Battle of Klissow The Battle of Klissow took place on July 8 ( Julian calendar ) / July 9 ( Swedish calendar ) / July 19 , 1702 ( Gregorian calendar ) near Kliszów , Poland - Lithuania , during the Great Northern War . The numerically superior Polish - Saxon army of August II the Strong , operating from an advantageous defensive position , was defeated by a Swedish army half its size under the command of king Charles XII . Prelude . August the Strong , Elector of Saxony , King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania , had in 1699 planned a three - fold attack on the Swedish Empire together with Peter the Great , Tsar of Russia and Frederik IV of Denmark - Norway . The plan failed when Frederik was forced out of the war in 1700 , after the Swedish landing on Humlebæk . Charles XII of Sweden in the same year , defeated the Russian army in the battle of Narva . After Narva , Charles XII evicted August the Strong ' s forces from Swedish Livonia through the battle of Düna and pursued him into the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth . At Kliszów , south of Kielce , the Swedish and Saxon - Polish - Lithuanian armies encamped some apart . The camps were separated by a large wood and a swamp , with the Swedes north of the woods , Augustus the Strong ' s camp was naturally secured by a narrow stretch of swamp to the north and the swampy valley of the Nida river to the east . At 9 : 00 am , Charles XII moved his army through the woods on the morning of 19 July ( NS ) and at 11 : 00 am arrived north of the swampy stretch securing August ' s camp . The army consisted of 8 , 000 infantry , 4 , 000 cavalry and four guns — the bulk of the artillery was stuck in the forest . August ' s army consisted of 7 , 500 Saxon infantry , 9 , 000 Saxon cavalry , 660 Polish infantry , 6 , 640 Polish cavalry ( including 1 , 240 hussars ) , and 46 guns . The battle . The Swedish right wing was under the command of Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld , the middle - first line under Hans Henrik von Liewen and the second under Knut Göransson Posse , the left wing was commanded by Otto Vellingk . The Saxon left wing and center was under the command of Adam Heinrich von Steinau respective Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg , the right ( cavalry ) wing was commanded by Jacob Heinrich von Flemming . The Polish cavalry was on the right wing and commanded by Hieronim Augustyn Lubomirski . Charles XII ' s strategy was to rout the Saxe - Polish forces in an ' envelope ' maneuvre and re - position his forces to strengthen his flanks . The Swedes took the initiative at two o ' clock in the afternoon and launched an assault on Lubomirski ' s Polish flank , however , the commander of the assault , Frederick IV , Duke of Holstein - Gottorp was early killed and the advance halted . The Polish army then launched two subsequent counter - attacks but were beaten back by the Swedish infantry , as were a Saxon assault over the marsh under Jacob Heinrich von Flemming . Lubomirski and Flemming then withdrew and thus left the Saxon middle - right flank unprotected . Lubomirski was pursuited by Swedish cavalry all the way to the village of Kije . During this time , Swedish right flank under Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld was attacked by Saxon general Adam Heinrich von Steinau who tried to cut - off Rehnskiöld ' s connections with the Swedish bulk . A fierce fighting took place between ' 21 Swedish squadrons of cavalry with about 2 , 100 men ' , against ' 34 Saxon squadrons with no less than 4 , 250 men ' . The Swedes , as in usual manners , attacked with cold steel and managed to repel the Saxon attack . After the Swedish forces had withstood the Polish and Saxon charges , Charles XII concentrated the main bulk of his army at the left flank where the Poles previously stood , and advanced into the Saxon camp within half an hour . At two o ' clock in the afternoon he engaged Augustus the Strong ' s infantry and managed to evict them into the surrounding swamps . He then took control over the Saxon artillery and used it for his own benefits . The Swedes now attempted to encircle the Saxons by taking the crossing of the Nida . General Schulenburg , whose infantry in the center had scarcely been attacked , now committed himself to a fierce defense of the crossing , allowing the majority of Saxon units to withdraw , and at five o ' clock the battle was over . During the battle , Charles XII ' s brother - in - law Frederick IV , Duke of Holstein - Gottorp was killed by artillery fire . Another 1 , 100 Swedes fell , as did 2 , 000 Saxons and Poles . 1 , 700 Saxons were taken prisoners by the Swedes of which 1 , 100 was not wounded . Consequences . Charles had won the battle , but Schulenburg ' s actions had saved the Saxon army from destruction . The Swedes had captured the Saxon artillery , war chest and King August ' s entire baggage as well as 60 standards and banner s . On July 31 Charles and his army marched into Kraków . August withdrew with his army to Sandomierz .