On a cold morning of November 29th, 1700,
the Swedish army deployed some distance from the city of Narva. Commanded by King Charles XII, the Swedes
faced a Russian army outnumbering them at least three to one, commanded by the appointees
of Tsar Peter, known to history as Peter the Great. The Russians deployed behind a long line of
a well-prepared network of trenches and earthworks. A strong defensible position. The Swedes, meanwhile, were weary and cold,
having endured a difficult march in harsh winter conditions. They were now arrayed in the open, withstanding
a heavy snowstorm. But the young energetic Charles roused the
men once more. To the sound of trumpets, he commanded a frontal
assault on the entrenched Russian positions. The first major battle of the Great Northern
War, was about to begin… By the dawn of the 18th century, Sweden was
the “Mistress of the North,” an imperial power whose greatness was both feared and
admired. The Baltic was a “Swedish Lake,” controlled
by Stockholm. The Swedish Empire included Finland and the
provinces of Karelia, Estonia, Ingria, and Livonia. It also had footholds in Northern Germany,
with the most prominent being Western Pomerania and the seaports of Settin, Stralsund, and
Wismar. Sweden had a population of about 1.5 million,
but it did possess probably the finest army in Europe at the time, known as the Carolean
Army. The Swedish infantry of the Carolean Army,
magnificent in their blue uniforms with yellow facings, were armed with the latest flintlock
muskets. They also had a relatively new innovation,
the socket bayonet, which allowed a musket to be fired when attached, unlike the common
plug bayonet that was jammed into the muzzle, making the musket useless for firing afterwards. Swedish power brought enemies as well as friends. Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and
King of Poland-Lithuania, cast covetous eyes on some of Sweden’s Baltic lands. King Frederick IV of Denmark-Norway, another
potential foe, wanted to reclaim territory his country lost to Sweden earlier in the
century. But the Tsardom of Russia was going to be
the Swedish Empire’s most dangerous enemy - though few believed this in 1700. After a long slumber lasting several centuries,
the Russian Bear was at last awakening from its self-imposed hibernation. Tsar Peter I, known to history as “Peter
the Great”, admired the West and was determined to modernize a still largely Medieval country. Peter knew that Russia needed an ice-free
port, a “window to the West,” if the country was ever to be accepted as an equal among
the Great Powers of Europe. The Russians were blocked from going south
by the weakening but still powerful Ottoman Empire. In the north, the Baltic coast was controlled
by Sweden. Peter believed if the Swedes were simultaneously
attacked on several fronts, their military power might well be neutralized. The secret allies began preparations for war. Eighteen-year old King Charles XII seemed
a stripling youth. They misread their man. He was a born soldier, reveling in military
hardships and dangers. The Great Northern War began on February 22nd,
1700, when Augustus invaded the Swedish province of Livonia without a formal declaration of
war. The Danes also invaded the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp’s
territory just south of their own country. The Duke was a Swedish ally and also a cousin
of King Charles. Charles took the news of the outbreak of hostilities
calmly. He called for his council and announced his
intentions: “I have resolved,” Charles said, “never to start an unjust war, but
also never ending a just war without overcoming my enemy. Augustus has broken his word. Our cause, then, is just and God will help
us.” The young king began planning a counteroffensive
against his enemies. Augustus’ Saxon army was besieging Riga
in Livonia. However, the Swedes there were holding firm. A Dano-Norwegian army was besieging Tönning
in Holstein-Gottorp. Charles decided that the Danes would be his
first target. Charles planned to land troops on Zealand. If he landed there and took Copenhagen behind
Frederick IV’s back, the Danes would sue for peace. The Swedes embarked for Zealand on June 16th. They rendezvoused with an Anglo-Dutch fleet,
which was key to any success against the Danes. King William III of England wanted a quick
victory to stabilize the region. Only then could he focus on his main foe,
King Louis XIV of France. The combined allied fleet now numbered 60
ships against 40 Danish men-of-war. The Danish fleet withdrew. While the allied fleet commenced a bombardment
of Copenhagen, on August 4th Charles’ army landed at Humlebæk, north of the capital. They secured a foothold on the beach and moved
