Battle of Kletsk (1706)
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20 April 1706 (Swedish calendar)
30 April 1706 (N.S.)
| Battle of Kletsk | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Great Northern War | |||||||
.jpg) Kletsk and the bridge going over the marshes – Tamaš Makoǔski | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Swedish Empire |
 Tsardom of Russia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Carl Gustaf Creutz |
Semjon Nepljujev Danylo Apostol | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1,500 cavalry[1] |
4,700 infantry and cavalry 4 artillery pieces[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
15 dead 20 wounded[2] |
500 dead (Russian claim)[3] 2,025 dead (Swedish claim) 72 captured[1] | ||||||
The Battle of Kletsk took place on 30 April 1706 (Gregorian calendar), in- and outside the city of Kletsk, Belarus during Charles XII's Polish campaign of 1701–1706, in the Great Northern War. The Swedish forces were led by Carl Gustaf Creutz who defeated a larger Russian–Cossack force under the command of Semjon Nepljujev and Danylo Apostol. Many of the Russian and Cossack regiments participating in the battle were wiped out and ceased to exist as fighting units.[1][4] Some historians consider the main reason for the defeat to be the actions of the Ukrainian Cossacks, who immediately turned into a blameless flight at the sight of the Swedish attacks, disrupting the formation of the Russian units behind them.[5]
Towards the end of the 17th century Russia, Denmark–Norway and Saxony formed a coalition against the Swedish Empire in order to regain territory lost in earlier wars. The Swedish king, Charles XII, then invaded the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in his 1701–1706 campaign. He forced Augustus the Strong from the Polish throne in 1704, replacing him with pro-Swedish Stanislaw Leszczynski.[6]
In January 1706 a large force of Russians were cut off and trapped during the battle of Grodno by Charles XII and his similarly sized army. This caused the Russian Czar, Peter the Great, to assemble an army to go to their assistance. He also ordered the Cossack Hetman, Ivan Mazepa – who at the time was an ally to Russia – to gather an army of 14,000 men to harass and disrupt the Swedish troops blockading Grodno. However, the Swedes launched counter-attacks against the raiding Cossacks which inflicted many casualties.[1]
One of these counter-attacks was commanded by Carl Gustaf Creutz. He trapped a substantial number of Cossacks and Poles in the city of Lyakhavichy with his force of 2,000 men and besieged them. In response Mazepa then sent a relief-party of 4,700 soldiers. Initially they had been despatched to help those trapped in Grodno, but they were diverted to Lyakhavichy. After several days march they arrived at the city of Kletsk, some 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Lyakhavichy, where they set up camp.[1] Creutz gained knowledge of this and set off against Kletsk with 1,500 cavalry, leaving 500 dragoons to continue the siege. They marched overnight and arrived at Klatsk the next morning.[1][4]
Battle
Immediately on their arrival the Swedes charged a group of Cossacks guarding the 500-meter-long (1,600 ft) bridge crossing the marshes to Kletsk under the command of Danylo Apostol. The Cossacks were quickly overwhelmed and fled in disorder towards the bridge, but were trapped because of wagons blocking their escape route. The Swedes easily finished them off, and hunted down and killed those Cossacks who attempted to escape into the marshes. Danylo Apostol had his horse shot dead during the fighting, but continued to flee on another one before eventually being taken prisoner.[1] Meanwhile, the Russian commander Semjon Nepljujev gathered the troops and artillery in the city and advanced to the assistance of the Cossacks. When he realised that the bridge had been captured he chose to retreat. Four artillery guns were abandoned and captured by the Swedes, who immediately turned them against the retreating Russians.[1]
The majority of this retreating force retreated into Kletsk and fortified themselves inside the city. This is where the hardest fighting took place and a Swedish account records: "All the walls were scratched by their shots and bullets".[1] The Swedes stormed into the city before the disorganised Russians could organise a proper defence. Soon the surviving Russian and Cossack troops were beaten and in full retreat. They ran south and east towards the forest. However, the majority of these were cut down in the fields, while others were drowned in the swamps. The official Swedish record claims the fleeing soldiers had: "thrown away most of their clothing and equipment and in barely a shirt tried to save themselves".[1]
