Chapter 4

3rd October, 1701 – The Battle of Christiania

In the early morning, General Gustav deployed his troops on the hill to the south of the city. The cannons were placed in the center of the line, guarded on the right side (where the hill rose steeply) by Militia regiments and the 5th Regiment of Foot, Line Infantry. Our regiment along with the 3rd Regiment of Foot, Line Infantry and the 4th Militia Regiment, was positioned on the left flank where the terrain was gentler. The two Provincial Cavalry regiments were kept in reserve, one on either side, while the General and his bodyguards positioned themselves at the center of the rear.

As dawn broke and the morning mist slowly cleared, we could see the enemy troops milling about in the northern part of the city. Without a General to command them, the militia took time to form up but eventually order was established and the battle lines were drawn up. Inexplicably, instead of defending behind their established fortifications, the Danish Commander decided to launch a full frontal attack. That was a mistake...

<Swedish artillery opening fire>

I watched fascinated as the Swedish artillery cannons opened fire. The earth shook and the cannonballs raced away towards the approaching enemy. Most of the shots flew wide, but a few crashed through a regiment of Armed Citizenry causing casualties. First blood was ours!

<A direct hit kills the Danish Commander>

As the enemy moved ahead, General Gustav commanded the gun crews to switch their focus to the lone Danish Pikemen regiment, as their long lances would be deadly in close quarters. A lucky hit exploded right in the middle of the enemy ranks, killing the enemy Colonel leading the regiment and several of his Pikemen. The shaken Pikemen rushed towards the enemy cannons in desperation, and were met by devastating volleys from the nearby 3rd Regiment of Line Infantry. As the charge faltered, General Gustav ordered the 2nd Provincial Cavalry to charge.

Meanwhile, we received orders to move forward and flank the main body of the Danish force. The bugle sounded and we raced forward in unison, our hearts beating with breathless anticipation. This was it! This was the moment of truth! To our right we could see the 4th Militia Regiment running alongside us. We reached our position and formed firing ranks just in time. The enemy had noticed the maneuver and wheeled one Militia regiment and one regiment of Armed Citizenry to face us.

<The first shot...>

I raised the fully cocked musket to my shoulder, took aim and waited for the command to fire. Time slowed down. The order came and a series of volleys erupted as our lines were filled with smoke. Several Danish militia collapsed, but the rest of the enemy regiment were now in range and they opened fire. The shots were mostly inaccurate, but a few hit. Hearing the cries of pain, I finally opened my eyes. I was unhurt! I loaded the musket as calmly as possible, still unable to stop the painful thudding of my heart. I bit off the top part of the cartridge, poured some powder into the prime, put the metal ball into the barrel, rammed it into position with the rod, cocked the musket and fired, as fast as I could.

<The Danish militia takes casualties>

The gun battle continued for a few minutes, which seemed like an eternity. But faced with deadly unwavering fire from the Swedish lines, hundreds of Danish troops soon fell to the disciplined Swedish musket fire. And then the 1st Provincial Cavalry launched a charge into the fray.

<Charge of the Swedish Cavalry>

The inexperienced Danish troops broke and a mass retreat ensued as they tried to escape the Swedish attack. Swedish cavalry gave chase and cut down many hundreds of fleeing Danish soldiers. The two surviving regiments of Danish Armed Citizenry made a valiant last stand. Hiding behind walls and other constructed defences, they managed to shoot down a few Swedish cavalry who were caught unawares chasing the fleeing troops. But they were soon encircled by Swedish infantry and forced to rout.

<Routing the last defenders>

750 brave Swedes lost their lives that day, 210 of them from our regiment. But at the end of the day, there were no Danish survivors. All 5,600 men lay dead and Swedish troops marched into Christiana. Norway was now part of the Swedish Empire. The war had truly begun!