towards Copenhagen. Frederick soon interrupted his campaign and
started peace talks. On August 18th, the Peace of Travendal was
signed. Per the treaty, Denmark-Norway would no longer
support the Anti-Swedish Coalition. Meanwhile, Augustus’ Saxon army lifted the
Siege of Riga and withdrew into early winter quarters. Within months, Denmark-Norway had been decisively
knocked out of the war, leaving Saxony to fight on their own. Or so it seemed. Tsar Peter soon declared war on Sweden with
the aim of recovering the lost provinces of Ingria and Karelia. First, Peter would try to take Narva, a coastal
fortress on the border of Ingria. The Russian Army was new and hastily-trained. There were only four well-trained, modern
regiments in the Russian Army - the Guards regiments. They would have to be the foundation on which
the rest of the Russian forces would be built. By mid-September, Prince Ivan Trubetskoy,
Governor of Novgorod, received orders to march on Narva and invest the city with an advance
guard of 8,000 men. Command was given to Fedor Golovin. Under Golovin, the Russian army was divided
into three divisions, led by Avtonom Golovin, Adam Veyde, and Anikita Repnin. In all, the Russian army totaled over 63,000
men, but the troops were widely scattered. By October 4th, trenches were built before
Narva, and Peter arrived to oversee the siege. He only awaited the arrival of cannonballs
and gunpowder to begin the bombardment. Narva was heavily fortified, with stout walls
punctuated by bastions, each bristling with cannon. It was nestled securely on the west bank of
the Narva River. Across the river and linked to Narva by bridge
was the former Russian fortress of Ivangorod - a relic of the time when the area was a
border frontier. Narva was going to be a tough nut to crack. Under the direction of Ludwig Nicolaus von
Hallart, a Saxon engineer lent to Peter by Augustus, the Russians established siege lines
opposite the land walls of Narva. The Russians entrenched themselves between
double walls. These walls developed into earthworks four
miles long, nine feet high, with a trench six feet deep in front. The siege moved slower than Peter desired. The meager roads caused the transport wagons
and supply trains bog down. It was not until the end of October that most
of Golovin’s troops were in position. The Russian bombardment against Narva began
on November 4th. Meanwhile, Count Boris Sheremetev was sent
westward with 5,000 horsemen to report any Swedish rescue force. For two weeks, Russian cannons battered Narva
with little success. By November 17th, there was insufficient ammunition
to continue the bombardment, and the guns were silenced until new supplies could arrive. Meanwhile, two distressing reports arrived
in Peter’s camp: Augustus had lifted the Siege of Riga and, most worryingly, Charles
had landed with a Swedish army on the Baltic coast, 150 miles southwest of Narva. Shortly after the signing of the Peace of
Travendal, Charles transferred his army back to Sweden. There, he decreed he would launch a campaign
to relieve Narva, much to the dismay of his generals, who advised him against conducting
a winter campaign. Charles ignored them, ordering his troops
to embark on ships once more and ferrying them across the stormy waters of the Baltic
in early October to Pernau in the Bay of Riga. Once there, Charles concentrated his available
troops. He estimated he could amass 7,000 infantry
and 8,000 cavalry by November. At dawn on November 23rd the expedition set
out. There were 10,537 men in all. Conditions were appalling. Roads were mired by fall rains and the men
marched and slept in thick mud. There was no food except what they carried
in their knapsacks. A steady, cold November rain drenched them
to the skin. At night, the rain turned to snow and sleet. Despite the weather, the Swedes found their
march almost unopposed. Two of the three passes along the road were
occupied with no opposition. On the fourth day, the advance Swedish cavalry
screen rode into the Pyhäjöggi Pass, eighteen miles west of Narva. Five thousand Russian horsemen commanded by
Sheremetev waited on the far side of the pass. A brief skirmish took place, and the Russians
retreated back toward Narva. The road to Narva now lay open. The following afternoon, the army reached
the village of Lagena, about seven miles from Narva. Unsure if Narva was holding out, Charles ordered
the firing of a prearranged signal of four cannon shots. Soon, four cannon sounds replied from the
beleaguered fortress. Narva was still in Swedish hands. Peter called his officers into a war council. Additional rounds of ammunition were served
