The famous Battle of Lesnaya took place on September 28 (October 9, new style), 1708. It got its name in honor of the nearest village in the modern Mogilev region of Belarus. On the battlefield, the corps led by Peter I and the Swedish army of Adam Levengaupt collided. The victory was won by the Russians, which allowed them to build on the success of the campaign during the Great Northern War.
Background
In 1708, the Swedish king Charles XII planned to launch an invasion of Russia. At the same time, his goal was provincial lands in the very heart of the country. With such a blow, Karl hoped to take away the strategic initiative from the enemy. Prior to this, Russian troops had been victorious in the B altic states for several years, but there had not yet been a general battle between the main forces.
The king wanted to unite all his troops right on the way to Russia. To do this, he ordered Adam Levengaupt to leave Swedish Courland and arrive at the monarch's headquarters in Ukraine, where Charles ended up after he abandoned the plansiege of Smolensk. The general's detachment included about 15 thousand people to be considered a serious force. Karl wanted to collect all his units in Ukraine, feed the horses with fresh fodder and get tangible support from the Cossacks, whose ataman Mazepa went over to the side of the Swedes, provoking the wrath of Peter I.
Strategy of the Russian Tsar
The Battle of Lesnaya happened because Peter decided to cut off Lewenhaupt from his king. Together, they could easily defeat the Russian army. But individually, each of these two units was vulnerable enough to hope for success. Peter himself led the army, marching towards the general. Against Karl, he sent Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev.
At first, Peter was going in the wrong direction because he was deceived by his own guide. Having learned about the present location of Lewenhaupt, he sent cavalry against him, which was faster and more mobile than infantry. The vanguard of this detachment met with the Swedes on 25 September. Only after that did Peter learn about the real size of the enemy army. He assumed that no more than 8 thousand people opposed him. The real numbers were twice as high.
Because of this, the Battle of Lesnaya could have turned into a complete failure. However, Peter did not hesitate. He ordered the destruction of crossings on the nearby Sozh River in order to cut off the enemy's retreat. After that, the king's troops prepared for a decisive attack.
Preparing for battle
September 28, the Swedish corps was preparing to movea small river called Lesyanka. Intelligence reported that the Russians were very close, which could not but cause anxiety in Levengaupt. He ordered the troops to take up positions on the heights and hold them until the entire convoy was transported across the river.
The Battle of Lesnaya with the Swedes was approaching. At this time, the Russian army was advancing along forest paths and roads, hoping to take the enemy by surprise. However, the commanders faced a serious problem. In order to attack the Swedes in an organized manner, it was necessary to conduct a formation, since the army emerged from the forest in a scattered and defenseless state. Peter decided to divert the attention of the enemy and sent him to meet the Nevsky Dragoon Regiment of several hundred daredevils. These soldiers were supposed to keep the Swedes busy until the main forces formed up next to the forest.
First encounter
The battle was bloody. Of the 600 people, exactly half died. The battle of Lesnaya began. The Swedes, emboldened by their success, decided to go on a counteroffensive, but were repulsed by the guards of Mikhail Golitsyn who came to the rescue. The enemy's forward line f altered, and he retreated to his original position, which he occupied when the crossing of the convoy to the other side of the river had just begun.
The Battle of Lesnaya, the date of which is memorable for Russian history, has moved to a new stage. While the attack of the guardsmen continued, the main parts of Peter successfully formed up next to the forest. In the center stood the Semenovsky, Preobrazhensky and Ingrian regiments under the leadership of Mikhail Golitsyn. The right flank consisted of cavalry, led byLieutenant General Friedrich of Hesse-Darmstadt. On the left, artilleryman Yakov Bruce was in charge. The overall leadership was in the hands of Peter. At the time of the beginning of the main battle (one in the afternoon), the Russian army numbered 10 thousand people. There were several hundred fewer Swedes, which meant that there was parity between the opponents.
Second half battle
The battle lasted almost 6 hours, until late in the evening. At the same time, in the middle of the battle, its intensity decreased somewhat. Tired soldiers rested and waited for help. Reinforcements arrived at Peter at 17:00. It was General Baur, who brought with him a 4,000th dragoon corps.
In the evening, the battle near the village of Lesnoy resumed with renewed vigor. The Swedes were thrown back to their convoy. Meanwhile, a small cavalry detachment bypassed the river and cut off Lewenhaupt's last path to a successful retreat. However, the vanguard of the enemy responded with bold attacks and was able to recapture the last bridge.
Artillery battle and flight of the Swedes
Already late in the evening, Peter ordered the artillery to be brought forward, which opened intense fire on the enemy. At this time, the tired infantry and cavalry returned to their positions to rest. The squeezed Swedes also responded with cannon fire. Their position became critical. Lewenhaupt could not retreat along with all the large convoy, which noticeably slowed down the movement of the troops.
Because of this, the Battle of Lesnaya in 1708 was interrupted at night. The Swedes withdrew from their positions, leaving most of their baggage in the village tothe enemy could not overtake them. In order to deceive the Russians, bonfires were lit in the camp, which created the illusion of the presence of Lewenhaupt's units in the old place. Meanwhile, the organized retreat of the Swedes began to take on the character of flight. Many soldiers simply deserted, not wanting to be captured or receive a lethal bullet.
Mistakes of the parties
One of the reasons for the defeat of General Lewenhaupt's army was the disorder of his regiments. Compared to the Russian detachments, they did not have a single guardsman. In addition, most of the troops consisted of mercenaries - Finns and representatives of other nationalities, who, in fact, did not really want to die in the name of the interests of a foreign power.
The Battle of Lesnaya, the significance of which was to correct past mistakes, also showed the miscalculations of the Russian command. For example, little artillery was used in this battle. Later, this mistake was corrected, and near Poltava, domestic guns fired at the enemy even more fiercely. In what year the Battle of Lesnaya took place, every resident of Russia now knew, because it was she who made an important contribution to the final defeat of the Swedes in the long-term war.
Meaning
Only a small part of the hitherto numerous corps of General Lewenhaupt still reached the headquarters of his king. The Battle of Lesnaya, the date of which became mourning in the history of Sweden, left Karl without reinforcements and ammunition, which were in the lost convoy.
Exactly 9months, Peter defeated his opponent near Poltava, which was a turning point in the course of the Northern War. This curious coincidence gave reason to the witty king to joke. He called the Battle of Lesnaya the mother of victory at Poltava. From that moment on, the Northern War was fought in a completely different vein. The Battle of Lesnaya and the subsequent successes of the Russian army finally weakened the Swedes, and a few years later they surrendered city after city in the B altic states without the same resistance (this region was Peter's main goal).
