Chapter VI. Napoleonic thunderstorms. Emperor Alexander I

War with Sweden 1808 - 1809

Having concluded peace in Tilsit and having struck up friendship with Napoleon, Emperor Alexander offered his mediation to King Gustav IV of Sweden to reconcile with France. There was no response to this proposal. Sweden completely fell under British influence - and Russian-Swedish relations began to deteriorate quickly, especially after the open break with Great Britain in the fall of 1807. The reason for the break with England was the defeat of the capital of allied Denmark by the British fleet of Admiral Hyde Parker in September 1807. The reasons lay deeper and consisted in the entry of Russia into the continental system of Napoleon. All this gave the Russian government an excuse to open military operations against the primordial and traditional enemy of Russia, to conquer Finland from him (thereby finally putting Petersburg in safety) and indirectly to strike a blow to England by defeating its ally.

In January 1808, the corps of General Buxgewden, assigned for operations against Sweden, consisting of 3 divisions - Tuchkov 1st, Bagration and Gorchakov (a total of 26,000 people with 117 guns) gradually concentrated between Friedrichsgam and Neishlot. Buxgewden was ordered to occupy Finland.

The Swedes, who hoped to the end that the war would be avoided, had about 19,000 troops in Finland who were not ready for the campaign.

On February 9, without declaring war, Russian troops crossed the border and moved into the Swedish borders in three divisional columns. War was officially declared on March 16, over a month later. On the 18th Helsingfors was occupied. Buxgevden with the main forces besieged Sveaborg, the most important stronghold and arsenal of the Swedes in Finland, while the detachments of Bagration and Tuchkov pressed the enemy retreating to the north. About a third of all Swedish forces were locked up in Sveaborg, the rest - about 12,000 - gathered in northern Finland (Tuchkov's division was unable to intercept their retreat).

In March, the Aland Islands and the island of Gotland were occupied, however, with the onset of spring, the situation worsened.

Sveaborg, however, surrendered on April 26 (184) - but this was where our successes stopped. 7,500 prisoners were taken in Sveaborg and 2,033 guns were taken on ships, ships and warehouses. Swedish historians insinuate that Sveaborg was taken by golden powder. Waging war in a mountainous, wooded country, full of lakes and difficult defile, required the separation of a significant number of troops into messages, stages, garrisons and home front protection from the rebellious Finnish population almost without exception. Guerrilla war so weakened the troops that in April, before the surrender of Sveaborg, only 4,500 fighters remained at the front, which, of course, could not do anything.

The Swedish commander-in-chief, General Klingspor, having set up his army, inflicted a number of defeats in northern Finland (Sikajoki, Revolaks), which were insignificant in themselves, but had a very unfortunate consequence - the strengthening of the Russian partisan troops in the rear. Our troops retreated partly to Kuopio (the main forces of Bagration), partly to eastern Finland (Tuchkov). Klingspor, having taken a fortified position at Salmi, did not pursue.

At the beginning of May, we lost the Aland Islands, and Gotland was taken away by the united Anglo-Swedish fleet, to which the supremacy of the sea took over. In mid-May, the English corps of General Moore (14,000) arrived in Gothenburg to help the Swedes, however, the allies did not get along - and these troops were sent to Spain. This circumstance and the inaction of Klingspore rescued our army from a predicament. By the summer, the Russian forces had been brought to 34,000, of which 18,000 were active. Buxgewden formed two detachments - Barclay de Tolly and Raevsky (then Kamensky 2nd). Depending on the circumstances, one of these detachments was supposed to act on the Swedes from the front, the other on the flank.

At the end of the summer, there was a turning point in favor of Russian weapons. The brave young Kamenskiy defeated Klingspor on August 20 at Kuortane, on the 21st at Salmi and on September 2 at Oroways. In mid-September, King Gustav, appearing with the Anglo-Swedish fleet in the Gulf of Finland, made a landing in southern Finland - in the rear of the active Russian army. 9000 people landed in three detachments - one of them was soon defeated at Gelzinga, after which the entire expedition returned to the ships. At the request of the Swedes, an armistice was concluded, but the Emperor did not approve it.

In October, our troops launched an offensive along the entire front and by November, having reached Torneo, conquered most of Finland. In December, General Knorring was appointed commander-in-chief to replace Buxgewden.

* * *

Emperor Alexander ordered Knorring to open a campaign in 1809 by crossing the Baltic Sea on ice in order to transfer hostilities to Sweden itself and capture Stockholm, to persuade Gustav IV to peace.

Not believing in the success of the venture, General Knorring and senior officials delayed and postponed its implementation. They were prompted to speak only by the Arakcheev sent by the Emperor.

On March 1, 1809, the army finally marched in three columns across the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia. Shuvalov's northern column (5000) went from Uleaborg to Torneo and Umeo. Medium - Barclay de Tolly (5000) - from Vaza to Kvarken-Umeå. South - Bagration (20,000) - from Abo to the Aland Islands and further to Stockholm. Shuvalov and Barclay had to join forces to strengthen Bagration.

The passage on the ice was a brilliant success and in fairness can be considered one of the most glorious pages of our military history... Shuvalov's column captured Torneo, pursuing the retreating corps of General Grippenberg. Barclay, having occupied Kvarken, went to the crossing for the Swedes, took Umeå on the Swedish coast of the Gulf of Bothnia (185) and on March 13 at Callixte the enemy corps, caught between two fires, laid down 7100 people and 30 guns.

Bagration seized the Aland Islands, a number of battles on the ice completely destroyed the Swedish corps defending them, capturing over 3,000 prisoners and 30 guns; and his vanguard, under the command of the dashing Kulnev, reached the Swedish coast near Grisselgam (186) on March 7, bringing panic to Stockholm.

There was no need to complete the entire operation. In Sweden, under the influence of the "Ice March" of the Russian army, a coup d'etat took place. Gustav IV was deposed, and the Duke of Südermanland (187), who ascended the throne under the name of Charles XIII, sent an envoy to the Russian commander-in-chief with a proposal for an armistice and peace. Fearing that the ice would soon be broken, General Knorring concluded an armistice, returned Barclay and Kulnev from the Swedish coast, and detained Bagration on the Aland Islands, and Shuvalov in Torneo. Emperor Alexander was very unhappy with this premature truce. He appointed Barclay de Tolly commander-in-chief, however, the coming spring prevented the resumption of the operation.

