The attack on Nyen (Swedish: Anfallet på Nyen; Russian: Нападение на Ниен) was the final action between Swedish and Russian forces during the Russo-Swedish War (1656–58).
| Attack on Nyen | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658) | |||||||||
 Nyen as depicted on a Swedish map from 1698 by Baron Abraham Kroniort | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Swedish Empire |
 Tsardom of Russia | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Unknown |
Ladyzhenskiy | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
Nyen redoubt | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| At least 80 peasants | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | 40 killed | ||||||||
Background
editOn 30 March, the Russian general Ladyzhenskiy led a force from Lava towards Nyen, but few details are known.[2] The Russians intended to capture several fortresses in order to use them as collateral in the peace talks.[3]
Attack
editLocal peasants immediately alerted the Swedish garrison in Nyen about the Russian offensive, and some 80 participated in the Swedish defense of Nyen.[3][2] Ladyzhenskiy sent scouts out during the night to find the best possible access routes through the new and well-built redoubts at Nyen, and they planet 12 small pennants to guide the assault.[2]
The next morning, on Tuesday, they attempted to storm the redoubt. Ladyzhenskiy's men managed to get past the outer defenses, after losing around 40 men in the fighting, but were not able to penetrate the inner defenses. After withdrawing, Lazyshenskiy shot mortars which were loaded with stone projectiles at the redoubt, before eventually marching back to Lava.[2][3] The Russians also left the small pennants behind.[3]
Aftermath
editThe failed attack on Nyen was the final action of the war, although Swedish suspicions of a Russian offensive from the White sea lingered in northern Finland.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ Essen 2023, p. xvii.
- ^ a b c d e Essen 2023, p. 250.
- ^ a b c d e Lappalainen 1979, p. 159.
Works cited
edit- Lappalainen, Jussi T. (1979). Stade, Arne (ed.). Kriget på östfronten [The War on the Eastern Front] (in Swedish). Militärhistoriska förlaget. ISBN 9789185266098.
- Essen, Michael Fredholm von (2023). Charles X's Wars: Volume 3 - The Danish Wars, 1657-1660. Helion & Company. ISBN 9781915113603.