Skirmish of Århus or Rytterfægtningen on 31 May 1849 was a skirmish during the First Schleswig War between Denmark and Prussia under the German Confederation, a few kilometers north of the city of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

, Denmark. The skirmish was a Danish victory that had the effect of stopping the Prussian advance through the peninsula of Jutland at the city of

Memorials

On the intersection of Trøjborgvej and Nørrebrogade a 10-foot engraved stone memorializes the skirmish.

Background

Beginning with the

Battle of Bov The Battle of Bov (German : Bau) was a battle between troops fighting for Schleswig-Holstein, and those for Denmark, which happened on the 9 April 1848 near the town of Flensborg in Denmark, during the First Schleswig War. The Danes won the engag ...

the First Schleswig War had seen a number of battles take place in Southern Jutland until a truce was signed in August 1848. The truce lasted 8 months but in March 1849 fighting recommenced and the Danish army eventually retreated north through Jutland. The Danish army was split in three corps; one fortified at Dybbøl and another around Fredericia while the third, ''Nørrejyske Armékorps'' led by general Olaf Rye, moved to Helgenæs north of Aarhus with the goal of drawing German forces north and delay it while the army was concentrated and reinforced by sea at Fredericia. In late May lead elements of the Prussian forces reached Aarhus.

The battle

Initially the Danish garrison, commanded by Gotthold Møller, retreated from Aarhus without a fight as they had been ordered to not defend the city, for fear of the destruction it might inflict on the city. The Prussian forces entered the city on 29 May but abandoned it again later that day and Danish forces re-entered the city. The Danes placed a small force consisting of a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

of infantry and half a

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

of cavalry as a tentative defence. On 30 May, Prussian forces advanced again and retook the city, capturing a number of prisoners in the process. Pursued by Prussian troops, the Danish garrison withdrew north towards the

Riis Forest Riis Skov (''Riis' Forest'' or ''The Forest of Riis'') is a forest and park in Århus, Denmark. It is located south of the district of Risskov, along the Bay of Aarhus. History This small patch of forest, was formally presented to Aarhus in 139 ...

which was defended by a battalion of infantry and a

of cavalry. The cavalry squadron attacked the advancing Prussian troops, driving them back to the Randersvej road, before they were compelled to retire. At this time two squadrons of Danish cavalry under Captain S. C. Barth on a reconnaissance mission from Helgenæs arrived and charged the Prussian infantry line from north to south along ''Randersvej''. The advancing Danish cavalry reached a hill west of Riis Skov when two German squadrons counter-attacked from the south and from Hasle in the west, resulting in a hectic cavalry skirmish. Elements of the Danish force were sent back to

Vejlby Vejlby is a north-eastern neighbourhood of Aarhus in Denmark. It is located 5km from the city centre and is administratively part of the district of Risskov. The neighbourhood of Vejlby was administratively merged with Risskov at the end of the ...

to take up defensive positions which was misinterpreted as a general retreat and the Prussian infantry advanced north-west, bypassing the Danish forces at Riis Forest. At this time Danish reinforcements arrived from the north and the German forces now found themselves both outnumbered and surrounded, forcing a retreat back to occupied Aarhus.

Aftermath

The Prussian forces retreated and did not advance to retake Aarhus again until 20 June. The goal of drawing German forces north and delaying had been accomplished and the corps was eventually shipped out from Helgenæs to Fredericia where it participated in the breakout on 6 July.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aarhus, Skirmish Of Conflicts in 1849 Battles of the First Schleswig War History of Aarhus 1849 in Denmark May 1849 events