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The Battle of Jakobstadt (, lv, Kauja pie Jēkabpils, , pl, Krzyżbork) was a battle fought in the
Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...
. It took place on 25 July 1704 ( O.S.) / 26 July 1704 (
Swedish calendar The Swedish calendar ( sv, Svenska kalendern) or Swedish style ( sv, Svenska stilen) was a calendar in use in Sweden and its possessions from 1 March 1700 until 30 February 1712 (see below). It was one day ahead of the Julian calendar and ten da ...
) / 5 August 1704 ( N.S.) between a Swedish army under
Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt (15 April 1659 – 12 February 1719) was a Swedish general, particularly known for his participation in the Great Northern War. Biography He was born on 15 April 1659 in a Swedish fortified camp near Copenhagen. He atten ...
and a combined Polish/Russian force under Great Hetman Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki at the town of
Jēkabpils Jēkabpils (; german: Jakobstadt; pl, Jakubów) is a state city in Jēkabpils Municipality in southeastern Latvia roughly halfway between Riga and Daugavpils and spanning the Daugava River. Historic Jēkabpils lies on the left bank, in Seloni ...
(german: Jakobstadt) in the
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...
. The Swedes were victorious.''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
/ref>


Battle

Lewenhaupt divided his troops into two parts. The first formed by the Swedes and the second formed by the Lithuanians commanded by General Sapieha. The commander-in-chief of the Swedes did not intend for the Lithuanians to bear the brunt of the battle, only the Lithuanian 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 Lithuanian 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 Lithuanians 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 Swedish horsemen.


Notes and references

Jēkabpils Jakobstadt Conflicts in 1704 1704 in Europe Jakobstadt Jakobstadt Jakobstadt Jēkabpils, Battle of {{Latvia-hist-stub