On May 3, Shuvalov forced the Swedish corps of General Furumark in the amount of about 5,000 people with 22 guns to lay down weapons at Scheleft (188). It was an operation of unheard-of courage - General Alekseev's column, which had bypassed the Swedes, was moving along the already opening ice of the Gulf of Bothnia - literally over ice floes. Spring was in full swing, the grass on the shore had long been green. The ice on the bay cracked underfoot, in some places the troops walked knee-deep in the water. Through the openings, they crossed the bridges, or even by boats. The guns were transported on a sled, disassembled. Near Schelefte, the ice moved half a mile from the coast, and the Russian detachment had to make a detour of 16 miles, every minute risking being carried away on ice floes into the open sea. After 48 hours, the sea was completely ice-free.

In the summer, the northern detachment was taken over by Kamensky. The Swedes tried to go on the offensive against him, but this attempt ended in complete failure and the Vakhtmeister landing in the rear of the Russians was completely defeated by Kamensky at Ratan, having lost over 2,000 people - a third of its composition.

This was the last combat encounter of the war. On September 5, in Friedrichsgam, the conclusion of peace took place, which gave Russia all of Finland.

* * *

The Russian-Swedish war of 1808 - 1809 was politically an episode of Napoleon's titanic struggle with England. Russian politics during this period was entirely under the influence of Napoleon. Russia was at enmity with England, and Sweden had to pay. The Russian-Swedish war was, so to speak, a concrete manifestation of the Anglo-Russian war, which lasted from 1809 to 1812, but did not lead to a direct clash of the two great powers.

The results of the war - the annexation of the Åland Islands and all of Finland - were extremely beneficial for Russia. The entire Gulf of Finland became Russian, and we acquired a number of strong points on it (like Sveaborg). Petersburg, which was under the blow of the northern enemy throughout the 18th century (remember the war of 1788 - 1790), was finally provided with this. The newly annexed region was given the broadest autonomy with the rights of a grand duchy, and a clever policy that lasted three quarters of a century achieved outstanding results here.

Militarily remarkable is our ice march across the Baltic Sea. Like Peter I, Alexander I was aware that The best way to force Sweden to lay down arms is to transfer the war to Swedish soil. The English fleet was in complete control of the sea, but in winter it was powerless. General Knorring's indecision prevented him from dictating peace to the enemy in the conquered capital.

Of the senior leaders, Bagration brilliantly supported his Shengraben reputation (we know that after the Ice Campaign he was sent to the Danube to Prozorovsky). Baklai de Tolly came to the fore, Kamensky and Kulnev became famous. This latter, with his Grodno (now Klyastitsky) hussars, established himself as an incomparable leader of the vanguard - "keeping watch for all" and rendered invaluable services to the army.

The war was fought by insignificant forces on a huge front in highly rugged terrain and had the character of partisan warfare on a large scale. The satisfaction of the troops throughout the war was below any criticism. The abuses in the provisioning unit were unimaginable, and the troops were often forced to feed on berries, roots and the abundant mushrooms that had existed in both summers. There were no major battles. In the largest battles, like Oroways and Ratan, 6-8 thousand fighters from each side took part. Unlike the Swedish war during the reign of Catherine, the fleet did not play any role in both campaigns, due to the quadruple superiority in the enemy forces.

The only surviving military award for this war is the campaign for military distinction, awarded to the 34th infantry of the Count of Kamensky Sevsky regiment. In addition to the Sevsk infantry regiment, the 26th infantry Mogilev also has a campaign for distinction.

Plan
Introduction
1 Causes and purposes of war
2 The state of the parties before the war
3 Undeclared War
4 Declaration of war
5 Unsuccessful start of the war for Russia
6 Fracture
7 The defeat of the Swedes in Finland
8 Foreign Policy Results
9 Military totals

Russian-Swedish War (1808-1809)

Introduction

The Russian-Swedish War of 1808-1809, also the Finnish War (Fin. Suomen sota, Swede. Finska kriget) - a war between Russia, supported by France and Denmark against Sweden. Was the last of the series Russian-Swedish wars.

The war ended with the victory of Russia and the conclusion of the Friedrichsgam Peace Treaty, according to which Finland passed from Sweden to Russia, joining Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland.

1. Causes and purposes of the war

After the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit in 1807, Alexander I offered the Swedish king Gustav IV his mediation to reconcile him with France, and when the British, suddenly and without declaring war, attacked Copenhagen and took the Danish fleet away, he demanded the assistance of Sweden so that, on the basis of treaties of 1780 and 1800, keeping the Baltic Sea closed to fleets Western powers... Gustav IV rejected these demands and embarked on a course of rapprochement with England, which continued to fight the hostile Napoleon.

Meanwhile, there was a break between Russia and Great Britain. On November 16, 1807, the Russian government again turned to the Swedish king with a proposal for assistance, but for about two months no response was received. Finally, Gustav IV responded that the execution of the treaties of 1780 and 1800. you cannot proceed while the French occupy the harbors of the Baltic Sea. Then it became known that the Swedish king was preparing to help England in the war with Denmark, trying to recapture Norway from her. All these circumstances gave Emperor Alexander I an excuse to conquer Finland, in order to ensure the safety of the capital from the close proximity of a power hostile to Russia.

2. The state of the parties before the war

Early 1808 Russian army(about 24 thousand) was located along the border, between Friedrichsgam and Neyshlot, the leadership was entrusted to Count Buxgewden.

The Swedes in Finland at this time had 19 thousand troops, under the temporary command of General Klerker. The commander-in-chief, Count Klingspor, was still in Stockholm, where everyone hoped for a peaceful resolution of misunderstandings: the king himself did not trust the news of the concentration of Russian troops in the Vyborg province and the Swedish army was not transferred to martial law.

When Count Klingspor finally went to Finland, the essence of the instructions given to him was not to go into battle with the enemy, to hold Sveaborg to the last extreme and, if possible, to act behind Russian lines.

3. Undeclared war

Although no war was declared, Russian troops crossed the border on February 9. On February 18, Count Buxgewden entered Helsingfors; Swedish troops took refuge in the Sveaborg fortress.

On February 23rd, Count Klingspor retreated to Tammerfors, ordering all units scattered in northern Finland to move there.

Following this, Tavastehus was occupied by Russian troops.

On February 27, Buxgewden ordered Prince Bagration to pursue Klingspor, and General Tuchkov to try to cut off his retreat; Buxgewden himself decided to begin the siege of Sveaborg.

The Swedes freely retreated to Bragestad, but Sveaborg - mainly thanks to the "golden powder" - surrendered on April 26 to the Russians, who got 7,500 prisoners, more than 2,000 guns, huge reserves of all kinds and 110 warships.

Even earlier, on March 5, the fortress of Svartholm surrendered; almost at the same time, the fortified Cape Gangut was occupied, as well as the island of Gotland and the Aland Islands.

