P. I. Bagration. Finnish campaign - M .: "Moscow worker", 1970
When writing this article, material from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (1890-1907) was used.
Campaign at seaBattle of the boat "Experience" with the English frigate near the island of Nargen on June 11, 1808. Drawing by L. Blinov
By the beginning of the war with Sweden, the Baltic Fleet was greatly weakened by sending the best ships to the Mediterranean. So, in 1804 Greig's squadron left, consisting of 2 battleships and 2 frigates. In 1805, the Senyavin squadron left, consisting of 5 battleships and 1 frigate. In 1806, Ignatov's squadron left, consisting of 5 ships, 1 frigate and other ships.
Moreover, all these expeditions ended badly for Russia. In August 1808 Senyavin's squadron (9 ships and 1 frigate) was captured by the British in Lisbon. In the English Channel, the British intercepted the frigate "Hurry" with a cargo of gold. Another frigate hid from the British Palermo and was surrendered to the Neapolitan king. The rest of the ships of the Russian Mediterranean fleet took refuge in the French ports (or belonged to France) - Toulon, Trieste and Venice. They were handed over for "storage" to the French and their crews returned to Russia.
Thus, practically without a fight, the Baltic Fleet was drained of blood. As the historian A. Shirokorad notes: “During this“ naval Austerlitz ”the Russian fleet lost more ships than in all the wars of the 18th and 19th centuries combined.”
By the beginning of 1808, the combat-ready ship fleet consisted of only 9 ships, 7 frigates and 25 small ships, which were based in Kronstadt and Revel. The rowing fleet included about 150 ships, including 20 galleys and 11 floating batteries. Most of the rowing fleet was located in St. Petersburg.
The Russians opened the 1808 campaign in early April. Rear Admiral Bodisko was ordered to land on the island of Gotland, which was supposed to be part of the French-Danish landing in South Sweden (it never took place). Bodisco chartered several merchant ships, landed troops on them and successfully captured the island. However, the Swedes sent a squadron and the support of local armed residents recaptured Gotland. Bodisco capitulated in the face of superior forces, but negotiated good terms. The Russian detachment, having handed over their weapons, but retaining the banners, returned to Russia.
In Sveaborg, occupied by the Russian army, a large Swedish rowing flotilla was captured. Two detachments were formed from it: Lieutenant Myakinin and Captain Selivanov. Both detachments passed by skerries to Abo and occupied the fairways leading to this city from the Aland and Bothnian skerries. Russian rowing vessels successfully withstood a number of collisions with the Swedes. On June 18, a Russian detachment (14 ships) was attacked by a Swedish rowing squadron in significantly superior forces (about 60 ships of various types). However, the firing of the Russian gunners was so successful that the Swedes retreated. The Swedes attacked again, but also unsuccessfully. Meanwhile, the Russian detachment received reinforcements from several ships.
On June 22, the Swedes went on the offensive again. However, the Swedish attack was repulsed. The gunners again distinguished themselves. We had 11 ships damaged, the Swedes - 20. On July 9, the Russian flotilla under the command of Heiden attacked the enemy in the area of the Jungfruzund Strait. The battle ended with the defeat of the Swedes. On July 20, our ships attacked the enemy and won a complete victory.
On August 7, the Russians and the Swedes again converged in the Jungfruzund Strait. The first day of the battle was limited to an artillery skirmish. On August 8, the battle continued. On this day, superior enemy forces (20 gunboats and 25 armed longboats with 600 landing troops) attacked 5 Russian ships that were away from the main forces. The case quickly turned into a boarding battle. Fighting off with grapeshot and rifle salvos, which turned into bloody hand-to-hand fights, a small Russian detachment bled in the fight against a numerous enemy. A particularly fierce battle was in full swing on the Storbiorn gem.
Gems were called sailing and rowing ships of the Swedish skerry fleet. Usually the ships had 2 masts and up to 10 pairs of oars, artillery weapons up to 30 - 32 guns. This made it possible to achieve the ability to conduct strong artillery fire from the side guns, walking under the oars.
