Carolean Death March
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The Carolean Death March (Swedish: karolinernas dödsmarsch), also known as the Catastrophe on Øyfjellet (Swedish: katastrofen på Öjfjället) was the disastrous retreat by a force of Swedish soldiers (known as Caroleans), under the command of Carl Gustaf Armfeldt, across the Tydal mountain range in Trøndelag around the new year 1718–1719.[1]
Background
In 1718, after several defeats in the
After the Swedish defeat at
After Charles' death on 11 December 1718 during the siege of Fredriksten, all Swedish forces in Norway were ordered to retreat back to Sweden. Armfeldt received notice of Charles' death on 7 January 1719, when his force was in Haltdalen, Gauldal with about 6,000 men. He decided to take the shortest route to Sweden: first over the mountains to Tydal and from there over the Tydal mountain range back to the fort of Hjerpe. So far the winter had been mild with scant to no snow cover. Skis were therefore not needed, but the army was poorly equipped and exhausted from the campaigning in Trøndelag.
The departure to Sweden
On 8 January 1719 the army left Haltdalen and marched to Tydal, a distance of almost 30 kilometres. Due to the cold weather, about 200 men died on the mountains from exposure. On 11 January Armfeldt's army was gathered on the Ås and Østby farms in Tydal, almost 5,800 men in total. A vanguard of 14 skiers was sent across to Jämtland to prepare for the main army's arrival in Sweden.
The army left Østby on the morning of 12 January 1719 (New Year's Day according to the Swedish calendar), accompanied by Norwegian guide Lars Bersvendsen Østby, who had been coerced into aiding the enemy by having two kinswomen held hostage[citation needed]. The weather was very cold, but there was no snowfall. The distance to the village of Handöl in present-day Åre Municipality is about 55 kilometres. Without the inclement weather the army could have reached Jämtland after a two-day march.
The storm
That afternoon a violent northwesterly
, but to little effect. An estimated 200 men froze to death this first night.The storm continued the next day, and the retreat now became chaotic as the soldiers were scattered in the hills. The main part of the force reached the Swedish border and encamped at
Aftermath
On 18 January, Norwegian major Emahusen set off up the mountain on the trail of the Swedish army. He found hundreds of dead Caroleans. The horses that were still alive ran around without riders, while others lay collapsed harnessed to fully loaded sleds, where the driver, with a glazed expression, still held the reins in a frozen grip.
Norwegians took a great deal of loot that winter. They found masses of swords and rifles; six smaller
In Brekka Bygdetun in Tydal, an open-air theatre performance of "Karolinerspelet" is held every other year in January, dramatizing the events of the Death March.
In
See also
References
- ^ "The Carolean death march". karoliner.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- ^ All dates are given according to the Gregorian calendar, which was adopted by Denmark-Norway in 1700, but adopted by Sweden as late as 1753.
- ISBN 9789522346384.
Literature
- Karl-Aage Schwartzkopf (1960). Yngste Karolinen.
- Anders Hansson (1990). Karolinernas dödsmarsch i Jämtlandsfjällen. Jämtlands läns museum.
External links
- Karolinerspelet (in Norwegian)