Assault on Bützfleth redoubt
| Assault on Bützfleth redoubt | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Dano-Swedish War (1657–1658) | |||||||||
Upper copper engraving from 1696 by Samuel Pufendorf depicts the Swedish assault on Bützfleth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Swedish Empire | Denmark–Norway | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Carl Gustaf Wrangel | Mogens Krag | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Unknown | Bützfleth garrison | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 1,800 men | c. 450–500 men | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
"Nine cart-loads" (Danish claim) 6 killed and 6 wounded (Swedish claim) |
150–300 killed and wounded 200–300 surrendered | ||||||||
The assault on Bützfleth redoubt occurred on 28 July 1657 during the Dano-Swedish War of 1657–1658, when a Swedish force of 1,800 men under the command of Carl Gustaf Wrangel successfully assaulted the Danish-held redoubt at Bützfleth, garrisoned by 450–500 men commanded by Mogens Krag.
After having bombarded Danish defenses with artillery, Swedish troops advanced along a dam, eventually forcing the Danes to surrender after inflicting 150–300 killed and wounded. Mogens Krag, along with the remaining Danish troops, fell into Swedish captivity and in August Wrangel assaulted Lehe sconce as well.
Background
At the beginning of the Danish invasion of Bremen-Verden in 1657, Danish Colonel Eiler Holck captured the bastions at Lehe, some days before the capitulation of Bremervörde to Anders Bille. However, on 24 July, reports of King Charles X Gustav's approach from Pomerania reached the Danes, causing panic among Frederick III and other commanders. By 2 August, a Danish reconnaissance mission to Hamburg led by Hinrich Ahlefeldt was routed at Fuhlsbüttel by the advance guard of Charles' army. On 3 August, the Swedish army reached the Elbe, preventing the Danish flottila from stopping a crossing. Consequently, the Danish cavalry, some 4,000 men, retreated from Holstein. After a few days' rest in Ottensen, Carl Gustaf Wrangel was dispatched to Bremen-Verden with 1,800 men to clear out any remaining Danish troops.[1][2]
Assault
While Charles X Gustav personally recaptured Schwinge from the Danes, Wrangel marched against the unfinished Bützfleth redoubt, garrisoned by around 450[3][4][1]–500[5] infantry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mogens Krag. The Danish garrison was not expecting a Swedish attack and was therefore unprepared. After bombarding the Danish defenses with artillery, the redoubt was assaulted on July 28. The Swedes had to advance along a narrow dam to access the redoubt,[5] but the Danes soon faltered and surrendered after suffering 150 killed and wounded.[4][1][3] According to other sources, 200 Danes were captured, including Krag, while the rest were killed.[5][6]
Accounts of Swedish losses vary. According to Danish sources, Swedish losses were heavy, described as 'nine cart-loads' of dead,[1][3][7][5] whereas Wrangel reported six killed and six wounded.[5][7]
Aftermath
After capturing Bützfleth redoubt, Wrangel marched against the bastion at Belem, firing on Danish vessels evacuating across the Elbe. Any remaining cavalry and infantry fled to Lehe, with the exception of Valdemar Daae's company, which dissolved soon after. The remaining Danish units retreated to Lehe or Bremervörde. The former was taken by Swedish forces in August.[8][9]
See also
- Assault on Lehe sconce – Fought between Sweden and Denmark in 1657
- Siege of Fredriksodde – Fought between Denmark and Sweden in 1657
- Assault on Eda Sconce – Assault on a Swedish sconce in 1658
Citations
- ^ a b c d von Essen 2023, p. 153.
- ^ Rockstroh 1906, p. 500.
- ^ a b c Rockstroh 1906, p. 499.
- ^ a b Rockstroh 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Carlbom 1910, p. 110.
- ^ Askgaard & Olsen 1958, p. 23.
- ^ a b Isacsson 2015, p. 110.
- ^ von Essen 2023, pp. 153–154.
- ^ Rockstroh 1906, pp. 500–502.
References
Bibliography
- von Essen, Michael Fredholm (2023). Charles X's Wars: Volume 3 - The Danish Wars, 1657-1660. Helion & Company. ISBN 9781915113603.
- Rockstroh, Knud Christian (1906). "Indledningen til Krigen 1657 samt Krigsbegivenhederne i Elhegnene indtil Udgangen af September nævnte Aar". Historisk Tidsskrift. 7 (6). Den danske historiske Forening.
- Carlbom, J. Levin [in Swedish] (1910). Från Weichseln till Bält 1657: Tåget över Bält och freden i Roskilde [From Weichseln to Belt, 1657: March across the Belts and the Peace of Roskilde] (in Swedish). Stockholm: A.B. Fahlcrantz' Boktryckeri.
- Askgaard, Finn; Olsen, Gunnar (1958). En kamp for livet: Svenskekrigene 1657-60 [A fight for life: the Swedish wars 1657-60] (PDF). Vi og vor fortid (in Danish). Vol. 17. Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz.
- Isacsson, Claes-Göran (2015). Karl X Gustavs krig: Fälttågen i Polen, Tyskland, Baltikum, Danmark och Sverige 1655-1660 [Wars of Charles X Gustav: The campaigns in Poland, Germany, the Baltics, Denmark and Sweden 1655-1660] (in Swedish). Historiska Media. ISBN 9789175450117.
Websites
- Rockstroh, Knud Christian (2011). "Mogens Krag". Dansk Biografisk Leksikon. Dansk Biografisk Leksikon.