4. Declaration of war

A formal declaration of war from the Russian side followed only on March 16, 1808, when news was received that the king, having learned about the passage of Russian troops across the border, ordered the arrest of all members of the Russian embassy in Stockholm.

Public opinion in Sweden was not on the side of the war, and the emergency measures ordered by the king were carried out reluctantly and weakly.

5. Unsuccessful start of the war for Russia

Meanwhile, in the north of Finland, things took an unfavorable turn for Russia. Tuchkov's detachment, due to the separation of stages and garrisons, decreased to 4 thousand.

On April 6, the vanguard of the Russian troops, under the command of Kulnev, attacked the Swedes near the village of Siikajoki, but, having stumbled upon superior forces, was defeated; after that, on April 15, the same fate befell a detachment of Russian troops near Revolax, and the commander of this detachment, General Bulatov, Mikhail Leontyevich, who had already conducted a number of successful battles, defeating several enemy detachments, was seriously wounded and taken prisoner. In February 1809, the captured general was offered freedom in exchange for a promise not to fight against the Swedes and their allies, but he refused, after which he was allowed to leave for Russia without preconditions.

The Finns, incited by the proclamations of the King and Count Klingspor, rose up against the Russians and, with their partisan actions, under the command of Swedish officers, inflicted a lot of harm on the Russian army.

In eastern Finland, a detachment under the command of Colonel Sandels (sv: Johan August Sandels) spread the alarm as far as Neishlot and Wilmanstrand.

At the end of April, a strong Swedish flotilla appeared near the Aland Islands and, with the help of the insurgent inhabitants, forced the detachment of Colonel Vuich to surrender.

On May 3, Rear Admiral Bodisko, who occupied the island of Gotland, concluded a surrender, by virtue of which his detachment, laying down their arms, went back to Libau on the same ships on which they arrived in Gotland.

On May 14, the English fleet arrived in Gothenburg with an auxiliary corps of 14 thousand people under the command of General Moore, but Gustav IV could not agree with him on the plan of action, and Moore's troops were sent to Spain; only the English fleet remained at the disposal of the Swedish king, consisting of 16 ships and 20 other ships.

Meanwhile, detachments of Russian troops operating in northern Finland were forced to withdraw to Kuopio. Klingspor did not complete his successes with persistent pursuit, but stopped at a position near the village of Salmi, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements from Sweden and the result of the landings undertaken on the western coast of Finland. The troops are defeated at the Battle of Lemu and at Vaasa. Taking advantage of this, General Count N.M. Kamensky on August 2 again went on the offensive.

On August 20 and 21, after stubborn battles at Kuortane and Salmi, Klingspor retreated in the direction of Vasa and Nykarlebu, and on September 2 suffered another setback in the battle at Oravais.

The Swedish landings, at first not without success, at the orders of Klingspor, also retreated to Vaza. Other landings made in September from the Aland Islands also ended in failure.

6. Fracture

In eastern Finland, General Tuchkov, having against himself the Swedish detachment of Sandels and a detachment of armed residents, held on to a defensive position. A detachment of Alekseev, sent to him for reinforcement, was stopped by the actions of the partisans and returned to Serdobol on July 30. Only on September 14, Prince Dolgorukov, who replaced Alekseev, reached the village of Melansemi and got in touch with Tuchkov. The joint attack on Sandels conceived by them did not take place, since the latter, having learned about the failure of Klingspor at Oravais, retreated to the village of Idensalmi.

The unrest in eastern Finland soon subsided. Due to the onset of autumn, a lack of food and the need to rest the troops, Count Buxgewden accepted Klingspor's proposal for an armistice, which was concluded on September 17, but was not approved by the emperor. Renewed from Russian side the offensive was already proceeding almost unhindered. Klingspor left for Stockholm, surrendering his command to General Klerker, and the latter, convinced that it was impossible to detain the Russian troops, began negotiations with Count Kamensky, the consequence of which was the retreat of the Swedes to Torneo and the occupation of all Finland by Russian troops in November 1808.

Emperor Alexander, however, was not completely satisfied with Count Buxgewden, since the Swedish army, despite the significant superiority of the Russian forces, retained its composition, and therefore the war could not be considered over. In early December, the place of Buxgewden was taken by Infantry General Knorring. Emperor Alexander ordered the new commander-in-chief to immediately and decisively move the theater of war to the Swedish coast, taking advantage of the opportunity (the rarest in the history of the usually ice-free bay) to get there on the ice.

The northern detachment was to move towards Tornio, seize the shops there and follow to the city of Umeå, to join with another detachment, which was ordered to go there from Vaza along the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia near the Kvarken Islands; finally, the third detachment was to attack the Åland Islands, then all three detachments were to move towards Stockholm.

Knorring delayed the execution of the bold plan and was inactive until mid-February. Alexander I, extremely dissatisfied with this, sent to Finland the Minister of War, Count Arakcheev, who, having arrived in Abo on February 20, insisted on the speediest fulfillment of the highest will.

The troops of Prince Bagration, who marched to the Aland Islands on March 2, quickly captured them, and on March 7 a small Russian cavalry detachment under the command of Kulnev had already occupied the village of Grisselgam on the Swedish coast (now part of the Norrtelje commune). Two days later, he was ordered to return to Aland, where the Swedish plenipotentiary arrived with a letter from the Duke of Südermanland, declaring his desire to make peace on the condition that Russian troops did not cross over to the Swedish coast. Knorring agreed to a suspension of hostilities; the main forces of Prince Bagration were returned to Abo; the Barclay de Tolly detachment, which had already crossed the bay at Kvarken, was also recalled.

Meanwhile, the northern detachment of Russian troops, under the command of Count Shuvalov, managed to achieve significant successes. The Grippenberg detachment standing against him ceded the city of Tornio without a fight, and then, on March 13, bypassed by the troops of the Russian Empire near the village of Kalix, laid down their arms. Then Count Shuvalov stopped, having received news of a truce concluded on Aland.

"Battle of the boat" Experience "with an English frigate off the island of Nargen on June 11, 1808". Drawing by L. Blinov

By the beginning of the war with Sweden, the Baltic fleet was greatly weakened by the dispatch of the best ships to the Mediterranean. So, in 1804, Greig's squadron left, consisting of 2 battleships and 2 frigates. In 1805 Senyavin's squadron left, consisting of 5 battleships and 1 frigate. In 1806 Ignatov's squadron left, consisting of 5 ships, 1 frigate and other ships.

Moreover, all these expeditions ended badly for Russia. In August 1808 Senyavin's squadron (9 ships and 1 frigate) was captured by the British in Lisbon. In the English Channel, the British intercepted the Speshny frigate with a cargo of gold. Another frigate took refuge from the British in Palermo and was surrendered to the king of Naples. The rest of the ships of the Russian Mediterranean fleet took refuge in the French ports (or belonging to France) - Toulon, Trieste and Venice. They were deposited with the French and their crews returned to Russia.