All the commanders were killed on the ship, and 80 of the lower ranks were killed and 100 people were injured. The Swedes were able to capture the ship. But at this time, the commander of the Russian detachment Novokshenov brought help. The Russians recaptured the lost ship and sank three Swedish gunboats and two longboats. As a result of this fierce battle, the Russian rowing flotilla drove the Swedes out of Jungfruzund and opened a free passage along the entire length of the skerries from Vyborg to Abo.
On August 18, a detachment of the Russian rowing flotilla of 24 ships under the command of Selivanov near the island of Sudsalo entered into battle with an enemy squadron of 45 gunboats and 6 galleys. The battle was stubborn and lasted 8 hours. Despite the superiority in forces, the fire of the Russian artillery was so successful that the Swedes could not win. The Russians lost 2 gunboats, people were rescued from them. Selivanov sent 17 gunboats to Abo for repairs, which were severely damaged and barely floated. The losses of the Swedes were greater: 8 gunboats sank, and 2 exploded.
Thus, the Russian rowing fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Myasoedov during the campaign of 1808 went to the Abo region, where he had a number of successful skirmishes with the Swedish fleet. Rowing ships protected the skerries from the penetration of enemy landings until late autumn.
The Swedish naval fleet, which went to sea in July, consisted of 11 battleships and 5 frigates, which reinforced 2 English ships. The English fleet (16 ships and 20 vessels), after the defeat of the Danish capital, entered the Baltic Sea. The British sent help to the Swedes and with the main forces blocked the Sound, the Belts, the Danes, Prussia, Pomerania and the port of Riga.
The Russian ship fleet, which left Kronstadt on July 14 under the command of Admiral P.I. Khanykov, consisted of 39 pennants (9 ships, 11 frigates, 4 corvettes and 15 small ships). Khanykov was instructed to destroy or capture Swedish ships, to prevent the Swedes from connecting with the British; support the army from the sea.
The Russian fleet reached Gangut, several ships went cruising and captured several Swedish transports and a brig. From Gangut Khanykov moved to Jungfruzund. Here he met the enemy fleet. The Russian admiral, not considering it possible to resist the enemy, evaded a decisive battle and, pursued by the Swedes, took the ships to the Baltic port.
At the same time, the 74-gun ship of the line "Vsevolod" under the command of Captain 1st Rank D.V. Rudnev was damaged and was under tow. Six miles from the port, the tug burst, and the ship would have to anchor. Admiral Khanykov sent several boats to the port for further towing of the Vsevolod under the protection of armed longboats. At 16 o'clock the boats approached the ship and began towing. Two English ships, seeing the plight of the Russian ship, approached and, dispersing the boats with shotgun fire, attacked her. Captain Rudnev, having decided to defend himself "to the last extreme", put the Vsevolod aground. During this battle, several ships of the Khanykov squadron weighed anchor, but due to the weak wind they could not leave the port.
The English ships, taking advantage of the immobility of the enemy, shot down the Russian ship, causing huge destruction and heavy losses in people. Only after that did they manage to board the Russian ship and, after a boarding battle, capture it. Of the almost 700 people of the Vsevolod team, only 56 escaped, another 37 wounded sailors were captured. After several unsuccessful attempts to refloat the Russian ship, the British, fearing the appearance of Khanykov's ships, plundered the Vsevolod and set it on fire. On the morning of August 15, Vsevolod exploded.
Even earlier, a similar feat was accomplished by the 14-gun boat of the Russian fleet "Experience" under the command of Lieutenant Gavriil Nevelsky. Sent to monitor the enemy, on June 11, the boat met at Nargen with the British 50-gun frigate Salsette. Despite the inequality of forces (there were only 53 people on the boat), the Russian boat refused to capitulate. For four hours, the crew of the boat fought off the enemy and was forced to surrender only when the boat received severe damage to the mast and hull and began to sink, and most of the crew were killed and wounded. Having captured the ship, the British, out of respect for the brilliant courage of the Russian sailors, released Nevelsky and all his subordinates. Emperor Alexander I, having learned about this battle, ordered "that Nevelsky never be under the command on any ship, but always be the commander." Nevelsky was awarded 3,000 rubles, and the service was reduced for the team, and "people were appointed to court courts."
