page_title: Great Sleigh Drive
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Great Sleigh Drive / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Frederick William the Great Leading His Infantry on Sleds across the Curonian Lagoon, engraving by Bernhard Rode, ca. 1783. background: Great Sleigh Drive Deutsch: Friedrich Wilhelm der Große führt seine Fußvolk auf Schlitten über das Frische Haff, Radierung von Bernhard Rode um 1783. Hintergrund: Winterfeldzug 1678/79 in Ostpreußen
context_page_description: "The Great Sleigh Drive" was a daring and bold maneuver by Frederick William, the Great Elector of Brandenburg-Prussia, to drive Swedish forces out of the Duchy of Prussia, a territory of his which had been invaded by the Swedes during the winter of 1678.
context_section_description: Frederick William had previously defeated the Swedes and driven them from Brandenburg at the Battle of Fehrbellin and now faced another punitive Swedish incursion into his territories. The main body of his army was engaged at the siege of the Swedish-held port city of Stralsund on the coast of the Baltic Sea far to the west, so Frederick marched his army to the small town of Preußisch Holland and engaged a small Swedish force occupying the city. The Swedes, having been soundly defeated at the Battle of Fehrbellin, were hesitant to face Frederick William again and decided to retreat to the coast in order to return to Sweden, having already accomplished their goal of looting much of the province and avenging their earlier defeat.
caption: Engraving by Bernhard Rode, ca. 1783
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