Thus, practically without a fight, the Baltic Fleet was drained of blood. As noted by the historian A. Shirokorad: "During this" sea Austerlitz "the Russian fleet lost more ships than in all the wars of the 18th and 19th centuries combined."

By the beginning of 1808, the combat-ready naval fleet consisted of only 9 ships, 7 frigates and 25 small ships, which were based in Kronstadt and Revel. The rowing fleet included about 150 vessels, including 20 galleys and 11 floating batteries. Most of the rowing fleet was in St. Petersburg.

The 1808 campaign was launched by the Russians in early April. Rear Admiral Bodisko was ordered to land a landing on the island of Gotland, which was to be part of the French-Danish landing operation in southern Sweden (it never took place). Bodisko chartered several merchant ships, put troops on them and successfully captured the island. However, the Swedes expelled a squadron and, supported by local armed residents, recaptured Gotland. Bodisko capitulated in the face of superior forces, but bargained for good terms. The Russian detachment, having surrendered their weapons, but retaining the banners, returned to Russia.

In Sveaborg, occupied by the Russian army, a large Swedish rowing flotilla was captured. Two detachments were formed from it: Lieutenant Myakinin and Captain Selivanov. Both detachments went in skerries to Abo and occupied the fairways leading to this city from the Aland and Bothnian skerries. Russian rowing ships have successfully withstood a number of collisions with the Swedes. On June 18, a Russian detachment (14 ships) attacked a Swedish rowing squadron in significantly superior forces (about 60 ships different types). However, the firing of Russian artillerymen was so successful that the Swedes retreated. The Swedes attacked again, but also unsuccessfully. Meanwhile, the Russian detachment received reinforcements from several ships.

On June 22, the Swedes went on the offensive again. However, the Swedish attack was repulsed. The artillerymen again distinguished themselves. We damaged 11 ships, the Swedes - 20. On July 9, the Russian flotilla under the command of Heyden attacked the enemy in the area of ​​the Jungfruzund Strait. The battle ended in defeat for the Swedes. On July 20, our ships attacked the enemy and won a complete victory.

On August 7, the Russians and the Swedes met again in the Jungfruzund Strait. The first day the battle was limited to artillery firefight. On August 8, the battle continued. On this day, superior enemy forces (20 gunboats and 25 armed launches with 600 landing men) attacked 5 Russian ships that were away from the main forces. The case quickly turned into a boarding battle. Fighting off with buckshot and rifle volleys, which turned into bloody hand-to-hand combat, a small Russian detachment was bleeding to death in the fight against the numerous enemy. A particularly fierce battle was in full swing on the Storbiorne gem.

The sailing and rowing ships of the Swedish skerry fleet were named Gems. Usually ships had 2 masts and up to 10 pairs of oars, artillery weapons up to 30 - 32 guns. This made it possible to achieve the ability to conduct strong artillery fire from onboard guns, going under the oars.

All the commanders were killed on the ship, and 80 of the lower ranks were killed and 100 were wounded. The Swedes were able to hijack the ship. But at this time the commander of the Russian detachment Novokshenov brought help. The Russians recaptured the lost ship and sank three Swedish gunboats and two longboats. As a result of this fierce battle, the Russian rowing flotilla drove the Swedes out of Jungfruzund and opened free passage along the entire length of the skerries from Vyborg to Abo.

On August 18, a detachment of the Russian rowing flotilla of 24 ships under the command of Selivanov near the island of Sudsalo entered into battle with an enemy squadron of 45 gunboats and 6 galleys. The battle was stubborn and lasted 8 hours. Despite the superiority in forces, the fire of the Russian artillerymen was so successful that the Swedes were unable to win. The Russians lost 2 gunboats, people were rescued from them. Selivanov sent 17 gunboats to Abo for repairs, which were badly damaged and barely stayed afloat. The losses of the Swedes were greater: 8 gunboats drowned, and 2 exploded.

Thus, the Russian rowing fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Myasoedov during the 1808 campaign went to the Abo region, where it had a number of successful skirmishes with the Swedish fleet. Rowing ships in late autumn guarded the skerries from the penetration of enemy troops.

The Swedish naval fleet, which went to sea in July, consisted of 11 battleships and 5 frigates, which reinforced 2 British ships. The English fleet (16 ships and 20 vessels), after the defeat of the Danish capital, entered the Baltic Sea. The British sent aid to the Swedes and the main forces blockaded the Sound, Belts, the refugees of Denmark, Prussia, Pomerania and the port of Riga.

The Russian naval fleet, which left Kronstadt on July 14 under the command of Admiral P.I.Khanykov, consisted of 39 pennants (9 ships, 11 frigates, 4 corvettes and 15 small ships). Khanykov was instructed to destroy or seize Swedish ships, to prevent the Swedes from uniting with the British; support the army from the sea.

The Russian fleet reached the Gangut, several ships went on cruising and captured several Swedish transports and brig. From Gangut Khanykov passed to Yungfruzund. Then he met the enemy fleet. The Russian admiral, not considering it possible to resist the enemy, evaded a decisive battle and, pursued by the Swedes, took the ships to the Baltic port.

At the same time, the 74-gun battleship "Vsevolod" under the command of Captain 1st Rank DV Rudnev was damaged and was being towed. Six miles from the port, the tug burst and the ship would be forced to anchor. Admiral Khanykov sent several boats under the protection of armed longboats for further towing of the Vsevolod to the port. At 16 o'clock the boats approached the ship and began towing. Two English ships, seeing the plight of the Russian ship, approached and, having dispersed the boats with grape-shot fire, attacked it. Captain Rudnev, deciding to defend himself "to the last extreme," ran Vsevolod aground. Several ships of the Khanykov squadron during this battle weighed anchors, but due to the weak wind they could not leave the port.

British ships, taking advantage of the immobility of the enemy, shot the Russian ship, causing enormous destruction and heavy casualties. Only after that did they manage to board the Russian ship and, after a boarding battle, capture it. Of the nearly 700 people of the Vsevolod crew, only 56 survived, and another 37 wounded sailors were taken prisoner. After several unsuccessful attempts to remove the Russian ship from the aground, the British, fearing the appearance of Khanykov's ships, plundered the Vsevolod and set it on fire. On the morning of August 15, Vsevolod exploded.