Thus, the naval fleet under the command of Admiral Khanykov failed to prevent the connection of the Swedish and English fleets and took refuge in the Baltic port, where it was blocked on August 19 (31) until September 17 (29), when at the request of the Swedes a truce was concluded.
In the campaign of 1809, the Russian naval fleet concentrated in Kronstadt and prepared to repel the attack of the British fleet, that is, it sat out behind the forts of the sea fortress. Even when the British fleet approached the island of Gogland (an island in the Gulf of Finland, 180 km west of St. Petersburg), landed troops, the Russian ships remained in place. Kronstadt was actively preparing for defense, about 20 new batteries were built.
In 1809, England sent Admiral D. Moore's powerful fleet to the Baltic - 52 ships with 9,000 landing corps. In April, the British fleet passed through the Sound. In early summer, the British entered the Gulf of Finland. The British landed troops in one of the main strategic points of the bay - in Porkalaud. The British tried to interfere with Russian shipping in the Finnish skerries and sent armed longboats to the skerries.
There were several fights. So, on June 23, in Porkalaud, four English longboats fought with three Russian gunboats. Two British ships were damaged and sunk. On July 17, between the mainland and the islands of Sturi and Lilla Svarte, six Russian iol (small sailing and rowing ships) and two gunboats were attacked by twenty English boats and longboats. After a stubborn battle, two iols were able to break through to Sveaborg, and the British boarded the rest of the ships. The Russians lost 2 officers and 63 lower ranks killed, 106 people were captured (half of them were wounded). The British lost 2 officers and 17 lower ranks killed, 37 people were wounded. All the captured Russian ships were badly damaged, so the British burned them.
The British press trumpeted the great successes of the Royal Navy in the Baltic. However, the British raids were local in nature and did not have serious tactical and strategic significance. The fate of the war was decided on land, and there Sweden was beaten in all respects, in 1809 the war was already in Sweden itself. And England did not dare to land a larger contingent in Sweden in order to really support the ally.
End of the war
Taking advantage of the complete superiority of the Swedish fleet in the Gulf of Bothnia, the Swedish command still hoped to win and return part of the previously lost territories. The Swedes developed a plan for the destruction of the Russian northern corps under the command of Kamensky. The Sandels corps was reinforced by troops that were withdrawn from the Norwegian direction. At Ratan, two passages to the rear from Umeå, where the Russians were stationed, they planned to land the “coastal corps”, which had previously covered Stockholm. Thus, the Russian troops fell between two fires.
Kamensky decided not to wait for the enemy attack and counterattack the Swedish army. On August 4, 1809, the northern corps left Umeå in three columns: the first - General Alekseev (six battalions), the second - Kamensky (eight battalions), the third - Sabaneev's reserve (four battalions). General Alekseev was to force the Ere River 15 versts above the mouth and attack the enemy's left flank. The main forces were transported along the coastal route and were supposed to push the enemy.
However, on August 5, from 100 transports near Ratan, they began to land 8,000. Corps of Count Wachtmeister. As a result, Kamensky's corps found itself in an extremely dangerous position. Ahead of the river Ere 7-thousand. corps of General Wrede, in the rear - landing corps of Wachtmeister. From the river Ere to Ratan only 5-6 day trips. You can move only in a narrow coastal strip, maneuvering is excluded by terrain conditions. The Swedish fleet dominates the sea.