out and sentry vigilance doubled, but that night and the next passed peacefully. At 3:00 AM on the 28th, the Tsar summoned
the Duc du Croy, a veteran Imperial general and nobleman who was with the army as an observer
on behalf of Augustus, and asked him to take command. Peter and Golovin were leaving immediately
for Novgorod to discuss with Augustus the future conduct of the war. Now, Du Croy was asked to take command. He argued he would have difficulty issuing
orders and ensuring that his commands were obeyed. Du Croy was not happy with the disposition
of the Russian troops: the line of circumvallation around the city was too long and the Russian
forces were scattered too thinly along its length; a strong Swedish attack on one section
of the line might easily succeed before troops from other sections could be brought to help. Nevertheless, under strong persuasion from
the Tsar, Du Croy consented to take command. Peter’s written instructions were to postpone
a battle until more ammunition could arrive, but to maintain the siege and prevent Charles’
army from breaking into the town. No one in the Russian camp had an inkling
of what was about to happen. At dawn on the morning of November 30th, 1700,
the Swedes mustered at Lagena and moved toward Narva. By 10:00 AM, the vanguard of the army reached
the Hermannsberg Ridge and became visible to the watching Russians. Du Croy was in the middle of his morning inspection
when he realized the Swedes were approaching. He rode up and saw the enemy emerging in columns
from atop the ridge. Du Croy ordered his Russian regiments to plant
their standards along the earthworks, stand to arms and wait. Meanwhile, Charles and Count Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld
were standing atop Hermannsberg Ridge, sweeping their own telescopes up and down the Russian
lines. The defensive fortifications appeared impressive:
a ditch, backed by an earth rampart studded with chevaux de frise. Along the earthworks, separate bastions had
been constructed, each lined with cannon. The Russian army inside the camp was obviously
much larger than the Swedish force. Nevertheless, it was also clear from the activity
that could be observed inside the Russian camp that no sortie was coming. To remain inert in the face of an enemy this
size was impossible, to retreat equally impossible; the only solution seemed to be assault. A concentrated assault on one section of the
line might pierce it before sufficient reinforcements could be brought up. Charles therefore ordered Rehnskiöld to attack,
and the General quickly worked out a plan. The Battle of Narva had begun. The Swedish infantry was to deliver the main
blow. Divided into two divisions, the infantry would
assault the earthworks near the center of the line. Once over the wall, the divisions were to
separate, one turning north, the other south, rolling up the Russian line from within and
driving the Russians toward the river. Swedish cavalry would remain outside the earthworks,
controlling the ground there, covering the flanks of the infantry as it advanced and
dealing with any attempted Russian sortie or escape. Count Rehnskiöld would command the left wing
of the Swedish infantry attack; Count Otto Vellingk would command the right. Charles himself was to lead a small force
on the far left in the company of Magnus Stenbock and Arvid Horn. As soon as the guns were unlimbered, the Swedish
artillery opened a mass bombardment along the middle of the Russian line while the infantry
assembled in the center and the cavalry squadrons trotted out to the wings. Thus, in a calm and orderly way, 10,000 Swedes
prepared to advance on 40,000 strongly entrenched Russians. The attack plan was to have the Swedish infantry
columns approach the siege lines in a company attack pattern: the battalions would be organized
into a six rank-deep formation. About one-third of the men were pikemen, equipped
with 18-foot long pikes. In this formation, the Swedish musketeers
would march in the front and back of the lines. Grenadiers would be on the flanks of the musketeers. By 2:00 PM, when the Swedes were ready to
attack, the rain stopped, it had grown colder and a new storm was gathering in the darkened
sky. Just as signal rockets soared up, setting
the army in motion, a blizzard roared in from behind, sweeping snow horizontally toward
the Russian lines. Some of the Swedish officers hesitated, wanting
to postpone the attack until the storm was over. “No,” cried Charles, “The snow is at
our backs, but it is full in the enemy’s face.” Silently, swiftly, the Swedes advanced, suddenly
