page_title: Battle of Bysjön
section_title: The battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Bysjön / The battle
caption_attribution_description: English: Map showing the surroundings of Eda sconce, Värmland, Sweden, and the lakes Bysjön and Hugn. Svenska: Karta kring trakten av Eda skans i västra Värmland, runt sjöarna Bysjön och Hugn.
context_page_description: The Battle of Bysjön was fought between Swedish and, for the most part, Norwegian troops on 22 December 1644. The battle took place on the ice of the frozen Lake Bysjön in the parish of Eda in Värmland, Sweden. The battle was part of the Torstenson War, known locally as the Hannibal Feud between Sweden and Denmark-Norway. The Danish-Norwegian victory meant the invading army could potentially continue into Värmland and Dalsland.
context_section_description: Early in the morning on Sunday 22 December, the Norwegian soldiers under the command of Sehestedt marched out on the ice again. The Swedish forces were estimated to be about 4000 infantry and cavalrymen, as well as 5 or 6 cannon. The local farmers were at the opening in the lake ice, with two companies of cavalry and a few hundred Finnish soldiers on their flanks. The left wing was standing at Skogslund on the western shore of the lake, while the right wing was on the eastern shore, where steep cliffs plunged into the water. The Norwegians made repeated attempts to cross the opening with long boards, with no success. Their vulnerable position on the ice caused major Norwegian losses.
  At sunset, a number of factors made it possible for the Norwegian soldiers to break through. The Swedes were running out of bullets and gunpowder. Some of the defenders cut out the tin buttons of their clothes to use as bullets. Captain Hansson, who commanded the Swedish left wing, took a bullet in the shoulder and couldn't continue in command. The defending farmers became disordered and fled in different directions in the dark. A detachment of the Akershusiske Regiment commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Georg Reichwein (1593–1667) finally managed to get around and occupy a hill west of the lake, from which they could fire flanking fire at the Swedish barricade. A contemporary account described the sequence of events: "The Peasants had to save themselves by fleeing and each went home to his Home."
  The Swedish cavalry east of the lake could not be used, and retreated southeastward to the parish of Frykerud ( Frykerud socken). The Norwegian soldiers made their night camp at the former Swedish cavalry pickets at By while others made camp at Åmot (present-day Åmotfors.)
caption: Map of the area of the parish of Eda circa 1700
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