Even earlier, a similar feat was performed by the 14-gun boat of the Russian fleet "Experience" under the command of Lieutenant Gabriel Nevelskoy. Sent to observe the enemy, the boat met at Nargen on 11 June with the British 50-gun frigate Salsette. Despite the inequality of forces (there were only 53 people on the boat), the Russian boat refused to surrender. For four hours, the crew of the boat fought off the enemy and was forced to surrender only when the boat was severely damaged in the mast and hull and began to sink, and most of the crew was killed and wounded. Having seized the ship, the British, out of respect for the brilliant bravery of the Russian sailors, freed Nevelskoy and all his subordinates. Emperor Alexander I, having learned about this battle, commanded "that Nevelsky never and on any ship not be under command, but always be the commander." Nevelskoy was given 3000 rubles of awards, and the team was reduced in service, and "people were assigned to court courts."

Thus, the ship fleet under the command of Admiral Khanykov was unable to prevent the combination of the Swedish and British fleets and took refuge in the Baltic port, where it was blocked on August 19 (31) until September 17 (29), when at the request of the Swedes an armistice was concluded.

In the campaign of 1809, the Russian naval fleet concentrated in Kronstadt and prepared to repel an attack by the British fleet, that is, it sat behind the forts of the naval fortress. Even when the British fleet approached the island of Gogland (an island in the Gulf of Finland, 180 km west of St. Petersburg), landed troops, the Russian ships remained in place. Kronstadt was actively preparing for defense, about 20 new batteries were built.

In 1809 England sent to the Baltic the powerful fleet of Admiral D. Moore - 52 ships with 9 thousand landing corps. In April, the British fleet passed through the Sound. In early summer, the British entered the Gulf of Finland. The British landed troops at one of the main strategic points of the bay - in Porkaloud. The British tried to interfere with Russian navigation in the Finnish skerries and sent armed launches to the skerries.

There were several contractions. So, on June 23 in Porcalaud, four English launches fought three Russian gunboats. Two British ships were damaged and sank. On July 17, between the mainland and the islands of Sturi and Lilla Svarte, six Russian yolas (small sailing and rowing ships) and two gunboats were attacked by twenty English boats and longboats. After a stubborn battle, two Iols were able to break through to Sveaborg, and the British took the rest of the ships on board. The Russians lost 2 officers and 63 lower ranks killed, 106 people were captured (half of them were wounded). The British lost 2 officers and 17 lower ranks killed, 37 people were wounded. All captured Russian ships were badly damaged, so the British burned them.

The British press trumpeted the great successes of the Royal Navy in the Baltic. However, the British raids were local in nature and did not have serious tactical and strategic importance. The fate of the war was decided on land, and there Sweden was beaten in all respects, in 1809 the war was already going on in Sweden proper. And England did not dare to land a larger contingent in Sweden in order to really support the ally.
The end of the war

Taking advantage of the complete superiority of the Swedish fleet in the Gulf of Bothnia, the Swedish command still hoped to win and return part of the previously lost territories. The Swedes developed a plan for the destruction of the Russian northern corps under the command of Kamensky. Sandels' corps was reinforced by troops, which withdrew from the Norwegian direction. At Ratan, in two passages to the rear of Umeå, where the Russians were stationed, they planned to land the "coastal corps", which had previously covered Stockholm. Thus, the Russian troops fell between two fires.

Kamensky decided not to wait for the enemy's attack and to counterattack the Swedish army. The northern corps on August 4, 1809 left Umeå in three columns: the first - General Alekseev (six battalions), the second - Kamensky (eight battalions), the third - Sabaneev's reserve (four battalions). General Alekseev was supposed to cross the river Ere 15 versts above the mouth and attack the enemy's left flank. The main forces were ferried along the coastal route and had to push the enemy back.

However, on August 5, from 100 transports at Ratan, 8,000 vehicles began to land. Corps of Count Wachtmeister. As a result, Kamensky's corps was in an extremely dangerous position. Ahead of the river Ere 7 thous. corps of General Wrede, in the rear - the landing corps of the Vakhtmeister is landing. From the Ere River to Ratan, there are only 5-6 day hikes. You can only move in a narrow coastal strip, maneuvering is excluded by terrain conditions. The Swedish fleet dominates the sea.

Swedish General Johan August Sandels

Kamensky decided to attack the airborne corps as the most powerful and dangerous threat. He ordered the reserve of Sabaneev, who had just passed Umeo, to go back. The vanguard of the left column under the command of Erickson was supposed to remain on the Era River and mislead the Swedes, and at night to withdraw to Umeå and destroy the crossings. All other troops were to follow the former Sabaneev reserve, which now became the vanguard. These movements took the entire day of August 5th. At that time, the Swedes managed to land the vanguard of Lagerbrink (seven battalions with a battery). They drove back the small Russian units that were there. Swedish troops did not advance further and stopped at Sevar, awaiting instructions from the command. This stop thwarted the effect of the sudden landing of Swedish troops in the rear of the Russian corps. Moreover, the terrain near Sevar was poorly suited for organizing a good defense.

On August 6, the Russian troops were busy regrouping. Sabaneev supported Frolov's rear detachment. Soon Alekseev's column approached. The rest of the troops stayed in Umeå, waiting for Erickson's rearguard. The Russian rearguard successfully misled the Swedes all day and left for Umeå at night. On the morning of August 7, Kamensky attacked with Vakhtmeister's forces at Sevar. The stubborn battle lasted from early morning until 4 pm. The Swedes could not stand it and retreated back to Ratan.

Kamensky, despite the advance of the Wrede corps to Umeå, which reduced the distance between the two groups of Swedes to 2-3 transitions, decided to attack Vakhtmeister again. He began to pursue the retreating enemy with all his might. As a result, the Swedish detachment was evacuated by sea. Kamensky ran out of ammunition, so he decided on August 12 to retreat to Piteo to replenish ammunition. After rest, on August 21, Kamensky's corps moved back to Umeå.

Meanwhile, August 3 (15) began again peace negotiations... An armistice was concluded, according to which the Russian troops were withdrawn to Piteo, while the Swedes remained in Umeå. The Swedish fleet was withdrawn from Kvarken and pledged not to act against the Aland Islands and the coast of Finland. Ships of neutral states could sail throughout the Gulf of Bothnia.

Petersburg decided not to respond to the Swedes' proposals in order to put pressure on them. Kamensky was ordered to prepare for a new offensive. The freedom of navigation in the Gulf of Bothnia was used to concentrate stocks in Piteå. In Torneo, a special reserve was put forward in case of the need to support Kamensky's corps. The Russian chief plenipotentiary in Friedrichsgam, Count Nikolai Rumyantsev, even demanded that Kamensky launched an offensive and offered to land troops near Stockholm.

