Grasping at Straws.

The long drawn out Ukrainian winter slowly gave way to spring, and by April 1709 as the ground warmed, grass and flowers began to push their way up from the earth. It was at this time, and while Charles was in negotiations with the Turkish Sultan and Crimean Tartars with a view to forming an alliance, that he decided to move further south so that he could be closer to the expected reinforcements arriving from Poland. To this end he set his army in motion intending to lay siege to the small town of Poltava on the Vorskla River, some 200 miles southeast of Kiev on the Kharkov road.[i] Just why the Swedish king, whose reputation had been forged on the open battlefield, and who always sought a decision by swift and vigorous action now choose to tie himself down with methodical and ponderous siege operations is something of a mystery. One possibility was that although the town was well positioned on a high ridge overlooking the Vorskla its wooded ramparts were not up to the standards of European fortifications, and if Charles had moved on the town in the previous autumn he could have taken it with little effort or cost. Now however the Russians had had time to strengthen the defences and garrison the place with over 4,000 men supported by ninety cannon, also Menshikov was now approaching the eastern bank of the Vorskla, opposite Poltava, with the Russian field army. Small wonder then that Charles’s Generals were at a loss to understand why their swashbuckling monarch had chosen the spade instead of the bayonet, particularly with most of their powder ruined by the damp, and their supplies of musket and cannonballs dangerously low.[ii]

Parallels and approaches were dug, and on 1^st May the bombardment began. After six weeks of digging and mining the Swedes had little to show for their efforts, this despite the Russian garrison itself running short of cannonballs and being reduced, in some cases to firing stones and rotting vegetation into their trenches. Charles himself was even struck by a dead cat, so desperate had both sides become due to the shortage of ammunition. [iii]

Early in June Peter joined Menshikov at the Russian camp, their combined forces now numbering over 40,000 men, and now decided to harass the Swedish foraging parties. He also planned to launch a feint attack across the river to the south of Poltava, under cover of which the main army would pass over to the western bank north of the town.[iv]

Swedish cavalry

Meanwhile the Swedish position had become so critical that Charles asked Lewenhaupt for his opinion of the situation, to which the general advised an immediate retreat across the Dnieper River so that contact could once more be restored with Poland. This plan was not at all to the Swedish king’s liking, he not being one to turn tail and run even when circumstances dictated. Dismissing Lewenhaupts sage advice, on the morning of 17^th June, his twenty-seventh birthday, Charles was disturbed by the sound of Peters faint attack across the river, and rode out with the general to see for himself what was taking place. Riding to within musket range of the Russians he was struck by a ball, which hit him in the left foot, travelling along the whole length from heel to toe. Refusing to dismount he soon began to swoon in the saddle from loss of blood, and finally had to be lifted from his horse. The wound was not merely confined to the king himself; its effects would seriously impair the Swedish army who had become so reliant upon their monarch’s presence and control on the battlefield.

Swedish infantry

Peter’s faint attack had done the trick, while the Swedish king was hastening to the south the Russian main army had crossed the Vorskla some six miles to the north of Poltava where a strong fortified camp was constructed near the village of Semenovska. When Peter heard the news of Charles being wounded he immediately decided that the time was now ripe to offer battle, but only a defensive one, he still erred on the side of caution, and was at pains to make sure that all the necessary measures were taken to ensure his army would not be caught in the same predicament that they had found themselves in at Narva.

For three days Charles lay overcome by fever, finally on 22^nd June it broke, much to the relief of his generals, however the military situation had worsened. First news from Poland had arrived informing him that Stanislaus was unable to come to his aid. The insecurity of the Polish throne and the instability of the country in general had put a scare up Charles’s puppet king, and no help could be expected; to compound the problem another message arrived stating that the Turkish Sultan had refused Devlet Gerey, the Khan of the Crimean Tartars to assist the Swedes. Charles’s dream of marching on Moscow was rapidly turning into a nightmare.

The Russians were now firmly established on the west bank of the river, and Peter became even more determined to draw the Swedes into giving battle. On the night of 26^th June the army moved from its camp at Semenovka marching south towards the village of Yakovetski, barely four miles from the walls of Poltarva itself. Just outside the village another massive fortified camp was constructed, as well as a strong line of six redoubts blocking access to the plain. The construction of the camp was in the form of a quadrilateral, with a deep ditch and drawbridge access gates to facilitate troop exit and security, however, ‘…The rear of the new camp overlooking the bluff of the Vorskla at a point where the bank was so steep and the river so broad and marshy that it would be impossible for large numbers of men to cross in either direction. Thus, the only retreat for an army in this position would be north, back to the ford at Petrovka.’[v]

 Russian infantry (note the pike still in existence)

On the 27^th June, now realising that his position was becoming untenable, Charles held a council of war, at which he informed his generals that he intended to seek a decision by forcing a battle the following day. He had noted that the Russians appeared to have built themselves a death trap. With the river to their rear, and their only escape route back to the north, Charles considered the situation to be most favourable for a sudden lightening attack. To this end, and fully realising that his wound would not permit him to perform his normal battlefield duties, he appointed Field –Marshal Rehnskjöld to command the army. The plan consisted of two rapid manoeuvres: a break out into the plain past the Russian redoubts, and a full scale assault on the fortified camp. The first part of the plan would take place just before dawn, with the army moving rapidly past the redoubts before their defenders were fully awake. Infantry and cavalry would work in unison. The cavalry would take out the enemy cavalry guarding the rear of the redoubts, and then move to cut off the main line of retreat to the Russian army from the north. The infantry would follow in the wake of the cavalry, bypassing the redoubts and then assailing the fortified camp.[vi] Lewenhaupt proposed that the siege of Poltava should be raised, allowing for the maximum number of troops to take part in the battle, but Charles was persistent, considering that the defenders should remain bottled-up within the walls. To do so, 1,300 men were held back to watch the fortress, another 2,000 were placed to guard the baggage train, and a further 1,200 left to watch the western bank of the Vorskla in case of any movement that threatened the main body of the Swedish army on their flank. Thus, Rehnskjöld’s command had been whittled down to a meagre 16,000 men, half cavalry and half infantry. Because of the poor quality of the Swedish powder, and the shortage of musket balls, the attack was to be carried out predominantly with cold steel. With the exception of four light cannon all other ordnance was to be left with the baggage train, speed being considered essential for victory. [vii]