the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

appointed a new commander-in-chief, General von Knorring. 111 The Russian army was
reorganized into four corps. 1 st Corps of Tuchkov (some 11,358 men and 20 guns) was
deployed near Uleåborg; 2 nd Corps of Golitsyn of 13,197 men with 22 guns was at Vaasa;
Prince Bagration’s 3 rd Corps of 10,284 men with 20 cannon was arranged in vicinity of
Åbo, and Wittgenstein’s 4 th Corps (9,425 men, 25 guns) was around Helsingfors. 112 The
total number of the Russian troops in Finland amounted to 48,478 men, including 2,730
cavalry and 1,963 gunners, with 127 guns. 113 Alexander urged his commander to wage
offensive war and invade the Swedish mainland. As a result, Alexander’s new
operational plan considered a three-pronged offensive into Sweden in direction of the
Åland Islands, Umeå and Torneå. However, two of these directions provided for the
crossing of the Gulf of Bothnia, the shortest route into Sweden. 114 As a contemporary
noted, “Alexander wanted to show the world that he could, like Napoléon, occupy the
capitals [of other states].” 115 Prince Peter Bagration was to cross the frozen gulf to Åland
Islands and then advance directly to the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Simultaneously,
Barclay de Tolly was to proceed with his corps across the gulf from Vaasa to Umeå.
Knorring and many of his generals thought it impossible to accomplish this mission. The
army was not supplied with warm cloth or food for such operations; Knorring
emphasized that only some 10,000 men could be prepared for the crossing of the gulf.
Ignoring the actual situation in Finland, Alexander ordered him to mobilize 20,000 men
110 Shilder, Alexander, II, 232-38.
111 Mikhail Borodkin, Istoriia Finliandii: vremia Imperatora Aleksandra I [History of Finland:
Reign of Emperor Alexander I], (St. Petersburg, 1909), 194-95. For intrigues leading to dismissal
of Buxhövden, see Ordin, Conquest of Finland, 405-14.
112 Zakharov, Russo-Swedish War, 62
113 Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, War in Finland, 352-53; Ordin, Conquest of Finland, 415;
Zakharov, Russo-Swedish War, 61-62. In January 1809, three corps commanders were replaced
because of health conditions. Count Shuvalov replaced Tuchkov, Barclay de Tolly assumed
command of Golitsyn’s corps and Baggovut served instead of Wittgenstein.
114 Alexander to Knorring, 13 February 1809; Alexander to Rumyantsev, 22 February 1809,
VPR, IV, 489-90, 502-505; Also Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, War in Finland, 349-50; Ordin,
Conquest of Finland, 416.
115 F. Vigel, Zapiski, (Moscow, 1928), 294.
461