Sweden was exhausted by war, civil and military administration upset. Despite the increased issue of paper banknotes, there was not enough money, taxes were increased, which became extremely burdensome for the population. The internal political crisis led to a coup d'etat and the emergence of a constitution. Relying on help from England did not justify itself. The battles on the Norwegian front did not bring success to Sweden either. At the same time, part of the Swedish elite hoped that with the help of Napoleon and Alexander, Sweden would be able to compensate for some of the losses. All this forced Stockholm to agree to such peace terms that were beneficial to St. Petersburg.

Friedrichsgam peace

On September 5 (17), 1809, a peace treaty was signed in Friedrichsgam. On the part of Russia, it was signed by Foreign Minister Count Nikolai Rumyantsev and Russian Ambassador to Stockholm David Alopeus; from Sweden - General of Infantry, former ambassador Sweden in St. Petersburg, Baron Kurt von Stedingk (Steedink) and Colonel Anders Fredrik Schöldebrandt.

Russian troops left Sweden in Västerbotten for Finland across the Torneo River, which became the border. North of Västerbotten, the new border ran through the province of Lappland. All prisoners of war and hostages returned mutually no later than three months from the date of entry into force of the treaty. The old ones were restored economic ties two powers. Arrests were mutually removed from the financial resources of powers (assets), operations, debts and incomes interrupted or disturbed by the war were returned. The estates and property sequestered during the war were returned to their owners in both countries, etc.

All of Finland (including Aland) went to Russia to the river. Russia departed part of Västerbotten to the Torneo River and all of Finnish Lapland. The sea border ran in the middle of the Gulf of Bothnia and the Åland Sea. The newly conquered region passed under a peace treaty "into the ownership and sovereign possession of the Russian Empire." Relocation of the Swedish population from Finland to Sweden and to reverse direction... It must be said that this world greatly upset a part of the Russian metropolitan public, which was unhappy with the fact that Russia had offended "poor Sweden" so much.

Sweden was to make peace with Napoleon and begin a continental blockade of Britain. British warships and merchant ships could no longer enter Swedish ports. It was forbidden to refuel them with water, food, fuel and other supplies.

Thus, the war with Sweden has seriously strengthened the military-strategic position of Russia in the North and the Baltic. A task of enormous importance was solved. An end has been put in the centuries-old confrontation between Russia and Sweden in Finland and the Baltic. And in favor of Russia. Therefore, the war was in line with the national interests of Russia. As Emperor Alexander correctly noted in 1810, Finland was to become "a strong pillow of St. Petersburg." Indeed, Finland was needed for a strong defense of the capital of the Russian Empire.

At the same time, Alexander, who made indulgences to the national outskirts, created the Grand Duchy of Finland, included in it the Vyborg province, annexed to Russia under Peter the Great. This act had dire consequences for military security Soviet Russia... Alexander kept the laws and orders that existed there in Finland.

So, it’s like this: whoever names five generals from both sides before reading this post will get a barrel of ale ... (But the smartest ones will have additional questions.)

Top 10 generals of the Russian-Swedish (Finnish) war of 1808-1809

1. Wilhelm Maurits Klingspor... Reputations do not always deserve themselves - sometimes it is enough for them to get a person in the right place at the right time. In 1808, Klingspor was an old and respected (because old) general (he turned 64), and therefore led the active troops in Finland. Personally, he strove to act according to the fundamental military wisdom of "hurry slowly" and "the morning is wiser than the evening," but individual units of his army inflicted separate defeats on individual Russian forces in some places. Therefore, Willie-Maury's reputation as a heroic commander grew slightly. And when the Russians launched a systemic offensive, old wounds and senile sores worsened, and Klingspor surrendered the command, returning to Stockholm and gratefully accepted the well-deserved title of field marshal (field marshal).

2. Fedor Fedorovich (aka Friedrich Wilhelm von) Buxgewden... Personality, absolutely unknown to the Russian "historegs", despite the "nestling of Suvorov's nest" and the award for the Battle of Austerlitz. Therefore, due to the lack of information and for the German surname, he is constantly called "accidental mediocrity". Although General Konovnitsyn, who served under his command, loudly called him the best commander of those with whom he served. Commander of the army in Finland in 1808, Buxgewden showed obstinacy and intractability, having quarreled with the tsar and Arakcheev, he almost resigned.

3. Karl Nathanael af Klerker (Clerk)... Even older, veteran already Seven Years War, Clerker in 1808 was already a 73-year-old "brisk", so they risked making him only Klingspor's deputy. But when the future field marshal resigned, the command of the Finnish army passed to him. He signed an armistice with the Russian commander Buxgewden in Lochteo (for which the Russian general was turned from his post of commander). However, after the revolution in Stockholm, which overthrew King Gustav IV from the throne and elevated King Charles XIII to the throne, Clerker was retired.

4. Bogdan Fedorovich Knorring... Having replaced Buxgewden as commander-in-chief, the "next Ostsee" continued the strategy of quietly sabotaging the orders of the tsar and the War Ministry. In particular, considering the idea of ​​a march on the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia as dangerous nonsense, he delayed its implementation until Arakcheev personally arrived at the theater of operations. Due to this behavior, and also due to the fact that the campaign was completely successful, but due to the warm season could not last longer, Knorring suffered the same fate as his predecessor - he was dismissed, replaced by Barclay de Tolly.

5. Karl Johan Adlerkreutz... "Swedish Finn", or "Finnish Swede" - was born on family estates in Finland. He began the war as the commander of the 2nd brigade, then received command of the "Finnish" division. One of the most successful Swedish generals of the war - he managed to inflict defeat on the Russians at Nykarlebu, Lappo, Alava and Ruon, but then he was beaten at Oravais. During the "revolution" of 1809, he commanded a group of conspirators who arrested King Gustav IV. After the war he lost his possessions in Finland, but made a career in Sweden. He took part in the war of 1813.

6. Nikolay Mikhailovich Kamensky 2nd... The son of Field Marshal Mikhail Kamensky, a stern man who flogged his offspring even when he was already an officer. Therefore, he had an unbalanced temperament, falling into bouts of aggression. Outside of them, he proved himself as one of the most capable Russian generals of its time. In Finland, commanding the vanguard, he achieved the surrender of Sveaborg and won battles at Oravais, Savar and Ratan. For all his successes in 1810 he was appointed commander-in-chief in the war against Turkey, but after initial successes he fell ill and died in March 1811.

7. Johan August Sandels... The most famous (now) general of the "Finnish War" (who even got on beer cans), national hero Sweden and Finland, since he inflicted defeat on the Russian troops at Pulkila and on the Virta bridge (in our tradition - at Idesalmi), and also organized a "small war" of detachments of Finnish partisans. For these exploits he was immortalized in the monument of classical Swedish poetry "Songs of Fenrik Stol" by Johan Runneberg. In 1813-1814 he fought in Germany, Belgium and Norway. At the end of his life he was promoted to field marshal.

