Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1917-09-20
By CAPT. ROLAND F. ANDREWS

The battle of Pultowa Cor Pultava), 4,
fought in 1909, wins place as one of |
the struggles which have fashioned the
world into what it is today, because
it broke the power of the Swedes, then
the dominant nation of northern Eu-
rope, and really brought into being
the vast Russian structure of the pres
ent time. Byron sings of it as:
Dread Pultowa'S day
When fortune left the royal Swede
And Napoleon found in it the basis
Europe would become either all re
publican or all Cossack.
1t has to be remembered that two
hundred years ago Russia was but
paltry, feeble world figure, just emerg
ing from standardization under Peter
the Great. ChancellorieS then reckoned
Russia little more than they now reck-
on TimbuctOo. On the other hand,
Sweden was really great and power
full nation, with extensive holdings
now mostly in Russian possession.
Her people were Germanic, as the
Russians are Slavonic. Had Sweden
won at Pultowa and continued her
course of good fortune in the world,
the central European empires in the
war now raging would possess an ally,
the resources and stamina of which
might well be held to insure them vic
tory.
Russia in 1909 possessed a popula-
ton of less than 17.OOO,OOO, but the
genius of Peter was building it into
an empire. Charles XII of Sweden
viewed the rise with concern. 1t was
his avowed purpose to smash the
growing state and reduce it to a con-
dition of subjugation such as it had
known under the Tartars and the
Poles. There would be no more Rus
STA. No such commanding military
genius as Gustavus Adolphus, Charles
was nevertheless a brave and resolute
general, holding at his command
great army composed of soldiers as
fine as any known to Europe. He
would, he declared, take Moscow, and
dictate terms of peace to Peter in the
Kremlin.
Charles set out from A1stadt, not
far from Leipsic, in September, 1907,
at the head of AZ, 600 men. He marched
through Poland. Count Lewenhaupt
with 10000 more debarked at Riga.
A third army of $4,000 had station in
Finland. Charles was therefore in po-
sition to bring against the car $4,000
of the most formidable troops known
| to civilization. Napoleon, in his st.
Helena memoirs, bitterly condemns
Charles for his failure to keep his
forces consolidated, a failure which
indeed seems to have been a grave
tactical error and for which Charles
paid a bitter price.
He left 10000 men at Warsaw, win
tered at Grodno and in the following
June crossed the Minsk, fought and
defeated a force of 10000 Russians on
the left bank of the Beresina, beat
10000 more near Smolensko and was
within ten days march of the capital
where the car was already formu-
lating proposals of peace, when he
quilted the high road to march toward
the Ukraine that he might form a
junction. with Mazeppa, who had with
him 5000 men. Thus his line of COM
munication was left exposed for 400
leagues, protected only by Lewen-
haupt, who with a large force and
an invaluable convoy of supplies
marched full twelve days march
behind his lord. Napoleon condemns
this disposition as inexcusable blum
dering.
The car meanwhile had collected
a force of 100000. In personnel it was
much inferior to the conquering
Swedes, but it seemed to learn stead
mess and generalship from its defeats.
In September Peter with an over
whelming force of $4,000 fell upon the
f1oundering Lewenhaupt, who was
striving to join Charles in the Ukraine.
For three days Lewenhaupt struggled
against the impossible odds, finally
cutting himself loose, but abandoning
his cannon and ammunition. together
with his convoy of provisions, and
reaching Charles with only 1000 of his
original 10000. On very short ra-
tions the stout-hearted Swedes pulled
through the winter in the Ukraine, adj
vancing in the spring until they
brought up against the town of Pull
iowa, which commanded the passes
to Moscow and which had been made
by the Russians a great depot of sup
plies. 1t was heavily fortified, its gar
rison resisted sturdily and Peter, keen
Iy alive to the importance of the post.
advanced to its relief in June with
an army of 6OOO0 men,
Possession of Pultowa would give
Charles the supplies he needed SO
sOrely, as well as secure base for
his operations against Moscow. He
pressed the siege hotly. his cannon
laundering night and day, but the
car, maneuvering with no mean skill,
crossed the VOrSsla and posted his