Battle of Trangen
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Trangen took place on 25 April 1808 at Trangen in Flisa
, Hedemarkens Amt
, between Swedish and Norwegian troops as a part of the Dano-Swedish War of 1808-1809
. The invading Swedish troops, led by colonel Carl Pontus Gahn
, were surrounded and forced to surrender by the Norwegian troops under the command of Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt
. The Swedish colonel and around 450 of his troops were captured.
on 18 April, when they drove the Norwegians back to Kongsvinger
. General Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
had now quartered himself at Lier, and hoped to take the strategically important fortress city of Kongsvinger through a pincer movement with the help of Colonel Carl Pontus Gahn's
"Flying Corps". The plan was that Gahn should advance with his troops across the border from Midtskogen and on to Åsnes
, and from there march south along the river Glomma
to Kongsvinger.
. He chose to march at night to come as a surprise to the Norwegian outposts. At dawn, the battalion was near Flisa river where it faced the first Norwegian outposts who immediately opened fire at the same time as it was sent out reports about the Swedish advance.
, had begun establishing a defense in the area since the beginning of April 1808. Staffeldt's brigade consisted of a grenadier battalion of the 2nd Trondheim Infantry Regiment, commanded by Major Johan Georg Ræder
, the Southern Norway Ski Battalion commanded by Major Frederik Wilhelm Stabell
, the Lærdal Infantry Company commanded by Captain Wilhelm Jürgensen
, and some troops from Oppland Dragon Regiment. The Norwegian troops were divided on three defensive positions, the main force at Nyen, one a cross of the Swedish advance, and a Skier Company (Hoffske) on their way east towards Nyen. Some troops were ordered to cross the ice, and arrived behind the Swedish troops.
Staffeldt was still unsure of what the Swedes had actually planned, and hesitated therefore to give the order of attacks. He found it highly unusual that the Swedes marched into Trangen, a narrow pass between the cliffs of Kjelsås and Buttenås, without sending troops forward along the main road on the north side of the river, and therefore feared that it was a trap.
The attack was carried out by Major Ræder with two Grenadier companies in the center of the road, while the sharpshooters and a skier company attacked the wings. The advancing Norwegians quickly drove the Swedish rearguard at Gamleseteren against the main force, and Gahn quickly realized that there was a large force attacking the column from behind and threatened to encircle them. But what he did not realize was that it was the Norwegians' main force. He did, however, chose turn the whole battalion around in order to face the attackers, at the same time he as he ordered the forces who was about to break through Captain Nægler's lines to fall back in order to regroup with the rest of the battalion.
The Swedish counter-attack was carried out with a tremendous force and the Norwegian officers struggled to prevent the Norwegian grenadiers from fleeing. It was during this phase of the battle that the Norwegian Captain Nicolay Peter Drejer
distinguished himself when he climbed up on a pine stump and led his troops while he shot against the Swedes. It was still not long before he was shot down from the stump and died four days later from the injuries.
Gahn's troops managed by repeated attempts to drive the Norwegian troops backwards but they were not able to break their way back where they had once came. The situation also worsened for the Swedes when they were attacked from the other side by Captain Næglers two companies, which led to that Gahn had to form a front against the two sides.
The encircled Swedish troops eventually had to surrender after most of their ammunition was spent, and the whole force was captured (with the exception of a few soldiers who escaped through the woods). When the outcome at Trangen was clear, and thus the main Swedish troops were captured, Staffeldt sent troops towards Midtskogen in Sweden, where the remaining Swedish troops, a detachment led by Major Söderhjelm, were captured.
Flisa
Flisa is a small town in south-eastern Norway, and the administrative centre of Åsnes municipality. Its population as of 1 January 2009 is 1,561....
, Hedemarkens Amt
Hedmark
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. The county administration is in Hamar.Hedmark makes up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It includes a long part of the borderline with Sweden, Dalarna County and Värmland County. The...
