Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - XVII. Reign of Gustavus IV Adolphus, 1792–1809 - C. The Finnish War, 1808–1809
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
306 A History of Sweden
"that I am not seeking to take a single village of
yours,"
Klingspor’s Retreat. The Finnish soldiers burned
with a desire to drive the enemy back, but the com-
mander, V. M. Klingspor, ordered a retreat, and this
order was repeated day after day. On every hand the
retreating soldiers heard the wail of the people, who
were filled with gloomy thoughts of their homes and
dear ones left to the mercy of the dreaded foe* Through
immense snowdrifts, from five to six feet deep, and
with the thermometer down to 22 below zero (Fahren-
heit) , the soldiers had to make their way. The tracks
of soldiers’ bleeding feet could be seen in the snow, ac-
cording to the report of the second in command. Thus
the Finnish army suffered itself to be chased from
southern Finland to the neighborhood of Ule&borg in
the far north, a distance of nearly 350 miles. And
why? Simply because the commander had conceived
the notion that the Russians had invaded Finland with
an overwhelmingly superior force.
The End of the Retreat. Should these days of dis-
grace never end? Not before the command should be
intrusted to a man with determination to restore the
honor of the Swedish arms or die in the attempt. This
man was the brave Karl Johan Adlercreutz. As soon as
he had become the adjutant general under Klingspor,
he faced about and won the victory of Revolaks south
of Uleaborg. At last there was an end of the retreat.
The spell was broken. The enemy was not invincible.
The pursuing army had for some time been inferior
in numbers. But this fact Klingspor had never as-
certained.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
