Battle of Grodno (1706)

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For other uses, see Battle of Grodno.
Battle of Grodno
Part of Great Northern War

Grodno and its fortifications on a 1706 plan
Date15 January 1706 (O.S.)
16 January 1706 (Swedish calendar)
26 January — 10 April 1706 (N.S.)
Location
Grodno, present-day Belarus
Result Swedish victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire Swedish Empire Tsardom of Russia Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Charles XII
Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov
Strength

34,000:

24,000 Swedish[1]
10,000 Polish[2]

41,000:

36,000 Russian[1]
5,000 Saxon[1]
Casualties and losses

3,000:[1]

of which only 100 killed in actual combat, the majority perished due to frostbite and exhaustion

15,000[3]–17,000:[4]

8,000 during the blockade
7,000–9,000 during the retreat, the majority due to starvation, sickness and exhaustion

The Battle of Grodno (1706) refers to the battle during the Great Northern War. Grodno was a city of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth at this time.

Background

Further information:
Civil war in Poland (1704-1706)

Battle

The blockade of

Menshikov towards Minsk, cutting of all connections to Russia for the Grodno garrison. The situation of the Russian troops was made even more difficult after the allied Polish-Lithuanian king Augustus II quickly left Grodno in Polish direction, taking four Russian dragoon regiments with him. As a result, the Grodno garrison was left without cavalry
which was necessary for reconnaissance and food supplies.

After putting Grodno under siege, the Swedes occupied

Mazepa were ordered to constantly engage the enemy. Peter I didn't want to have an open battle with Charles XII so far from Russia. Because of that he ordered the Grodno garrison to hold out until spring when the rivers get free of ice. Then they had to retreat behind the Neman towards Brest and further to the Dnieper
what they successfully did until May 1706.

Charles estimated the direction of the Russian retreat wrongly, expecting them to retreat eastwards where he placed his main forces. Having discovered the surprisingly rapid Russian retreat towards south-west too late, he started the pursuit, hoping to catch up the Russians via the Polesia swamps shortcut. However, they proved to be impassable and Charles had to give up the pursuit of the Russians and to seek a battle with the Saxons first.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Б. И. Куракин. Русско-шведская война. Записки. 1700—1710 // Архив кн. Ф. А. Куракина. — Кн. 1. — СПб., 1890 — с. 303.
  2. ^ Gordon A. The History of Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia: To which is Prefixed a Short General History of the Country from the Rise of that Monarchy: and an Account of the Author's Life, Volume 1. Aberdeen. 1755. p. 216
  3. ^ Dorrell, Nicholas. The Dawn of the Tsarist Empire: Poltava & the Russian Campaigns of 1708—1709, Partizan Press (2009). pp 18
  4. ISBN 978-91-518-5107-5

Sources

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