The Battle of Siikajoki ( fi, Siikajoen taistelu) was fought between

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n troops on 18 April 1808 at

Siikajoki Siikajoki is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the North Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbour municipalities are Hailuoto, Liminka, Lum ...

, approximately 60 km south of

Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. During the first stage of the

Finnish War The Finnish War ( sv, Finska kriget, russian: Финляндская война, fi, Suomen sota) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic ...

, the Swedish commander

Wilhelm Mauritz Klingspor Count Wilhelm Mauritz Klingspor (7 December 1744 – 15 May 1814) was a Swedish noble military officer and one of the Lords of the Realm. He is probably best known from his time as field marshal of Finland during the Finnish War and for participat ...

had decided to retreat from southern Finland, so that the Swedes would gain time, and more troops could be moved to Finland via

Tornio Tornio (; sv, Torneå; sme, Duortnus ; smn, Tuárnus) is a city and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The city forms a cross-border twin city together with Haparanda on the Swedish side. The municipality covers an area of , of which is ...

. The retreat was also made in an effort to delay battles until the seas thawed, and to reserve troops in case the

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

took the opportunity to attack Sweden. The Battle of Pyhäjoki, which had been fought two days earlier, was one of the first skirmishes of the war, but Siikajoki was the first major attempt to stop the advancing Russians.

Carl Johan Adlercreutz Carl Johan Adlercreutz (27 April 1757 – 21 August 1815) was a Swedish (Finnish) general and statesman, born in Borgå, Finland on family estates. Entering the Swedish army aged 13 in the Finnish Light Cavalry Brigade, he was present when G ...

had been appointed commander after Count Gustaf Löwenhielm had been captured by the Russian at Pyhäjoki. The force commanded by

Georg Carl von Döbeln Georg Carl von Döbeln (29 April 1758 – 16 February 1820) was a Swedish ''friherre'' (baron), Lieutenant general and above all known for his efforts on the Swedish side during the Finnish War. Early life Georg Carl was born at the Stora Tor ...

was trying to cross the Siikajoki River when the Russians caught up with his force. Von Döbeln decided to take a stance on the south bank of the river. He first ordered a counterattack, but was forced to pull back. At that point the Russian center opened up and the newly appointed General-Adjutant Adlercreutz ordered another attack, which threw the Russians back and halted their advance. The Battle of Siikajoki is described in the poem "Adlercreutz" in Runeberg's epic '' Tales of Ensign Stål''. The Nyland Regiment distinguished themselves at the battle, and today the Siikajoki Cross can be worn by soldiers of the

Nyland Brigade The Nyland Brigade, officially Nylands Brigad (NylBr) in Swedish, fi, Uudenmaan Prikaati (UudPr), is a brigade-level marine-type unit of the Finnish Navy stationed in Dragsvik in Raseborg in the province of Uusimaa. The Brigade trains Coastal ...

, which is the traditional heir, though now part of the

Finnish Navy The Finnish Navy ( fi, Merivoimat, sv, Marinen) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short for ...

Swedish regiments

1st Brigade

* Åbo Infantry Regiment (3 battalions) * Nyland Infantry Regiment (1 battalion) * Nyland Jägers (1 company) * Nyland Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons) *

Finnish Artillery Regiment The Finnish Artillery Regiment ( sv, Finska artilleriregementet, fi, Suomen tykistörykmentti), designated A 4, was an artillery regiment of the Swedish Army, that traced its origins back to the 17th century. It was disbanded in 1811. The regimen ...

2nd Brigade

* Björneborg Infantry Regiment (3 battalions) * Österbotten Infantry Regiment (1 battalion and 1 company) * Nyland Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons) *

3rd Brigade

* Tavastehus Infantry Regiment (3 battalions) * Nyland Infantry Regiment (1 battalion) * Nyland Dragoon Regiment (3 squadrons) *

Citations and sources

Citations

Sources

External links

{{commonscat-inline, Battle of Siikajoki

Siikajoki 1808 Siikajoki 1808 in Finland

April 1808 events History of North Ostrobothnia