The battle near the village of Lesnoy is an important landmark of the Northern War.

The battle near the village of Lesnoy is one of the most important stages of the Northern War. In this battle, a small army of Peter I defeated the Swedish corps under the command of L. Lavengaupt.

Prerequisites

The military actions between Sweden and Russia unfolded not only on the northern fronts. One of the most large-scale battles took place on the territory of modern Ukraine, and ended with a confident victory of the Russian troops. This battle entered all school textbooks under the name of "Poltava battle". The battle near the village of Lesnoy happened the day before. The convincing triumph of the Petrine army in this conflict brought Russia's victory near Poltava.

According to the order of Charles XII, the Swedish garrisons of Courland and Livonia were ordered to join the army of the king to organize military operations on the territory of Russia. In the autumn of 1708, a detachment of Swedish general Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt crossed the Dnieper and headed for the city of Propoysk to rapprochement with the royal troops. There were several reasons for this decision:

- The defeat received by Charles XII in a cavalry battle near Raevka, forcing the Swedes to abandon the conquest of Smolensk.

- Absence in the territory of Ukraine of strong military garrisons, which could have a serious resistance.

- Lack of fodder and food, which Charles XII hoped to replenish in Ukraine.

- An agreement with Hetman Mazepa on providing the Swedish army with an additional Cossack support corps, numbering about 20 thousand people.

- Possible support of the Crimean Khan and the Polish gentry.

Maneuvers

The turn of Charles XII to the south increased the already considerable distance between the main Swedish troops and the garrison of Levenhaupt. Peter I decided to take advantage of this circumstance and sent a light corps (corvolant) of Menshikov against Lewenhaupt, leading him personally. The false information of the conductor about the direction of movement of the Swedes slightly confused the plans of the Russian detachment. But soon Russian reconnaissance reported information about the place of the crossing of the Swedes, and the Russian cavalry rushed into the pursuit. Thus began the battle near the village of Lesnoy. The date of this event is September 28, 1708 according to the old style.

The rally at the river. Resta

Cavalry Menshikov overtook the rear of the Swedes at the river Resta. After a short battle, Levengaupt successfully repulsed Russian attacks and crossed to the other shore, where he established himself near the village of Lesnoy.

Such reconnaissance by combat was necessary in order to learn the fighting efficiency and strength of the Swedish corps. According to preliminary data, the detachment of Peter I numbered about 8,000 soldiers and officers, but in fact there were almost twice as many.

On September 26, a military council was convened to discuss the situation. It was decided to send for help to the city of Krichev, where at that time the four-thousand corps of Lieutenant-General Bauer was located. I was supposed to wait for the help two days. Regardless of whether the corps will arrive on time or not, at the end of this time it was necessary to attack the Swedes. For this Menshikov mobilized personnel. And to destroy the crossings over the river Sozh, dragoons were sent to Brigadier Freeman. The order to join the shock group of the Russians was also received by Major General Verdun, who was stationed with his battalions south of Smolensk. But he did not have time, and the battle near the village of Lesnoy happened without his participation.

The Swedes, learning about the nearby Russian corps, strengthened their positions on the heights - the battle near the village of Lesnoy occurred according to the classic tactics of conducting European wars. Several Swedish battalions occupied a position on the front line, while the rest were in front of the village of Lesnoy, rear to the river Lesnyanka flowing near the village. Levenhaupt planned to keep the defenses until the convoy with the equipment could cross the Sozh.

At that time, the Russians moved along forest trails to discover their presence as late as possible. Headed columns Menshikov and Peter I. To give the Russian troops the opportunity to move to a combat formation, the Neva Dragoon Regiment took the first strike of the enemy on itself, losing about 300 killed and wounded. During the skirmish, the corvolante managed to get out into the field and build at a distance of 1 kilometer from the front flank of the enemy.

The Battle of Lesnoy

The battle began at the height of the day. The number of Russians was about 10 thousand people. They were confronted by a well-trained Swedish corps of 9,000 soldiers and officers. In the center, Golitsyn's guards brigade fought, the flanks were covered by cavalry. The Russians attacked several times, moving from gun volleys to bayonet attacks and hand-to-hand fighting. In the middle of the battle the opponents were so tired that they fell to the ground in 200 steps from each other. The reinforcement was expected by both sides

Dragoons of General Bauer

In the evening, reinforcements came to the Russians. Together with the help of Peter's troops again went on the offensive and drove the Swedes into the village. Levengaupt was able to clear his way across the river, but he could no longer transport the convoy and the seriously wounded. The Swedes had to drop some of the carts, their seriously wounded, guns and equipment. At night, the Swedes crossed the river. Some of them deserted.

The rest of the Swedes were disorganized. The cavalry of Lieutenant-General Flug caught up with the retreating and managed to repulse the rest of the equipment. To the main part of the royal army, the Swedish detachment reached 6,000 men. Guns, a convoy of foodstuffs, and most of the personnel were lost.

Results

A small village, lost in the Belarusian steppes, has become widely known far beyond Russia. The battle with her became a push, after which the Great Northern War broke its course . The Battle of Lesnaya showed the tactical talent of the Russian army and seriously undermined the strength of the enemy before the start of the Battle of Poltava. Now the site of the battle is a monument.