Battle under Lesnaya village took place

One of the decisive battles of the Northern War (1700-1721), the Battle of Lesnaya took place September 28 (October 9), 1708.

The Northern War between Sweden and the Nordic Union (Russia, Saxony, Poland, Denmark) was for the possession of the Baltic lands. At the very beginning (1700), Denmark defeated by the Swedish King Charles XII withdrew from the war. Then, near Narva, the Swedes defeated the Russian army and set out against August II (Saxony and Poland). After the defeat near Narva, Peter I carried out important measures to strengthen the defense of the country, created a standing army. In the period of 1701-1704, Russian troops dug in on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, took Yam, Koporye, Dorpat, Ivangorod and Narva. In 1703, St. Petersburg was founded, which became the capital of the Russian Empire, and in 1704 Peter I began to create the Russian Navy, establishing a naval base of Kronstadt.

In August 1708, Charles XII set out with his army against Russia. General A. L. Levengaupt’s sixteen-thousand corps with a huge consignment of food and ammunition was moving From Riga to connect with the main forces of the Swedish king. Deciding to take advantage of the remoteness of Levengaupt from the main forces, Peter I personally led a volatile corps of more than 11,500 men cutting the way of the Swedish general.

September 22-24 (October 3-4), Levengaupt crossed the Dnieper near the town of Shilov and following the order of Charles XII moved toward Propoisk. Learning about the Russian approach, Levengaupt took measures to save his consignment of ammunition. Under the cover of the avant-garde of 3,000 men, he sent the transport to Propoisk, while staying with the main forces of his detachment near the village of Dolgiy Mokh ready for defense. There he managed to hold on until the evening of September 27 (October 8) and then under cover of darkness retreated and took up a defensive position near the village of Lesnaya.

Assessing the situation, Peter I decided to start a battle without waiting for the detachment of 4,000 men led by the General R. H. Bour. On the night of September 27-28 (October 8-9), the vanguard of Peter’s corps attacked the Swedes settled near the village of Lesnaya. The battle went on with varying success: Russian attacks were followed by counter-attacks of the Swedes. Realizing the danger of the situation, Levengaupt ordered his avant-garde, which was accompanying the convoy to Propoisk, to return and immediately join the battle. In the meantime, a cavalry detachment of General Bour came to the battlefield to assist Peter I. Darkness and bad weather interrupted the battle at about 7 p.m., a cannon duel continued for another three hours. The Swedes managed to defend the village and the crossing, but the situation of Levengaupt was extremely difficult.

Not believing in a successful outcome of the battle, Levengaupt decided to retreat with the remnants of the corps, leaving the wagons and the injured. Having found in the morning the Swedish camp deserted, Peter I sent a squad of lieutenant-general Pflug in pursuit of the retreating. Pflug caught in Propoisk the remnants of the Swedish corps and inflicted the final defeat on the enemy.

The total losses of the Swedes at the battle of Lesnaya amounted to about 8-9 thousand men; the Russians lost about 4, 000.

For the victory at Lesnaya, chief officers and the junior leadership of regiments, which participated in the battle, were awarded gold medals and miniature portraits of Peter I.

After the defeat at Lesnaya, the army of Charles XII was left without provisions and ammunition, which significantly weakened the power of the Swedes. The Battle of Poltava held on June 27 (July 8), 1709, marked the complete defeat of the Swedes and the flight of Charles XII in Turkey.

Lit.: Ростунов И. И., Авдеев В. А., Осипова М. Н., Соколов Ю. Ф. История Северной войны 1700–1721 гг. М., 1987. Гл. 3. Крушение шведского нашествия; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://militera.lib.ru/h/rostunov_ii2/index.html; Тарле Е. В. Сочинения. Т. 10. М., 1959. Гл. 2. Шведское вторжение в пределы России. Битва под Лесной. Начало народной войны против шведов; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://militera.lib.ru/h/tarle2/index.html.

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Great Northern War (1700–1721) // Peter I (1672–1725): [digital collection];

Legislative acts of Peter I. Great Northern War (1700–1721) // State Authority: [digital collection].