Swedish General Johan August Sandels
Kamensky decided to attack the landing corps as the most powerful and dangerous threat. He ordered Sabaneev's reserve, which had just passed Umeå, to go back. The vanguard of the left column under the command of Erikson was to remain on the Era River and mislead the Swedes, and at night withdraw to Umeå and destroy the crossings. All other troops were to follow Sabaneev's former reserve, which now became the vanguard. These movements occupied the whole day of 5 August. The Swedes at that time managed to land the vanguard of Lagerbrink (seven battalions with a battery). They pushed back the small Russian units that were here. The Swedish troops did not move further and stopped at Sevara, waiting for instructions from the command. This stop disrupted the effect of the surprise landing of the Swedish troops in the rear of the Russian corps. Moreover, the area near Sevar was ill-suited for organizing a good defense.
On August 6, Russian troops were busy regrouping. Sabaneev supported Frolov's rear detachment. Alekseev's column soon approached. The rest of the troops lingered at Umeå, waiting for Erickson's rearguard. The Russian rearguard successfully misled the Swedes all day, and at night they left for Umeå. On the morning of August 7, Kamensky attacked with the forces of the Wachtmeister at Sevar. The stubborn battle lasted from early morning until 4 pm. The Swedes could not stand it and retreated back to Ratan.
Kamensky, despite the advance of the Wrede corps to Umeå, which reduced the distance between the two groups of the Swedes to 2-3 transitions, decided to attack Wachtmeister again. He pursued the retreating enemy with all his might. As a result, the Swedish detachment was evacuated by sea. Kamensky ran out of ammunition, so he decided to withdraw to Piteo on August 12 to replenish his ammunition. After the rest, on August 21, Kamensky's corps moved back to Umeå.
Meanwhile, on 3 (15) August, peace negotiations began again. A truce was concluded, according to which the Russian troops were withdrawn to Pitea, and the Swedes remained in Umea. The Swedish fleet was withdrawn from Kvarken and undertook not to act against the Åland Islands and the coast of Finland. Vessels of neutral states could navigate the entire Gulf of Bothnia.
Petersburg decided not to respond to the proposals of the Swedes in order to put pressure on them. Kamensky was ordered to prepare for a new offensive. The freedom of navigation in the Gulf of Bothnia was used to concentrate supplies in Piteau. A special reserve was put forward in Torneo in case it was necessary to support Kamensky's corps. The Russian chief commissioner in Friedrichsgam, Count Nikolai Rumyantsev, even demanded that Kamensky launch an offensive and offered to land troops near Stockholm.
Sweden was exhausted by the war, civil and military administration was upset. Despite the increased issuance of paper money, there was not enough money, taxes were increased, which became extremely burdensome for the population. The internal political crisis led to a coup d'état and the emergence of a constitution. The calculation of the help of England did not justify itself. The fighting on the Norwegian front also did not bring success to Sweden. At the same time, part of the Swedish elite hoped that with the help of Napoleon and Alexander, Sweden would be able to compensate for part of the losses. All this forced Stockholm to agree to such peace conditions that were beneficial to Petersburg.
Friedrichsham Peace
On September 5 (17), 1809, a peace treaty was signed in Friedrichsgam. From the Russian side, it was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Nikolai Rumyantsev, and the Russian Ambassador to Stockholm, David Alopeus; from Sweden - the general of infantry, the former ambassador of Sweden in St. Petersburg, Baron Kurt von Stedingk (Stedink) and Colonel Anders Fredrik Schöldebrandt.
Russian troops left the territory of Sweden in Västerbotten to Finland across the Torneo River, which became a border river. North of Västerbotten, the new border ran through the province of Lappland. All prisoners of war and hostages mutually returned no later than three months from the date the treaty entered into force. The former economic ties between the two powers were restored. Arrests were mutually removed from the financial resources of the powers (assets), operations, debts and incomes interrupted or disrupted by the war were returned. The estates and property sequestered during the war were returned to their owners in both countries, etc.
All of Finland (including Aland) went to Russia up to the river. Russia was given part of Västerbotten up to the Torneo River and all of Finnish Lapland. The border in the sea ran along the middle of the Gulf of Bothnia and the Sea of Aland. The newly conquered region passed under a peace treaty "into the property and sovereign possession of the Russian Empire." The resettlement of the Swedish population from Finland to Sweden and vice versa was allowed. It must be said that this world was very upsetting for a part of the Russian metropolitan public, which was unhappy that Russia offended "poor Sweden" so much.
Sweden was to make peace with Napoleon and proceed with the continental blockade of Britain. British military and merchant ships could no longer enter Swedish ports. It was forbidden to fill them with water, food, fuel and other supplies.
Thus, the war with Sweden seriously strengthened the military-strategic position of Russia in the North and the Baltic. A task of great importance has been solved. An end has been put to the centuries-old confrontation between Russia and Sweden in Finland and the Baltic. And in favor of Russia. Therefore, the war corresponded to the national interests of Russia. As Emperor Alexander rightly noted in 1810, Finland was to become "a strong pillow for St. Petersburg." Indeed, Finland was needed for the strong defense of the capital of the Russian Empire.
At the same time, Alexander, who made concessions to the national outskirts, created the Grand Duchy of Finland, included in it the Vyborg province, annexed to Russia under Peter the Great. This act had sad consequences for the military security of Soviet Russia. Alexander preserved the laws and orders that existed there in Finland.
After the Peace of Tilsit in 1807, two huge gaps remained in Europe in the Napoleonic Continental blockade of England. In the south of Europe, Spain and Portugal did not participate in the blockade of the British Isles, in the north - Sweden. If Napoleon could handle Spain and Portugal on his own, then things were more complicated with Sweden. The Swedish king Gustav IV had a great dislike for Napoleonic France, and no exhortations could force him to break the alliance with England. To defeat Sweden, which lies beyond the Baltic Sea, the French needed to carry out a major landing operation against it. With the dominance of the British fleet at sea, this operation could have ended in disaster for them.
To persuade Gustav IV to the Continental blockade, the French emperor needed the help of Russia, which had a land border with Sweden. This position of Napoleon provided Alexander I with the opportunity to seize Finland from Sweden and thereby eliminate the centuries-old threat to the northern borders of Russia. The reason for the start of hostilities against the Swedes was the refusal of their king to enter into an alliance with Russia against England. In the hope of helping Britain, Gustav behaved defiantly. For example, he returned the highest order of St. Andrew the First-Called to the Russian emperor, writing that he could not wear the order that Bonaparte had. Meanwhile, Sweden was not ready for war. Its forces, scattered across the expanses of Finland, numbered only 19 thousand people. The Russian emperor took advantage of this.
Campaign of 1808.
On February 9, 1808, Russian troops under the command of General Buxgevden (24 thousand people) crossed the Swedish border in Finland and began hostilities. Due to the suddenness of the attack and the lack of Swedish forces, the Russians managed to occupy most of the Finnish territory by April (up to the Uleaborg region) and block about a third of the Swedish army (7.5 thousand people) in Sveaborg. April 26 Sveaborg (Sweden's largest naval base in the Gulf of Finland) capitulated. At sea, Russian landing forces occupied the Aland Islands and the island of Gotland.
The rest of the Swedish troops, led by General Klingspor, managed to avoid the encirclement and withdraw without significant losses in position to Oleaborg. In Finland, a partisan movement broke out against the Russian troops. The large territory and the actions of the partisans required the Russians to devote significant forces to the organization of garrisons and logistics. This war was fought mainly by small detachments (from 2 to 5 thousand people), and there were no major battles in it.
In April, after dispersing forces in vast wooded and swampy spaces, only 4-5 thousand fighters approached the Uleabog positions of the Swedes. This allowed General Klingspor to create a numerical superiority here and go on the counteroffensive. Due to lack of strength and poor knowledge of the area, the Russians suffered defeats in April at Revolax and Pulkkila. The remnants of the broken units with difficulty escaped from the encirclement and retreated to the south. These failures caused an increase in the activity of the Finnish partisans against the Russian troops, who had to retreat to the southern part of Finland, to the Tammersfors-St. Michel line. The poor work of the commissariat forced the troops to actually switch to grazing. For example, in the summer, due to delays in the delivery of food, soldiers and officers often had to eat mushrooms and berries.