8. Pavel Andreevich Shuvalov... A favorite of Emperor Alexander I, whose career was hampered by an addiction to the green serpent. In 1809, he led a campaign across the Arctic Circle, leading a corps from Finland to Sweden on dry land and forcing a Swedish detachment of 8,000 to surrender at Torneo. He won the battle at Shelefte, concluded an armistice with the Swedes, but Petersburg did not approve of it, for which he was replaced by Kamensky. He took part in the wars with His Corsicans, eventually commanding an infantry corps.

9. Georg Karl von Döbeln... Another "beer-postcard" hero of the "Finnish War", popular to this day in the Swedish and Finnish "mass culture". He distinguished himself in the battles of Ippäri, Lappo, Kayajoki, Juutase, defended the Aland Islands, defended Sweden during the invasion of Shuvalov's corps from the north. Back in 1789, Porosalmi received a severe wound with a bullet in the forehead, which worried him for the rest of his life, about which Döbeln wore the famous "black bandana". In 1813, due to non-compliance with the orders of the command in Germany, he was put on trial, but eventually acquitted.

10. Nikolay Andreevich Bodisko... Rear Admiral, famous for his land "feat", for which he was simultaneously rewarded and punished. On April 22, on chartered merchant ships, he reached the island of Gotland with 2,000 soldiers and captured it, but already on May 16, in view of the 5-thousandth detachment of Swedes that had arrived, he surrendered, persuading himself to leave the island without hindrance. As a result, he first received the Order of St. Anna, and then by a military tribunal he was demoted, deprived of awards and dismissed from service, but in 1811 he was reinstated in the ranks and served further (in 1814 he received St. Anna "back").

Russian-Swedish War 1808-1809, also Finnish war (fin. Suomen sota, Swede. Finska kriget) - a war between Russia, supported by France and Denmark, and Sweden. It was the last in a series of Russian-Swedish wars.

The war ended with the victory of Russia and the conclusion of the Friedrichsgam Peace Treaty, according to which Finland passed from Sweden to Russia, joining the Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland.

Causes and purposes of the war

After the conclusion of the Peace of Tilsit in 1807, Alexander I offered the Swedish king Gustav IV his mediation to reconcile him with France, and when the British, suddenly and without declaring war, attacked Copenhagen and took the Danish fleet away, he demanded the assistance of Sweden so that, on the basis of treaties of 1780 and 1800, keeping the Baltic Sea off-limits to the fleets of the Western powers. Gustav IV rejected these demands and embarked on a course of rapprochement with England, which continued to fight the hostile Napoleon.

Meanwhile, there was a break between Russia and Great Britain. On November 16, 1807, the Russian government again turned to the Swedish king with a proposal for assistance, but for about two months no response was received. Finally, Gustav IV responded that the execution of the treaties of 1780 and 1800. you cannot proceed while the French occupy the harbors of the Baltic Sea. Then it became known that the Swedish king was preparing to help England in the war with Denmark, trying to recapture Norway from her. All these circumstances gave Emperor Alexander I an excuse to conquer Finland, in order to ensure the safety of the capital from the close proximity of a power hostile to Russia.

The state of the parties before the war

At the beginning of 1808, the Russian army (about 24 thousand) was located along the border, between Friedrichsgam and Neishlot, the leadership was entrusted to Count Buxgewden.

The Swedes in Finland at this time had 19 thousand troops, under the temporary command of General Klerker. The commander-in-chief, Count Klingspor, was still in Stockholm, where everyone hoped for a peaceful resolution of misunderstandings: the king himself did not trust the news of the concentration of Russian troops in the Vyborg province and the Swedish army was not transferred to martial law.

When Count Klingspor finally went to Finland, the essence of the instructions given to him was not to go into battle with the enemy, to hold Sveaborg to the last extreme and, if possible, to act behind Russian lines.

Undeclared war

Although no war was declared, Russian troops crossed the border on February 9. On February 18, Count Buxgewden entered Helsingfors; Swedish troops took refuge in the Sveaborg fortress.

On February 23rd, Count Klingspor retreated to Tammerfors, ordering all units scattered in northern Finland to move there.

Following this, Tavastehus was occupied by Russian troops.

On February 27, Buxgewden ordered Prince Bagration to pursue Klingspor, and General Tuchkov to try to cut off his retreat; Buxgewden himself decided to begin the siege of Sveaborg.

The Swedes freely retreated to Bragestad, but Sveaborg - mainly thanks to the "golden powder" - surrendered on April 26 to the Russians, who got 7,500 prisoners, more than 2,000 guns, huge reserves of all kinds and 110 warships.

Even earlier, on March 5, the fortress of Svartholm surrendered; almost at the same time, the fortified Cape Gangut was occupied, as well as the island of Gotland and the Aland Islands.

Declaration of war

A formal declaration of war from the Russian side followed only on March 16, 1808, when news was received that the king, having learned about the passage of Russian troops across the border, ordered the arrest of all members of the Russian embassy in Stockholm.

Public opinion in Sweden was not on the side of the war, and the emergency measures ordered by the king were carried out reluctantly and weakly.

Unsuccessful start of the war for Russia

Meanwhile, in the north of Finland, things took an unfavorable turn for Russia. Tuchkov's detachment, due to the separation of stages and garrisons, decreased to 4 thousand.

On April 6, the vanguard of the Russian troops, under the command of Kulnev, attacked the Swedes near the village of Siikajoki, but, having stumbled upon superior forces, was defeated; after that, on April 15, the same fate befell a detachment of Russian troops near Revolax, and the commander of this detachment, General Bulatov, Mikhail Leontyevich, who had already conducted a number of successful battles, defeating several enemy detachments, was seriously wounded and taken prisoner. In February 1809, the captured general was offered freedom in exchange for a promise not to fight against the Swedes and their allies, but he refused, after which he was allowed to leave for Russia without preconditions.

The Finns, incited by the proclamations of the King and Count Klingspor, rose up against the Russians and, with their partisan actions, under the command of Swedish officers, inflicted a lot of harm on the Russian army.

In eastern Finland, a detachment under the command of Colonel Sandels (sv: Johan August Sandels) spread the alarm as far as Neishlot and Wilmanstrand.

At the end of April, a strong Swedish flotilla appeared near the Aland Islands and, with the help of the insurgent inhabitants, forced the detachment of Colonel Vuich to surrender.

On May 3, Rear Admiral Bodisko, who occupied the island of Gotland, concluded a surrender, by virtue of which his detachment, laying down their arms, went back to Libau on the same ships on which they arrived in Gotland.