, between Swedish and Norwegian troops as a part of the Dano-Swedish War of 1808-1809
Dano-Swedish War of 1808-1809
The Dano-Swedish War of 1808-1809 was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden due to Denmark–Norway's alliance with France and Sweden's alliance with the coalition during the Napoleonic Wars...
. The invading Swedish troops, led by colonel Carl Pontus Gahn
Carl Pontus Gahn
Carl Pontus Gahn was a Swedish military officer who participated in the Russo-Swedish War in Finland in 1788-1789, the Finnish War campaign in Norway in 1808 and the unsuccessful invasion of Norway at Eidskog in 1814 where he was imprisoned...
, were surrounded and forced to surrender by the Norwegian troops under the command of Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt
Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt
Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt was born on 23 October 1753 in Kenz, Swedish Pomerania as the son of Lieutenant Bernt von Staffeldt, of Pomeranian nobility, and Catherine Eleonore von Platen...
. The Swedish colonel and around 450 of his troops were captured.
Background
After the Swedish setback at Skabukilen on 13 April, they had had better success after the victory at LierLier entrenchment
The Lier entrenchment is south of Kongsvinger in Norway. It was the site of battles in 1808 and 1814....
on 18 April, when they drove the Norwegians back to Kongsvinger
Kongsvinger
is a town and is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger....
. General Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
Count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt was a Finnish and Swedish courtier and diplomat. In Finland, he is considered one of the great Finnish statesmen. Born in Tarvasjoki, Finland, he was the great grandson of Charles XII of Sweden's general, Carl Gustaf Armfeldt...
had now quartered himself at Lier, and hoped to take the strategically important fortress city of Kongsvinger through a pincer movement with the help of Colonel Carl Pontus Gahn's
Carl Pontus Gahn
Carl Pontus Gahn was a Swedish military officer who participated in the Russo-Swedish War in Finland in 1788-1789, the Finnish War campaign in Norway in 1808 and the unsuccessful invasion of Norway at Eidskog in 1814 where he was imprisoned...
"Flying Corps". The plan was that Gahn should advance with his troops across the border from Midtskogen and on to Åsnes
Åsnes
Åsnes is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Solør. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Flisa, which is also the largest town in the municipality with around 2,100 people.-Name:...
, and from there march south along the river Glomma
Glomma
The Glomma or Glåma is the longest and largest river in Norway. The long river has a drainage basin that covers a full 13% of Norway's area, all in the southern part of Norway.-Geography:...
to Kongsvinger.
The Swedish advance
On the evening of 24 April the Swedish Colonel Carl Pontus Gahn crossed the Swedish-Norwegian border and moved his entire battalion westwards along the southern side of FlisaFlisa (river)
Flisa is a river in Hedmark, Norway, a side river to Glomma, with a length of 55 kilometers. It flows through the municipalities Åsnes, Våler and Elverum. Flisa starts at the junction of the rivers Ulvåa and Holåa. Side rivers are Vermundelv and Kynna.-References:...
. He chose to march at night to come as a surprise to the Norwegian outposts. At dawn, the battalion was near Flisa river where it faced the first Norwegian outposts who immediately opened fire at the same time as it was sent out reports about the Swedish advance.
The Norwegian defenders
The defending troops, commanded by Colonel Bernhard Ditlef von StaffeldtBernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt
Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt was born on 23 October 1753 in Kenz, Swedish Pomerania as the son of Lieutenant Bernt von Staffeldt, of Pomeranian nobility, and Catherine Eleonore von Platen...
, had begun establishing a defense in the area since the beginning of April 1808. Staffeldt's brigade consisted of a grenadier battalion of the 2nd Trondheim Infantry Regiment, commanded by Major Johan Georg Ræder
Johan Georg Ræder (1751–1808)
Johan Georg Ræder was a Norwegian military officer.-Personal life:He was born in Meldal as a son of Johan Christopher Rhäder and his second wife Cathrine Margrethe Riiber. He was the grandson of Johan Georg Rhäder, the person who immigrated to Norway and started the family branch there...