At the same time, the Anglo-Swedish fleet became more active at sea. In early May, the Russians lost the Aland Islands and the island of Gotland. The Baltic Fleet was unable to seriously resist the Anglo-Swedish forces. Senyavin's squadron, returning from the Mediterranean to the Baltic, was blocked and then captured by the British in the port of Lisbon in August 1808. Under the terms of the surrender, Senyavin handed over his ships to them for storage until the end of the war.
The situation for the Russians in Finland in May took on a threatening character, as the 14,000-strong English corps under the command of General Moore arrived to help the Swedes. With the support of the fleet, the Swedes could launch active offensive operations. But the English corps was soon transferred to fight the French troops in Spain, where England had more significant interests. As a result, equilibrium was established on land. At sea, the Anglo-Swedish fleet reigned supreme, blocking the Russian fleet on the Estonian coast. However, the British sabotage against the port of Revel and the attempt of the Anglo-Swedish fleet to land a 9,000-strong assault force in southern Finland were repulsed.
By August, Russian troops in the Finnish theater of operations were brought to 55 thousand people. against 36 thousand people. at the Swedes. On August 2, the 11,000-strong corps of General Nikolai Kamensky 2 went on the offensive, which defeated the troops of Klingspor in battles near Kuortane, Salmi (August 20-21) and Orovais (September 2). These victories marked a turning point in the course of the war. In September, at the request of the Swedish side, a truce was concluded. But Alexander I did not approve it, demanding that the Russian command clear all of Finland from the Swedes. In October, Russian troops launched a general offensive. Coming to Torneo (Tornio), in the region of the Finnish-Swedish border, they occupied the main part of Finland. In December, instead of Buxgevden, General Knorring was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian troops.
Campaign of 1809.
Alexander I strove for a peace with Sweden that would force her to recognize Finland's entry into the Russian Empire. The Russians could persuade Gustav IV to accept such conditions only on Swedish territory. Therefore, Alexander I ordered the start of a winter campaign with the aim of invading Sweden on the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia. In winter, the English fleet was powerless to prevent this operation.
Her plan was drawn up by General Kamensky 2nd. It provided for the movement of three corps to Sweden. One of them, under the command of General Shuvalov, moved along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, through Torneo. The other two walked on the ice of the bay. The corps under the command of General Barclay de Tolly was heading across the ice from Vasa to Umeå. To the south (from Abo through the Aland Islands to the area north of Stockholm), the corps of General Bagration advanced. Knorring, skeptical about this enterprise, in every possible way delayed its implementation. Only the arrival of the royal representative, General Arakcheev, made it possible to speed up the Ice Campaign, which glorified this war.
Aland expedition (1809).
The Swedes were most impressed by the actions of Bagration's corps (17 thousand people), which crossed the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia to the Aland Islands and the coast of Sweden on March 1-7, 1809. First, the Russians moved to the Aland Islands, which were defended by the Swedish corps (6 thousand people). people) and local residents (4 thousand people). The ice campaign of the Russian army took place in difficult conditions. Not wanting to be discovered, the soldiers did not make fires and slept right on the snow. Having reached the Aland Islands on the ice, Bagration's detachment took possession of them with a fight, capturing 3 thousand people.
After that, the vanguard was sent to the coast of Sweden under the command of General Yakov Kulnev. Before the speech, the general told his soldiers: "The campaign to the Swedish coast crowns all your labors. Have with you two glasses of vodka per person, a piece of meat and bread, and two garns of oats. The sea is not scary, who trusts in God!" On March 7, Kulnev's detachment reached the Swedish coast and occupied the city of Grislehamn, 70 km from Stockholm. Soon, with great difficulty, Barclay de Tolly's corps overcame the ice expanses, which on March 12 reached the Swedish coast and occupied Umeå.
The entry of Russians into the territory of Sweden caused a political crisis there. There was a coup in Stockholm. Gustav IV, who opposed peace with Russia, was overthrown. The Duke of Südermanland (later Charles XIII) became regent. The new Swedish government came up with proposals for a truce. Fearing the opening of the ice, General Knorring concluded a truce and withdrew parts of Barclay de Tolly and Kulnev from Swedish territory.
