Theater War The Theater War ( ) , alias Cowberry War ( , ) , was a brief war between Denmark – Norway and Sweden , starting on 24 September 1788 , formally lasting until 9 July 1789 . Although the decision to launch the attack was taken in Denmark , the majority of the attacking soldiers were Norwegians from the Danish - Norwegian army . The attack was directed towards the area known as Bohuslän in Sweden , and was supposed to be a diversion to support Russia who were allies of Denmark – Norway . Russia had in turn been attacked by Sweden ( Gustav III ' s Russian War ) . Denmark – Norway had to honor their alliance with them , which they had signed in 1773 . Background . When Gustav III of Sweden on his own initiative , and unconstitutionally , attacked Russia in 1788 and thereby started the Russo - Swedish War of 1788 - 1790 Denmark found itself in an awkward position . In a treaty signed with Russia in 1773 , Denmark – Norway committed itself to assist with 12 , 000 men , six ships of the line and three frigate s in the case Russia were to be attacked . Soon after the Swedish attack , the Russians demanded that Denmark – Norway keep its promise , and Denmark – Norway was forced to join the war . When Gustav III received news of this , he exclaimed " " I am saved ! " " . Considering that the attack on Russia was Gustav ' s own initiative , that many Swedish officers and the king ' s opponents were strongly against the war ( see Anjala conspiracy ) , and that the war was not being fought very successfully , this exclamation might seem strange . However , Gustav III the astute politician saw this as a golden opportunity to turn the Swedish opinion in his favour . He left the battlefront in Finland and proceeded to Stockholm and then Dalarna where he managed to incite several free corps to participate in the defense against the Danes and Norwegians . Despite strong popular support , Sweden had only 10 , 000 men that had to be divided between Skåne , Jämtland and Bohuslän . The Danish – Norwegian attack . The first Danish force of about 8 , 000 - 10 , 000 men under the command of prince Carl of Hessen attacked Bohuslän from Norway on September 24 and advanced quickly toward Vänersborg meeting feeble Swedish resistance . Colonel Johan Werner Tranefelt must ensconce himself in Kvistrum north of Uddevalla with his 700 men but was defeated on September 29 by a much larger Danish – Norwegian force led by major - general Johann Friedrich von und zu Mansbach . In a week the Danish – Norwegians took Uddevalla , Vänersborg , and Åmål and on October 6 they demanded the surrender of Gothenburg . The invading troops met little resistance , and occupied Uddevalla , Vänersborg and Åmål within a week , but was later stopped at Gothenburg . Out of 10 , 000 soldiers , the Norwegians lost only 8 in the ensuing confrontations . The defense of Gothenburg . By this time , Gustav III himself had arrived in the city and took resolute action ; he dismissed the passive lieutenant - general Anders Rudolf Du Rietz and replaced him with lieutenant - general Johan Sparre af Söfdeborg . The defenses of Gothenburg were quickly strengthened . In addition , the British ambassador to Copenhagen Sir Hugh Elliot arrived in Gothenburg and brokered a short armistice with the Danish – Norwegian commander on October 9 . Delaying and stalling tactics prolonged the armistice in stages to May , 1789 . Conclusion . Faced with the armistice , threats of a joint attack on Holstein from both Great Britain and Prussia , and an ever more strongly defended Gothenburg , the Danish – Norwegian troops marched off on November 12 , 1788 toward Norway , and Gustav III could use this as an excuse to call it a victory . This was convenient for Sweden since the fighting on the Finnish front was very much still in progress . The success could have turned into a debâcle when it was revealed that a lieutenant Benzelstjärna with the king ' s approval had planned to burn the seven Russian ships in the Copenhagen harbor . Through the revelation the plans were never carried out . The attacking Danish – Norwegian force only lost eight men through acts of war . The almost frivolous Swedish and Norwegian names for the conflict do not reflect the real suffering caused by it : the Danish – Norwegian army lost 1 , 500 - 3 , 000 men to hunger , disease , poor sanitary conditions , and exposure to continual autumn rainfall . On the 12th of November , the Norwegian division retreated back to Norway . On July 9 , 1789 , before the threat of a combined might of Britain and Prussia , Denmark agreed to cease active engagement in the conflict . A statement of neutrality was issued by Denmark , not a formal peace treaty . The name of the war . The Swedish term " Theater War " reflects the view in later times that the war in practice was a theatrical spectacle rather than a " real " martial conflict . In Norwegian , the war is known as " Tyttebærkrigen " after the Norwegian word for the mountain cranberry , in remembrance of how the Norwegian troops , denied assistance by the local population , had to live off the land in berry season .