the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

frozen Kvarken, 166 reached the vicinity of Umeå and engaged the Swedish detachment
defending the town. The Swedish commander, Cronstedt, had only 1,000 men and did not
expect the Russians to cross Kvarken in March. 167 He was surprised by the news of
Barclay’s approach and overestimated his strength. Cronstedt informed Barclay of the
coup d’etat at Stockholm and offered an armistice. Barclay agreed with stipulation that
town should be surrendered; the same evening his exhausted troops entered Umeå,
capturing vast supplies and ammunition. 168 The exact Russian losses were unknown;
some 200 men returned with one or more limbs frozen. Barclay later noted, “There is no
need to map Kvarken because I did it with the corpses of my troops.” 169 Simultaneously,
Shuvalov marched with his corps along the gulf coast from Uleåborg via Torneå towards
Umeå. His troops marched in deep snow with the temperature decreasing to twenty-seven
degrees Celsius (-17F) of frost. Though the troops had some 800 pairs of ski, they were
unaccustomed to them and simply carried them on the back. 170 Shuvalov occupied
Torneå and forced the surrender of a Swedish detachment of 7,000 men at Kalix. 171 Thus,
the remarkable crossing of the gulf by Bagration and Barclay was completed “with a
courage bordering with recklessness so typical to the Russians,” who distinguished
themselves by these “marvelous and heroic feats.” 172
165 General B.M. von Berg, Furst Barclay de Tollys tåg öfver Bottniska viken 1809, Svensk
Militär Tidskrift, (Stockholm, 1914), 196-97. Similar description in Ordin, Conquest of Finland,
421.
166 Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, War in Finland, 396-408; Ordin, Conquest of Finland, 419-20;
Narrative of the Conquest of Finland, 196-99; Berg, “Furst Barclay de Tollys tåg öfver Bottniska
viken 1809,” Svensk Militär Tidskrift, 197-99. Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky based this memoir for
his description of the crossing. War in Finland, 400-401.
167 Hornborg, När Riket Sprängdes, 237-39.
168 Björlin, Finska Kriget 1808 och 1809, 309-16
169 Borodkin, History of Finland, 198; Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, War in Finland, 404-408.
For articles of armistice, see Ibid., 404-405.
170 Zakharov, Russo-Swedish War, 66; Borodkin, History of Finland, 196.
171 Hornborg, När Riket Sprängdes, 239-43; Björlin, Finska Kriget 1808 och 1809, 317-23;
Borodkin, History of Finland, 196; Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky, War in Finland, 409-19; Narrative
of the Conquest of Finland, 199-202.
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