New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-09-14
Battles Which Made the World
PULTOWA
The Struggle for a City Which Ended the Great Swedish Power and
Decided There should tie a Russian Nation
The Comment OF Napoleon.
PULT0WA
By CAPT. ROLAND F. ANDREWS

tcopynsh., lgl7, BIZ MCCLURE Ner.p.per szndica..,

The battle of PultOwa Cor Pultava),
fought in 1909, wins place as n of
the struggles which have fashioned the
world into what it is today, because
1t 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 1t as:
Dread PultOwa's day
When fortune left the royal Swede
And Napoleon found in it the basis
for his prophecy at st. Helena that
Europe would become either all re-
publican or all COssack.
1t has to be remembered that two
hundred years ago Russia vas but a
paltry, feeble world figure, just emerg-
ing from standardization under Peter
the Great. C~hancellories then reckOned
Russia little more than they now reck-
on T~imbuctoo. On the other hand,
Sweden a a 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 and stamina of which
might well be held to insure them vic
tory.
Russia in 1909 possessed a popula-
ton of less than 100000, but the
genius of Peter was building 1t into
an empire. Charles MI Of Sweden
viewed the rise with concern. 1t was
his avOwed purpose to smash the
growing state and reduce it to a con-
ditlon of subjugation such as it had
known under the Tartars and the
Poles. There would be no more Rus
sia. No such commanding military
genius as Gustavus Adolphus, Charles
was nevertheless a brave and resolute
general, holding at his command a
great army composed of soldiers as
fine rs any known to Europe. He
would, he declared, take Moscow, and
dictate terms Of peace to Peter in the
Kremlin.
Charles set out from Alstadt, not
far from Leipsic, in September, 1907,
Mt the head Of $4,000 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 czar $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
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
ten days march of the capital
where the car was already fOrmu-
proposals Of peace, when he
quilted the high road to march toward
the Ukraine that he might form n
with M%azeppa, who had with
him 5000 men. Thus his line of COM
munication was left exposed for 400
protected only by Lewen-
.aupt, who with a large force and
nm invaluable convoy Of supplies
marched a full twelve days march
behind his lord. Napoleon condemns
this disposition as inexcusable blum
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
and generalship from its defeats.
In September Peter with an over
whelming force of $4,000 fell upon the
Lewenhaupt, who was
to join Charles in the Ukraine.
For three days Lewenhaupt struggled
the impossible odds. finally
himself loose, but abandoning
MS cannon and ammunition, together
with his convoy of provisions, and
'eaching Charles with only 1000 of his
original 10000. On very short ra-
ions the stOut-hearted Swedes pulled
the winter in the Ukraine, ad-
in the spring until they
up against the town of Pull
:owa, which commanded the passes
Moscow and which had been made
" the Russians a great depot of sup
1t was heavily fortified, its gar
ison resisted sturdily and Peter, keen
Y alive to the importance of the post,
advanced to it's relief in June with
IN army Of 10000
Possession Of Pultowa would give
Charles the supplies he needed 20
;orely, as well as a secure base for
lis operations against Moscow. He !