, the Southern Norway Ski Battalion commanded by Major Frederik Wilhelm Stabell
Frederik Wilhelm Stabell
Frederik Wilhelm Stabell was a Norwegian military officer and politician. He was a member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly in 1814, and ended his military career with the rank of General.-Personal life:...
, the Lærdal Infantry Company commanded by Captain Wilhelm Jürgensen
Wilhelm Jürgensen
Wilhelm Jürgensen was a Norwegian military officer. He had the rank of Captain from 1802, and the rank of Major from 1814. He commanded the Lærdalske lette infanterikompani from its establishment in 1802. He was decorated Knight of the Order of Dannebrog for his war merits.-References:...
, and some troops from Oppland Dragon Regiment. The Norwegian troops were divided on three defensive positions, the main force at Nyen, one a cross of the Swedish advance, and a Skier Company (Hoffske) on their way east towards Nyen. Some troops were ordered to cross the ice, and arrived behind the Swedish troops.
Staffeldt was still unsure of what the Swedes had actually planned, and hesitated therefore to give the order of attacks. He found it highly unusual that the Swedes marched into Trangen, a narrow pass between the cliffs of Kjelsås and Buttenås, without sending troops forward along the main road on the north side of the river, and therefore feared that it was a trap.
Battle
The front of Colonel Gahn's column had meanwhile reached Captain Elias Nægler's companies in the Trangen pass and immediately went on to attack. The opposition, however, was so powerful that reinforcements had to be called, and after about an hour of hard fighting the Norwegians were about to be defeated. It was then Staffeldt, which initially had been reluctant to attack the Swedish column, decided to send patrols in the direction of the border to check if more Swedish troops were on their way. Major Stabell and Ræder tried constantly to persuade him to immediately attack the Swedes from behind and claimed that if he did not do this the battle would be lost. But it as was only after reconnaissance showed that there was not any more Swedish troops on the way that Staffeldt was persuaded to attack.The attack was carried out by Major Ræder with two Grenadier companies in the center of the road, while the sharpshooters and a skier company attacked the wings. The advancing Norwegians quickly drove the Swedish rearguard at Gamleseteren against the main force, and Gahn quickly realized that there was a large force attacking the column from behind and threatened to encircle them. But what he did not realize was that it was the Norwegians' main force. He did, however, chose turn the whole battalion around in order to face the attackers, at the same time he as he ordered the forces who was about to break through Captain Nægler's lines to fall back in order to regroup with the rest of the battalion.
The Swedish counter-attack was carried out with a tremendous force and the Norwegian officers struggled to prevent the Norwegian grenadiers from fleeing. It was during this phase of the battle that the Norwegian Captain Nicolay Peter Drejer
Nicolay Peter Drejer
Nicolay Peter Drejer was a Norwegian military officer with the rank of Captain. He was born in Fosnes. He became a legend during the Battle of Trangen on 25 April 1808, leading his infantry regiment first from a roof, then from a tree stump with the height of a man...
distinguished himself when he climbed up on a pine stump and led his troops while he shot against the Swedes. It was still not long before he was shot down from the stump and died four days later from the injuries.
Gahn's troops managed by repeated attempts to drive the Norwegian troops backwards but they were not able to break their way back where they had once came. The situation also worsened for the Swedes when they were attacked from the other side by Captain Næglers two companies, which led to that Gahn had to form a front against the two sides.
The encircled Swedish troops eventually had to surrender after most of their ammunition was spent, and the whole force was captured (with the exception of a few soldiers who escaped through the woods). When the outcome at Trangen was clear, and thus the main Swedish troops were captured, Staffeldt sent troops towards Midtskogen in Sweden, where the remaining Swedish troops, a detachment led by Major Söderhjelm, were captured.