Chapter 3

2nd October, 1701 – The Night Before


<A painting of the 4th marching through the snow ridden landscape of Norway.>

This is it! This is the moment we have all trained for. Just a week back King Karl XII officially declared war on the Kingdom of Denmark. On the morning of 23rd September, 1701, the Swedish 1st Army crossed the border and headed for the Norwegian capital of Christiania.

It was a strange feeling marching in formation through the snow laden road in Norwegian territory. Everything was covered in snow and the land was deserted. All the isolated settlements we passed on the way contained no sign of life. Even Fort Frederiksten near the border was deserted, as the garrisoning force had retreated to the capital.

The air was clear but very cold. The marches during the day were long and hard. The nights were long and freezing cold. The night air seeped through even our long coats and sleeping bags. Every morning we had to literally dig our way out as the tents used to be buried under fresh drifts of snow.

But after an agonizing week of forced marches, we had finally reached our objective. The city of Christiania lay below us as we set up camp on the southern hill and organized border watches. Since the Danes have refused to surrender, we will launch the attack at the break of dawn tomorrow.

The Danish have a force of around 5,600 men defending the city, mostly mobs of Armed Citizens, along with 1 Militia Regiment & 1 Pikemen Regiment. Not only do we have more troops, but our troops are all professional well trained soldiers. But are we really ready for battle?

Time to get some sleep.