However, Alexander I did not want to hear about a truce. He needed peace, confirming the consolidation of Finland for Russia. The emperor removed Knorring from command and ordered General Barclay de Tolly to lead the troops. But by that time, the spring snowmelt had begun, and there could be no question of any new invasions of Sweden on the ice. Now all hopes were pinned on the northern corps of General Shuvalov (5 thousand people), which was moving along the coast. It was he who ultimately managed to victoriously end this war.
Capitulation of the Swedes at Kalix and Skellefteå (1809).
While the glorious corps of Bagration and Barclay overcame the icy expanses, Shuvalov acted on the northern coast of the Gulf of Bothnia against the Swedish detachment of General Grippenberg (7 thousand people). Parts of Shuvalov occupied Torneo and moved after the retreating Swedes to Kalix. Meanwhile, on March 12, Barclay de Tolly's corps came out to Umea, behind Grippenberg. Upon learning that his retreat was cut off, Grippenberg laid down his arms in Kalix.
After the abolition of the truce, Shuvalov's corps, which now remained the only one on the territory of Sweden, again went on the offensive along the coast. At Skellefteo, the Swedish corps under the command of General Furumark (5 thousand people) blocked his path. Shuvalov decided on a bold detour. To enter the rear of the Swedes on the ice of the bay, a group of General Alekseev moved, which bypassed Furumark's positions and cut off his retreat.
The operation was fraught with great risk, since by that time the ice had already begun to break up. The troops were literally knee-deep in water. Through the polynyas they crossed on bridges, and even on boats. The guns were transported disassembled on sleds. At Skellefteo itself, the ice had by that time moved away from the coast for almost a kilometer, and the Russians had to make a significant detour, risking being carried away to sea on cracked ice floes. Alekseev hesitate a little, his detachment was in for a disaster, because two days after the Russians landed on the shore, the sea was completely cleared of ice. The risk was justified. Upon learning of the appearance of the Russians in his rear, Furumark capitulated on May 3.
Battle of Ratan (1809).
In the summer, the Shuvalov Corps was led by General Kamensky, who continued the offensive along the coast. Slowly but surely a small detachment of Russians moved towards Stockholm. Swedish lands lay around for hundreds of kilometers, and one blow that cut the thin coastal highway was enough to encircle the Russian troops. Moreover, the Swedish fleet dominated the Gulf of Bothnia, and Kamensky could not expect any help from the sea.
Trying to encircle Kamensky's detachment (5 thousand people), the Swedes in August landed an amphibious assault force under the command of General Wachtmeister (6 thousand people) in his rear. Kamensky turned around to meet the Wachtmeister detachment and on August 8 decisively attacked him near Ratan. During the battle, the Swedish detachment was utterly defeated. Having lost 2 thousand people. (a third of the composition), he retreated in disorder. It was the last battle of the last Russian-Swedish war.
Friedrichsham peace (September 5 (17), 1809).
In August, peace negotiations began between Russia and Sweden, culminating in the signing of the Peace of Friedrichsgam (now the city of Hamina, Finland). According to its terms, all of Finland and the Aland Islands passed to Russia. Finland was part of the Russian Empire as a Grand Duchy with broad internal autonomy. Sweden terminated the alliance with England and joined the Continental blockade. Both Napoleon and Alexander achieved their goals with this war.
In general, thanks to an alliance with Napoleonic France, Russia strengthened the security of its northwestern and southwestern borders, pushing Swedish and Ottoman possessions out of the East European Plain. At the same time, it is worth noting that this war with the Swedes was not popular in Russian society. An attack on a weak neighbor, albeit a formidable enemy in the past, was strongly condemned and considered inglorious. Losses of the Russian army in the war of 1808-1809. amounted to approximately 8 thousand people.
Shefov N.A. The most famous wars and battles of Russia M. "Veche", 2000.