On May 14, the English fleet arrived in Gothenburg with an auxiliary corps of 14 thousand people under the command of General Moore, but Gustav IV could not agree with him on the plan of action, and Moore's troops were sent to Spain; only the English fleet remained at the disposal of the Swedish king, consisting of 16 ships and 20 other ships.

Meanwhile, detachments of Russian troops operating in northern Finland were forced to withdraw to Kuopio. Klingspor did not complete his successes with persistent pursuit, but stopped at a position near the village of Salmi, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements from Sweden and the result of the landings undertaken on the western coast of Finland. The troops are defeated at the Battle of Lemu and at Vaasa. Taking advantage of this, General Count N.M. Kamensky on August 2 again went on the offensive.

On August 20 and 21, after stubborn battles at Kuortane and Salmi, Klingspor retreated in the direction of Vasa and Nykarlebu, and on September 2 suffered another setback in the battle at Oravais.

The Swedish landings, at first not without success, at the orders of Klingspor, also retreated to Vaza. Other landings made in September from the Aland Islands also ended in failure.

Fracture

In eastern Finland, General Tuchkov, having against himself the Swedish detachment of Sandels and a detachment of armed residents, held on to a defensive position. A detachment of Alekseev, sent to him for reinforcement, was stopped by the actions of the partisans and returned to Serdobol on July 30. Only on September 14, Prince Dolgorukov, who replaced Alekseev, reached the village of Melansemi and got in touch with Tuchkov. The joint attack on Sandels conceived by them did not take place, since the latter, having learned about the failure of Klingspor at Oravais, retreated to the village of Idensalmi.

The unrest in eastern Finland soon subsided. Due to the onset of autumn, a lack of food and the need to rest the troops, Count Buxgewden accepted Klingspor's proposal for an armistice, which was concluded on September 17, but was not approved by the emperor. The offensive, renewed from the Russian side, went on almost unhindered. Klingspor left for Stockholm, surrendering his command to General Klerker, and the latter, convinced that it was impossible to detain the Russian troops, began negotiations with Count Kamensky, the consequence of which was the retreat of the Swedes to Torneo and the occupation of all Finland by Russian troops in November 1808.

Emperor Alexander, however, was not completely satisfied with Count Buxgewden, since the Swedish army, despite the significant superiority of the Russian forces, retained its composition, and therefore the war could not be considered over. In early December, the place of Buxgewden was taken by Infantry General Knorring. Emperor Alexander ordered the new commander-in-chief to immediately and decisively move the theater of war to the Swedish coast, taking advantage of the opportunity (the rarest in the history of the usually ice-free bay) to get there on the ice.

The northern detachment was to move towards Tornio, seize the shops there and follow to the city of Umeå, to join with another detachment, which was ordered to go there from Vaza along the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia near the Kvarken Islands; finally, the third detachment was to attack the Åland Islands, then all three detachments were to move towards Stockholm.

Knorring delayed the execution of the bold plan and was inactive until mid-February. Alexander I, extremely dissatisfied with this, sent to Finland the Minister of War, Count Arakcheev, who, having arrived in Abo on February 20, insisted on the speediest fulfillment of the highest will.

At this time, a coup d'état took place in Sweden, and royalty passed into the hands of the Duke of Südermanland.

The troops of Prince Bagration, who marched to the Aland Islands on March 2, quickly captured them, and on March 7, a small Russian cavalry detachment under the command of Kulnev had already occupied the village of Grisselgam on the Swedish coast. Two days later, he was ordered to return to Aland, where the Swedish plenipotentiary arrived with a letter from the Duke of Südermanland, declaring his desire to make peace on the condition that Russian troops did not cross over to the Swedish coast. Knorring agreed to a suspension of hostilities; the main forces of Prince Bagration were returned to Abo; the Barclay de Tolly detachment, which had already crossed the bay at Kvarken, was also recalled.

Meanwhile, the northern detachment of Russian troops, under the command of Count Shuvalov, managed to achieve significant successes. The enemy detachment of Grippenberg, who stood against him, ceded the city of Tornio without a fight, and then, on March 13, bypassed by the troops of the Russian Empire near the village of Kalix, laid down their arms. Then Count Shuvalov stopped, having received news of a truce concluded on Aland.

Defeat of the Swedes in Finland

On March 19, Emperor Alexander arrived in Abo, who ordered to interrupt the truce concluded on Aland. In early April, Barclay de Tolly was appointed to replace Knorring. Military operations resumed and from the Russian side were conducted mainly by the northern detachment, which on May 20 occupied the city of Umeå. The Swedish troops were partly overturned, partly retreating hastily. Even before the occupation of Umeå, the Swedish general Döbeln, who commanded in Westro-Botnia, asked Count Shuvalov to stop the bloodshed, which was aimless due to the imminent conclusion of peace, and offered to cede the entire Westro-Botnia to the Russians. Shuvalov agreed to conclude a convention with him, but Barclay de Tolly did not fully approve of it; the northern detachment of the Russian army was ordered to start hostilities again at the first opportunity. In addition, measures were taken to provide the detachment with food, in which there was a severe shortage.

When the Sejm gathered in Stockholm proclaimed the Duke of Südermanland king, the new government inclined to the proposal of the General Count Wrede to push the Russians out of West Botnia; hostilities resumed, but the successes of the Swedes were limited only to the capture of several transports; their attempts to institute against Russia people's war failed. After a successful case for the Russians, Gernefors again signed a truce, partly due to the need for the Russians to provide themselves with food.

Since the Swedes stubbornly refused to cede the Aland Islands to Russia, Barclay allowed the new chief of the northern detachment, Count Kamensky, to act at his own discretion.

The Swedes sent two detachments against the latter: one, Sandels, was supposed to attack from the front, the other, an airborne one, to land at the village of Ratan and attack Count Kamensky from the rear. Due to the bold and skillful orders of the count, this enterprise ended in failure; but then, due to the almost complete depletion of military and food supplies, Kamensky went to Piteo, where he found a transport with bread and again moved forward, to Umeo. Already at the first transition, Sandels appeared to him with the authority to conclude a truce, which he could not refuse, due to the lack of supply of his troops with everything necessary.

Foreign policy results

On September 5 (17), 1809, a peace treaty was signed in Friedrichsgam, the essential articles of which were:

1. making peace with Russia and its allies;
2. acceptance of the continental system and the closure of Swedish harbors to the British;
3. the cession of all Finland, the Aland Islands and the eastern part of Vestro-Botnia to the rivers Torneo and Muonio, to the eternal possession of Russia.

Military results

For the first time in the history of wars, the bay was crossed on ice.