Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 209, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1917 — Battles Which Made the World [ARTICLE]

Battles Which Made the World

PULTOWA* - The Comment of Napoleon.

By CAPT. ROLAND F. ANDREWS

(Copyright, WIT, by McClure Kewapcper Syndicate)

The battle of Pultowa (or Pultava), fought in 1709, wins place as one of the struggles which have fashioned the world into what it is today, because It broke the power of the Swedes, then the dominant nation of northern Europe, and really brought into being the vast Russian structure of the present time. Byron sings of it as: Dread Pultowa’s day When fortune left the royal Swede And Napoleon found in it the basis for his prophecy at St. Helena that Europe would become either all republican or all Cossack. It has to be remembered that two hundred years ago Russia was but a paltry, feeble world figure, just emerging from semi-barbarism under Peter the Great Chancellories then reckoned Russia little more than they now reckon Timbuetoo. On the other hand, Sweden was a really great and powerful nation,'with extensive holdings now mostly in Russian possession. Her people were Germanic, as the Russians are Slavonic. Had Sweden won at Pultowa and continued her course of good fortune in the world, the central European empires in the war now raging would possess an ally, the resources and stamina of which might well be held to insure them vic-

tory. Russia in 1709 possessed a population of less than 17,000,000, but the genius of Peter was building It Into an empire. Charles XII of Sweden viewed the rise with concern. It was his avowed purpose to smash the growing state and reduce it to a condition of subjugation such as it had known under the Tartars and the Poles. There would be no more Russia. No such commanding military genius as Gustavus Adolphus, Charles was nevertheless a brave and resolute general, holding at his command a —great army composed of soldiers as fine as any known to Europe. He would, he declared, take Moscow, and dictate terms of peace to Peter in the Kremlin. Charles set out from Alstadt, not far from Leipsic, in September, 1707, at the head of 45,000 men. He marched through Poland. Count Lewenhaupt with 20,000 more debarked at Riga. A third army of 15,000 had station in Finland. Charles was therefore in position to bring against the czar 80,000 of the most formidable troops known to civilization. Napoleon, in his St. Helena memoirs, bitterly condemns Charles for his failure to keep his forces consolidated, a failure which Indeed seems to have been a grave tactical error and for which Charles paid a bitter price. He left 10,000 men at Warsaw, wintered at Grodno and In the following June crossed the Minsk, fought and defeated a force of 20,000 Russians on the left bank of the Beresina, beat 16,000 more near Smolensko and was within ten days’ march of the capital where the czar was already formulating proposals of peace, when he quitted the high road to march toward the Ukraine that he might form a junction with Mazeppa, who had with him 6,000 men. Thus his line of communication was left exposed for 400 leagues, protected only by Lewenhaupt, who with a large force and an invaluable convoy of supplies marched a full twelve days’ march behind his lord. Napoleon condemns this disposition as inexcusable blundering. The czar meanwhile had collected a force of 100,000. In personnel it was much Inferior to the conquering Swedes, but it seemed to* learn stead-

Iness and generalship from Its defeats. In September Peter with an overwhelming force of 50,000 fell upon the floundering Lewenhaupt, who was striving to join Charles in the Ukraine. For three days Lewenhaupt struggled against the Impossible odds, finally cutting himself loose, but abandoning his cannon fend ammunition, together with his convoy of provisions, and reaching Charles with only 4,000 of his original 10,000. On very short rations the stout-hearted Swedes pulled through the winter in the Ukraine, advancing in the spring until they brought up against the town of Pultowa, which commanded the passes to Moscow and which had been made by the Russians a great depot; of supplies. It was heavily fortified, its garrison resisted sturdily and Peter, keenly alive to the Importance of the post, advanced to its relief in June with an army of 60,000 men.

Possession of Pultowa would give Charles the supplies he needed so sorely, as well as a secure base for his operations against Moscow. He .pressed the siege hotly, his cannon thundering night and day, but the czar, maneuvering with no mean Skill, crossed the Vorskla and posted his army on the same side of the river with the besiegers but a little higher up. Tho Vorskla falls into the Borysthenes fifteen leagues below Pultowa. The Russian line stretched from river to river. It was Peter’s design to drive the Swedes back into the acute angle formed by the two rivers and there overwhelm them. Against the Muscovites Charles opposed 24,000 men, his force Aaving been greatly reduced by battle, sick-

ness and famine. He himself had been severely wounded in the'foot during a recent skirmish, but maintaining that his dignity required he should be the assailant and that he should lead the attach in. person he had Mnurelf carried to the front in a litter and waving. on command and encouragement from this couch he headed his army out of the trenches. . »So furious was the Swedish onslaught that two of the Russian redoubts were actually carried and the Swedish infantry raised the cry of victory, yet the Russian artillerymen stood steadily by their guns while fresh masses of troops were poured into their support. Never was the ancient Swedish valor more gloriously exemplified than upon that dreadful day, "yet the Swedish line finally broke before the Russian works, whereupon the czar himself led the Infantry and cavalry outside the fortifications, formed them steadily under fire and advanced over the open ground. Both sovereigns were in the thick of the fray. They battled as medieval knights, wielding sword alongside the cavalrymen of their bodyguards and Striving desperately to turn the day which for more than two hours hung in the balance.

But. heavily outnumbered -- the Swedes finally fell Into disorder. Instantly the Russians launched a terrific charge. The Swedes were completely routed, rushing down to the junction of the rivers, where they perished in the waters or surrendered to their enemies. Only a few hundred escaped by swimming the river, among them Charles and Mazeppa, who made their way into Turkish territory. Nearly 10,000 lay dead or wounded on the bloody field. The peace of' Nystadt transferred the fairest possessions of Sweden to Russia. Russian attacks on Turkey and Persia began almost at once. The tremendous Russian fabric of the present was then and there put under way. The vast power of Sweden, which had kept the north world under her sway, was gone. . . ■. ,