Battle of Gadebusch The Battle of Gadebusch or Wakenstädt ( 20 December 1712 ) was Sweden ' s final great victory in the Great Northern War . It was fought by the Swedes to prevent the loss of the city of Stralsund to Danish and Saxon forces . Prelude . During 1712 , all of Sweden ' s dominions south of the Baltic Sea , apart from fort s , had been conquered by the allies Denmark , Saxony , and Russia . In the Baltic the Danish admiral Gyldenløve patrolled with a squadron to disrupt Swedish supply line s to the Continent . It was vital for Sweden not to lose Stralsund , as it was the gateway to campaigns in Poland . While a Danish army moved in the region of Hamburg , a large Russian - Saxon force stood south of Stralsund . Stenbock could hardly attack this force with a frontal assault , but hoped that by moving west towards Mecklenburg it could be encircled or scattered . Such a movement would also prevent the joining of the two allied forces . The Danish army under Frederick IV of Denmark was led by general Jobst von Scholten closer to the Russian - Saxon army , and on December 3 the Danish forces reached the little town of Gadebusch , southwest of Wismar . Fortunately for Stenbock the allied movements were slowed due to disagreements among the allied commanders . On December 8 he marched the Swedish army to Gross Brütz less than ten kilometers east of Gadebusch . Now the Russian infantry was too far away to assist the Danes , but the Saxon cavalry under Jacob Heinrich von Flemming was approaching quickly . That night the Danish forces broke camp and moved to a better position around the village of Wakenstädt , three kilometers south of and today incorporated by Gadebusch . Scholten expected the Swedish attack to come from the south to avoid the marshy Radegast river . At four in the morning of December 9 the Danish army was arrayed in defensive formation , with cavalry wings flanking the infantry in the center . As hours passed , snowfall turned to rain . Finally , the Saxon cavalry under Flemming arrived at Wakenstädt at mid - morning . Swedish reconnaissance made it clear that the only Swedish option was a frontal assault . Stenbock judged that although the passable terrain was narrow and his men somewhat outnumbered , the thirty Swedish field gun s would provide an advantage over the Danish thirteen . Battle . The Swedish onslaught from the east began around 11 a . m . . Swedish artillery opened fire on the tightly grouped Danish battalion s and provided cover for the deploying cavalry and infantry . Stenbock held a short speech to his battleready army : ” Nu sen I för Eden våra fiender , ha´n I lust att gå på dem och visa Eder kärlek för Eder Konung och Fädernesland ? ” ( Now against our enemies , do you wish to get at them and show your love for king and country ? ) the answers from the army was a resounding ” JA ! ” ( Yes ! ) . At 1 p . m . the order to attack was given . While the artillery kept firing , the infantry marched towards the Danes , not firing until reaching a distance of twelve paces . During this time , the Danish opponent remained relatively passive although firing several long range volleys with little effect . A Danish cavalry counterattack was broken by the infantry , supported by the constant artillery fire . To the north , the Swedish cavalry made a flanking movement and surprised the Danish cavalry on the Danish left wing . The subsequent retreat into Wakenstädt caused confusion in the Danish ranks , which was exploited by the infantry on the Swedish right wing . Meanwhile , heavy fighting was taking place on the Danish right wing where the elite of the Danish army , the royal guard , was positioned supported by the main bulk of the Saxon cavalry . But despite the numerical superiority of the allies , attacks by the Saxon cavalry were repelled . The two Danish guard regiments fought a hard pressed meele battle with the Swedish Dalecarlia regiment and Helsinge regiment , the fight was eventually won by the Swedes when the Danes realized that cavalry support would not come ( the cavalry was engaged with the Swedish cavalry during the whole fight ) while they were slowly pushed back by the Swedish infantry onslaught . Eventually the order for retreat came and the guard regiments withdrew in quite good order but with big losses , the Swedes were tired and had also taken considerable losses from the battle and could not make any determined pursuits . The battle wound down by dusk : Danish and Saxon forces withdrew more or less orderly to a position several kilometers west of Gadebusch to regroup . All of the Danish artillery had been abandoned . Aftermath . After the battle Stenbock was promoted to Field Marshal by an approving King Charles . The battle was won by efficient use of artillery combined with determined flanking attacks by infantry and cavalry , and it gave the hard - pressed Swedish forces some well needed breathing room . Stenbock who had earlier fought in the Nine Years ' War , later pronounced : < br > " " Never have I seen such a combination of uncontrollable dash and perfectly controlled discipline , such soldiers and such subjects are not to be found the wide world over except in Sweden . " " About his Swedish troops that fought and died in this masterpeice - tactical victory in the battle of Gadebusch . Even from the other side , Maurice of Saxony claimed the Swedish bravery at Gadebusch to have been absolutely astounding . Strategically , however , there was little impact , and the allies with their overwhelming numerical superiority would surround and defeat Stenbock ' s forces after a siege in the fortress of Tönningen the next year .