Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XVI. Gustavus II. Adolphus. The Danish, Russian, and Polish Wars. A.D. 1612—1629
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252 Imperialists witli the Poles.
Battle of Stum. HISTORY OF THE SWEDES. Mediation of France and
England.
[1012—1629.
borg, and the enemy were attempting to cut off,
those of our side, especially the Khinegrave *,
though we often warned liini therefrom, engaged
against our will so closely with the enemy, that
they obtained time to come up in full force, and
so fell on with all their power. And albeit our
own men plucked up courage to oppose him some-
what, as indeed they fought not badly, they were
yet so hard pressed, that they dispersed and took
to flight, leaving to the enemy ten leather guns,
which we had ordered to be posted with our rear-
guard before-mentioned. And although we sent
messages very often to our other troops, yet could
they not arrive so speedily, as well because they
had been too far removed, through the unseason-
able skirmish of the Rhinegrave, as also because
we ourselves were busied at the rear-guard in get-
ting together the scattered troops. Nevertheless,
after John Wrangel, with his own and Ekholtz’s
squadron, and Baudissin’s regiment, came to our
succour, we not only, under God, saved our other
troops, but even drove back the enemy to Honigs-
feldt. When now we had gained time to set our
cavalry in order, for we had already sent on the
foot to Marienburg, and the enemy saw that we
were not only equal but superior to him in cavalry,
he applied all his efforts to bring up his infantry,
and assail us with his whole force, but we marched
off in good order. And twice when he attempted
something against us, first at a village, and then at
a little pass, he was constantly repulsed with gal-
lantry and to his no small loss, until at last he was
quieted; but we retired the men hither to Marien-
burg in good order. Touching the loss, on our
side about two hundred men perished ;
but of the
enemy, as was manifest, no less ;
so that if the
leather guns and five cornets had not been lost to
us in the first action, it were doubtful who had suf-
fered more loss in these skirmishes." Thus runs
the king’s own account of that which the Poles
call the victory of Stum. On the danger in which
he himself was placed he is silent; but Axel Oxen-
stierna supplies an account of it.
—"In 1629, on
the 17th of June ^, at the battle of Stum, where
was sharp work, one of the enemy caught king
Gustavus Adolphus by the pendant, but the king
slip])ed it over his head and left his hat along with
it. Therefore another caught him on the arm, and
was going to drag off the king with himself; but
Eric Soop came up and shot the Pole off his horse,
and rescued the king i."—Gustavus Adolphus in-
" Otto Lodovie, one of the king’s colonels.
3 Old style, as always in the records which we follow. The
account above-mentioned is contained in a letter of the king
to the council, and another to the palsgrave John Casiniir,
Marienburg, June 22, of which the latter is printed in Adler-
sparre’s Historiska Saralingar, iii. 105. The king says that
he relates the course of the action " to stop the mouths of
those who might babble of worse."
’
Palmsk. MSS. t. 3?.
^
July 11. He had native and foreign troops witli him,
among whom were a thousand English or Scots levied by
Spense.
trenched his leaguer under the walls of Marien-
burg. His people suffered from a pestilential field-
sickness. The enemy followed, but could effect
nothing,
—for Jacob de la Gardie, who had been re-
called from Livonia and ordered to Prussia, brouglit
the king reinforcements from Sweden ^,
—although
frequent skirmishes occurred betwixt the two for-
tified camps, and king Sigismund himself was pre-
sent in his with his two eldest prmces.
" But he
hath brought with him no money," says Gustavus
Adolphus, "but only the promise of three months’
pay in August; the same for the Imperialists alone
making more than three tons of gold, which appears
hard to raise. The Imperialists have done nothing
yet; and as they are brought in by the king ’and
his party against the will and without the know-
ledge of the principal estates, they become ever
the more detested. Arnheim still lies with three
regiments before Montau (a sconce on the Vistula
garrisoned by the Swedes).
—Just as we thought of
preparing to depart for Sweden came the envoy of
the king of France, Baron de Charuac^, to us in
the camp, to offer his mediation for a treaty with
the enemy. We have consented to a negotiation
for a truce, on the conditions proposed by tlie
chancellor last winter, and have on our side com-
missioned thereto the chancellor, the field-marshal,
and the lord John Bauer, who assembled the 30th
July with the Polish plenipotentiaries, when it was
settled that the title of king of Sweden should be
given to us by both the king and the republic of Po-
land^."—The negotiations were continued through
the whole of August under the mediation of France,
and from the beginning of September also under
that of England. There was not seldom danger of
their being broken oft’, as well from the conflicting
pretensions of the Swedes and Poles as those of the
mediators *, and this actually once happened. Gus-
tavus Adolphus did not wait for their termination,
but repaired to Sweden. On the 16th September,
1629, the six years’ truce with Poland was con-
cluded at Altinark by Stum, under the open sky.
Strassburg, Dirschau, Wormditt, Mehlsack, and
Frauenburg were restored to Poland; Mittau to the
duke of Courland; Marienburg, Stum, and Dantzic
Head were to be held and garrisoned during the
truce by the elector of Brandenburg. (lustavus
Adol[>hus preserved Elbing, Braunsberg, Pilhiu,
and Memel. Freedom of religion was secured to
both Protestants and Catholics, and free trade be-
tween the subjects of both kingdoms.
• To the council, upon the incidents in the camp at
Marienburg, July 22, written by the secretary Grubbe. Also
letter by Gustavus Adolphus himself to the palsgrave John
Casimir, Aug. 1. Reg.
* " How the dispute upon precedency between the English
and French ambassadors may be adjusted, we perceive not,
inasmuch as neither will yield. Therefore discuss ye realities
without mention of either, and let each of them treat for him-
self." Gustavus Adolphus to Axel Oxenstierna, Fiskhausen,
Sept. 8. Yet the king appears inclined to give France pre-
ference, which was observed.
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