The Battle of Køge was fought on 29 August 1807 between British troops besieging

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and Danish militia raised on Sjælland as part of the

Gunboat War The Gunboat War (, , Swedish: ''Kanonbåtskriget''; 1807–1814) was a naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and Great Britain supported by Sweden during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing sm ...

. It ended in British victory and is also known as 'Træskoslaget' or 'the Clogs Battle', since many of the Danish militiamen threw their heavy wooden

clog Clogs are a type of footwear that has a thick, rigid sole typically made of wood, although in American English, shoes with rigid soles made of other materials are also called clogs. Traditional clogs remain in use as protective footwear in a ...

s away when they were fleeing.

Background

The British government feared the Danish fleet was about to fall into French hands and thus delivered Denmark–Norway an ultimatum to sail its fleet to Britain or face war with Britain. The Danish government refused so British troops landed at

Vedbæk Vedbæk is a wealthy suburban neighbourhood on the coast north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It belongs to Rudersdal Municipality and has merged with the town of Hørsholm to the north. The area has been inhabited for at least 7,000 years, as evidenced ...

on 16 August and began an investment on Copenhagen. Joachim Castenschiold was ordered to create a frikorps and lift the investment. Castenschiold's forces concentrated themselves around

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

and

Lejre Lejre is a railway town in the northwestern part of the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in eastern Denmark. It has a population of 3,165 (1 January 2024) inhabitants.

, while general Oxholm was sent south to activate the Søndre Sjællandske Landeværnsregiment. Castenschiold arrived at

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a Danish seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland (Zealand), Denmark. In 2025, the ...

on 26 August and two days later he was joined by Oxholm and his force. This gave Castenschiold a grand total of around 7,000 militiamen, 600 cavalry, and 13 cannon. In the meantime, the British headquarters at Copenhagen had become aware of the Danish militia's mobilization and on 27 August general Arthur Wellesley (later 1st Duke of Wellington) was ordered to locate and defeat it.

Battle

Wellesley's 6,000-man Anglo-German infantry force included the 1st Battalion of the 43rd Foot, the 2nd Battalion of the 52nd Foot, the 1st Battalion of the 92nd Foot, five companies from the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 95th Foot, and the 6th Line Battalion

King's German Legion The King's German Legion (KGL; ) was a formation of the British Army during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Consisting primarily of expatriate Germans, it existed from 1803 to 1816 and achieved the distinction of being the on ...

. Three squadrons each of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd King's German Legion Hussar Regiments totaled 1,620 cavalrymen. The eight 6-pound cannons and two 5.5-inch howitzers were served by Newhouse's battery of the

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. Although the cavalry link rem ...

and Sympher's half-battery of the King's German Legion. Colonel Wilhelm von Linsingen was Wellesley's brigade commander.Smith (1998), p. 254. Castenschiold's force was made up of 7,000 infantry in 11 battalions, 150 cavalry in two squadrons, and 120 artillerists serving nine guns. The foot soldiers were organized into the 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions of the North

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

Landværn, the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Battalions of the South Zealand Landværn. There were 70 horsemen from the Zealand Cavalry Regiment and 80 mounted troops from the Landværn Cavalry.

Aftermath

In the period from 15 to 31 August, British losses numbered 29 killed, 122 wounded, and 21 missing. The Danes lost two officers killed and four wounded, while their rank and file suffered 150 killed and 200 wounded. Their greatest loss was in prisoners. The British captured over 1,700 Danish troops, including Oxholm, nine majors, 19 captains and 28 lieutenants. They also captured all nine Danish artillery pieces, one colour and 68 wagons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Køge 1807 Battles of the Gunboat War Køge Conflicts in 1807 1807 in Denmark August 1807 Battles of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington