Battle of Desna

Battle of Desna
Part of theSwedish invasion of Russia
Date 11–13 November 1708 Location Desna River,Tsardom of Russia Result Swedish victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire	Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Charles XII Berndt Otto Stackelberg	Aleksandr Gordon Ludwig Nicolaus Hallart
Strength
2,000 12 cannons	4,000 8 cannons
Casualties and losses
50 killed 150 wounded	356–800 killed 900–1,000 wounded

TheBattle of Desna,also known as theCrossing of the Desna River,was a three-day operation which took place on 11 to 13 November 1708 during theSwedish invasion of Russiaof theGreat Northern War.The Swedes underCharles XIItried to prevent the Russians from seizing the town ofBaturyn,by crossing the river ofDesnawhich was strongly defended by the Russian Army of 4,000 men under Ludwig Nicolaus von Hallart. On 11 November the Swedes attempted to build a bridge going over the river, however, the heavy fire from the Russians made for slow progress and so, on 12 November,Berndt Otto Stackelbergwith 600 men crossed the river on rafts to cover the ongoing construction of the bridge. The Russians counterattacked but were fiercely repulsed by the outnumbered Swedish defenders. The Russians retreated on 13 November leaving about 356–800 men dead while having another 900–1,000 wounded. The crossing had been successful and was often compared toAlexander the Great'scrossing of theGranicus.However, the Swedes were too late to defend Baturyn and the city had already been destroyed in theSack of Baturyn.