looming before the enemy out of the snow. For a moment, the Russians looked around and
all seemed quiet. Then, the Swedes emerged from the blizzard
before their very eyes like ghosts. Thirty paces in front of the earthworks, the
Swedish line suddenly halted. A single volley rung out and the Russians
“fell like grass.” Throwing their fascines into the ditch, the
Swedes swarmed across, moving on top of them. They climbed over the earthworks and threw
themselves on the foe. Within fifteen minutes, a fierce hand-to-hand
battle was taking place inside the works. The Russians fought stubbornly at first. However, a breach had been made through which
fresh Swedish infantry now poured in. The two Swedish divisions separated and drove
the Russians back along the inside of the earthworks in opposite directions. Since the Russian line of defense was a full
four miles long, they could not take advantage of their numerical superiority. Within ten minutes, Swedish regimental flags
were waving over the captured Rathshof Redoubt. Russian cavalry on the right panicked, and
they fled across the river. About 1,000 riders drowned in the strong current
of the freezing, swollen river. The Swedes surged forward, cutting down Russian
stragglers. On the enemy right, the Russians attempted
a stand, at first defending themselves bravely. As their officers fell, panic set in and they
fled, crying, “The Germans have betrayed us.” A large part of the Russian left fled. As the Swedish advance continued northward,
the mass of fleeing Russians on the right grew. Soon a dense herd of terrified soldiers was
stampeding to escape over the single bridge over the Narva River: the Kamperholm Bridge. The bridge cracked and sagged under their
weight, sending men sliding and tumbling into the river where hundreds drowned. The Russians now became furious with their
foreign officers and began massacring them. Du Croy declared, “The Devil could not fight
with such soldiers,” and, along with Hallart, made his way toward the Swedish line and surrendered
to Stenbock. Command fell to Yakov Dolgorukov, who collected
the rabble of the Russian right next to the collapsed Kamperholm Bridge. The Russians built a wagon fort, defended
by six battalions, including men from the elite Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky Regiments
- under overall command of Dolgorukov and Ivan Buturlin. Barricading themselves, they fought back vigorously
against the Swedes. Except for this single stand, the Russians
had been reduced to a confused, fleeing rabble. As darkness fell over the battlefield just
before 6:00 PM, Charles appeared inside the works, covered with mud and lacking a boot. He found that although Du Croy and most of
the foreign officers had surrendered and most of the Russian army had disintegrated, victory
was still not secure. The battle against the carriage castle and
the Russians’ main army camp did not end until 11:00 PM, when Dolgorukov and the Russian
right wing finally surrendered. In the darkness of the night, the weary and
starving Swedish soldiers plundered the rich Russian stores in the camp. Near 11:15 PM, the King gave the order to
cease firing. Charles opened negotiations with the Russian
officers. They arranged for the soldiers to keep their
muskets and small arms, while the officers became prisoners of war. Charles took possession of the regimental
standards and all the artillery. He ordered the Russian prisoners to repair
the sagging Kamperholm Bridge. At 4:00 AM, the bridge repairs were complete. In a long procession, Russian troops marched
past the bridge, guarded by Swedish troops who stood as a long avenue through which the
Russian troops were forced to march. Swedish losses were 31 officers and 646 men
killed, along with 1,205 wounded. Losses on the other side could only be estimated,
even by the Russians themselves. At least 8,000 had been killed or wounded,
and the wounded stood little chance of getting home across the now freezing countryside. Ten Russian generals, ten colonels and thirty-three
other senior officers were held as prisoners. The Swedes captured 145 cannons, 32 mortars,
4 howitzers, 10,000 cannonballs and 397 barrels of powder. Peter’s army was now effectively stripped
of the Tsar’s favorite weapon. On December 2nd, Charles and the troops entered
Narva, where they celebrated their victory. News of the decisive Swedish victory made
a sensational impression throughout Europe. But the Great Northern War had only just begun. Many years of hard back-and-forth fighting
between the Swedish Empire and the Anti-Swedish Coalition still lay ahead. For the moment, however, King Charles XII
and his elite “Carolean Army” seemed invincible.
