Battle of Hummelshof

Battle of Hummelshof
	Part of the Great Northern War
	; Anonymous copperplate of the battle (1733)
Date	July 18, 1702 (O.S.); July 19, 1702 (Swedish calendar); July 29, 1702 (N.S.)
Location	Hummelshof, Swedish Livonia; (present-day Hummuli, Estonia)
Result	Russian victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire	Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Wolmar Anton von Schlippenbach	Boris Sheremetev
Strength
6,000 men; 17 artillery pieces	20,000–23,969 men; 24 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses
2,000 killed and over 1,000 wounded and captured	1,000–4,000 killed and wounded

Battle of Hummelshof took place on July 19, 1702 (O.S.) near the small town Hummelshof in Swedish Livonia (present-day Estonia). It was the second significant Russian victory in the Great Northern War.

Background[]

During the middle of the year after the Battle of Erastfer there was no major battle between the Russians and Swedes. In July the Russian army began advancing on Tartu. The two armies met near the town of Hummelshof.

Battle[]

Having given rest to the troops, Russian Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev on July 18 sent the regiments of Semyon Kropotov, Nikita Poluektov and Prince V. Vadbolsky, as well as the irregular cavalry of Kalmyks, Tatars and Cossacks, to reconnaissance. This detachment, approached the Emajõgi River, routed the Swedish guards there and built a bridge 15 versts from the river near Hummelshof.

Hoping to cut off this vanguard from the main forces of Sheremetev, Schlippenbach attacked him, and at first the Swedes even managed to press the Russians and capture 5 or 6 cannons at the same time, but the dragoon regiments of Baur and Verdun drove the Swedes back, and when Sheremetev's infantry arrived (the Lim regiments, Aygustov and von Deldin), stubborn fighting ensued. The newly arrived Russian battalions began to outflank the Swedes, which were utterly defeated. Throwing away the infantry and artillery, Schlippenbach with his cavalry rushed to Pernau, where, pursued by the Russian dragoons, he narrowly escaped captivity.

Aftermath[]

With the retreat of Swedish troops, the day belonged to the Russians. The city of Walk was burnt down and its inhabitants dragged to Pskov. They had to renounce their faith and join the Eastern Orthodox Church. Afterwards, the Russians marched, plundering and scorching through the southern Livonian liveland. Everything that could be carried away was brought to Russia. At least 20,000 horses were looted, according to contemporary Swedish sources.

The Swedish king received the news of the defeat after the Battle of Klissow. However, he did not consider it important to hand over parts of his troops to Schlippenbach. The campaign against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was more important to him.

References[]

^ Sundberg (2010). Sveriges krig 1630-1814. p. 222.
^ ^a ^b ^c Northern Wars, Oskar Sjöström^{[dead link]}
^ ^a ^b ^c Gordon A. The History of Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia: To which is Prefixed a Short General History of the Country from the Rise of that Monarchy: and an Account of the Author's Life, Volume 1. Aberdeen. 1755. pp. 165–168
^ Boris Grigorjev & Aleksandr Bespalov (2012). Kampen mot övermakten. Baltikums fall 1700–1710. p. 111.

Coordinates: 57°47′00″N 26°02′00″E / 57.7833°N 26.0333°E / 57.7833; 26.0333

[Sveriges_krig_1630-1814-1] Sundberg (2010). Sveriges krig 1630-1814. p. 222.

[NorthernWars-2] Northern Wars, Oskar Sjöström^{[dead link]}

[Gordon-3] Gordon A. The History of Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia: To which is Prefixed a Short General History of the Country from the Rise of that Monarchy: and an Account of the Author's Life, Volume 1. Aberdeen. 1755. pp. 165–168

[Boris-4] Boris Grigorjev & Aleksandr Bespalov (2012). Kampen mot övermakten. Baltikums fall 1700–1710. p. 111.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]