Battle of Skellefteå facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Skellefteå |
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| Part of the Finnish War (Napoleonic Wars) | |||||||
 Ryska och Swänska Anfallas i Krig uppå en brod, by Lars Larsson (1784–1840); the painting [most likely] portrays the fighting at the Lejonström Bridge. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Sweden |
 Russian Empire |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Johan Henrik Furumark |
Pavel Andreyevich Shuvalov |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 700 | 6,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 650 | ? | ||||||
The Battle of Skellefteå was a fight during the Finnish War. It happened on May 15, 1809, in Skellefteå, Sweden. About 6,000 Russian soldiers, led by Pavel Andreyevich Shuvalov, attacked 700 Swedish soldiers. The Swedish troops were led by Johan Henrik Furumark. The Swedes fought to slow down the Russians. This gave time for their supplies to be moved to a safe place. However, the Russians surrounded them and cut off their escape route. Most of the supplies were saved, but the Swedish soldiers were captured.
Why the Battle Happened
After a big change in Sweden's government and some Russian attacks in March 1809, the fighting had mostly stopped. Both sides were trying to make peace. Sweden knew it couldn't get Finland back from Russia. So, they wanted to get the best peace deal possible.
The Russian leader, Alexander I of Russia, wanted the border between Sweden and Russian-Finland to be at the Kalix River. On April 30, a Russian general named Pavel Andreyevich Shuvalov started moving south. He had over 9,000 soldiers. His goal was to take over northern Sweden, all the way to the Ume River.
The Swedish commander, Fabian Wrede, had almost 5,000 men. But they were spread out across northern Sweden. The Russian soldiers didn't have enough food. The Swedish countryside also didn't have much food. So, the Russians marched towards the Swedish supply stores in Skellefteå.
The Battle Begins
Johan Henrik Furumark and his 700 Swedish soldiers were given an important job. Their commander, Johan Adam Cronstedt, told them to hold back the Russians. This would give enough time to move the Swedish supplies out of Skellefteå.
Before reaching Skellefteå, General Shuvalov split his Russian forces. About 3,300 men would attack the Swedes head-on. The Swedes were waiting behind the frozen Skellefte River. The other 2,650 Russian soldiers would go around the side. Their plan was to cut off the Swedish retreat route.
The Russians arrived on May 15 and immediately attacked. The Swedish soldiers from the Västerbotten Regiment fought bravely. They held their ground against the first Russian attack. But General Furumark soon realized he was being surrounded. He saw that continuing to fight was pointless. So, he ordered his soldiers to retreat.
Fighting at the Bridge
As the Swedes pulled back, the Russian soldiers pushed hard. To stop the Russians from bringing up their cannons, 20 Swedish soldiers were ordered to destroy the Lejonström Bridge. They had to do this while the enemy was shooting at them.
The Russians quickly crossed the river. They captured a Swedish cannon that was covering the bridge work. But the Swedes fought back and took the cannon again. The retreat continued with strong pressure from the Russians.
Meanwhile, the Swedish supply wagons had been sent south before the battle. They didn't have any guards. The Russian soldiers who had gone around the side soon captured these wagons at Yttervik. General Furumark and his men were retreating along the coast. He realized that the much larger Russian force at Yttervik had completely blocked his escape. Because of this, he agreed to surrender.
What Happened Next
Almost all the Swedish soldiers were captured. Some reports say about 130 Swedes were either killed or hurt. Only about 40 men managed to escape through the woods.
The Russians didn't have enough food. This stopped General Shuvalov from immediately marching towards Umeå. The Swedish supplies stored there were instead moved to safety. General Georg Carl von Döbeln took over as commander in Umeå. He replaced Cronstedt. Döbeln was then replaced by Johan August Sandels on June 7, because of health reasons.
The Russians did take Umeå on June 1. But after that, their attack slowed down. Instead, the Swedes, led by Sandels, launched their own attack. They fought the Russians again at the Battle of Hörnefors.
