the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

keeping what we already have; defending this territory turns more and more difficult with
each passing hour and the doubts in our success aroused.” 87
Despite Buxhöwden’s
appeals for reinforcements, the Russian army in Finland was only 26,000 men strong 88
and could not simultaneously occupy territory, defeat Swedish troops, pacify the locals
and protect its own communications and supplies. 89 However, a young and energetic
Russian commander, Major General Count Nikolay Kamensky soon turned the tide of
success. Kamensky assumed command of Rayevsky’s corps of some 10,500 men and
launched a counter offensive in mid-August. On 21 August he defeated the Swedish army
under von Fieandt at Karstula, then achieved a series of victories at Lappfjärd (August
29), Ruona and Salmi (September 1-2) and Oravais on 14 September. 90 The Swedes were
in full retreat, pursued by Kamensky. One of the Swedish soldiers, Eric Gustaf Ehrström,
described the confusion of the retreat:
It became a horrible retreat! The road was tread to pieces. We joined the
baggage. It was raining and it was so dark you could hardly see anything
in front of you [...] The Swedish troops…were in total disorder. They had
no officers left. The Finnish troops made the rearguard, and were
retreating in good order. They did not even have any guns to cover them. 91
King Gustavus IV was infuriated by the reverses his army suffered at the hands of
Kamensky. He decided to change the direction of his offensive by landing detachments
87 Buxhövden to Alexander, 25 July 1808, in Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, War in Finland, 199.
88 Two thousand men were deployed on the frontier near Serdobol, 3,500 men at Sveaborg,
4,000 men at Åbo and 2,000 men were on the flotilla. Rayevsky’s corps was 6,000 men strong,
Tuchkov’s corps had 6,000 men, and some 1,000 men covered the seashore between Åbo and
Kristinestad (Kristiinankaupunki). Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, War in Finland, 200; Ordin,
Conquest of Finland, 405-406; Zakharov, Russo-Swedish War, 44-45.
89 The Swedes continued their offensive and achieved several successes. On August 10,
Georg Carl von Döbeln defeated the Russian detachment at Kauhajoki and a week later
Adlercreutz drove back another Russian detachment under Colonel Erikson at Alavo. On August
28, Swedish General von Otter defeated the Russian force at Nummijärvi.
90 Björlin, Finska Kriget 1808 och 1809, 216-31, 234-47; Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, War in
Finland, 210-58; Zakharov, Russo-Swedish War, 46-55; Ordin, Conquest of Finland, 388-94.
91 Excerpt from Ehrström, Christman. Kanonerna vid Oravais, Eric Gustaf Ehrströms dagbok
från 1808 och 1811 Legenda, cited in Göran Frilund, “The Union's Last War: The Russian-
Swedish War of 1808-09,” The Napoléon Series .
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