Battle of Trangen The Battle of Trangen took place on 25 April 1808 at Trangen in Flisa , Hedemarkens Amt , between Swedish and Norwegian troops , as a part of the Dano - Swedish War of 1808 - 1809 . The invading Swedish troops , led by Colonel Carl Pontus Gahn , were surrounded and forced to surrender by the Norwegian troops under the command of Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt . Gahn and around 450 of his troops were captured . Background . After the Swedish setback at Skabukilen on 13 April , they were victorious at Lier on 18 April , when they drove the Norwegians back to Kongsvinger . General Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt , now headquartered at Lier , hoped to take the strategically important fortress city of Kongsvinger through a pincer movement with the help of Gahn ' s " Flying Corps " . The plan was that Gahn should advance with his troops across the border from Midtskogen and on to Åsnes , and from there march south along the river Glomma to Kongsvinger . The Swedish advance . On the evening of 24 April Gahn crossed the Swedish - Norwegian border and moved his entire battalion westwards along the southern side of Flisa River . He chose to march at night to surprise the Norwegian outposts . At dawn , the battalion was near the Flisa River , where it faced the first Norwegian outposts , who immediately opened fire and sent out reports about the Swedish advance . The Norwegian defenders . The defending troops , commanded by Colonel Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt , had begun establishing a defense in the area in April 1808 . Staffeldt ' s brigade consisted of a grenadier battalion of the 2nd Trondheim Infantry Regiment commanded by Major Johan Georg Ræder , the Southern Norway Ski Battalion commanded by Major Frederik Wilhelm Stabell , the Lærdal Infantry Company commanded by Captain Wilhelm Jürgensen , and some troops from Oppland Dragon Regiment . The Norwegian troops were divided on three defensive positions ; the main force was at Nyen , another across from the Swedish advance , and a Skier Company ( Hoffske ) to the east , towards Nyen . Some troops were also ordered to cross the ice , and thereby arrived behind the Swedish lines . Staffeldt , unsure the Swedish plans , hesitated to give the order to attack . He found it highly unusual that the Swedes marched into Trangen , a narrow pass between the cliffs of Kjelsås and Buttenås , without sending troops forward along the main road on the north side of the river , and therefore feared that it was a trap . Battle . When the vanguard of Colonel Gahn ' s column reached Captain Elias Nægler ' s companies in the Trangen pass they immediately attacked , and the attack was so heavy that Nægler had to call for reinforcements . But after about an hour of fighting it still looked as if the Swedish troops were about to break through the Norwegian defensive lines at the Trangen pass . Staffeldt then decided to send patrols in the direction of the border to check if more Swedish troops were on their way . Major Stabell and Ræder tried to persuade him to immediately attack the Swedes from the rear , claiming that if he did not do this , the battle would be lost . But it was not until reconnaissance showed that no more Swedish troops were on the way , that Staffeldt was persuaded to attack . The attack was carried out by 500 men under the command of Major Ræder , consisting of two Grenadier companies who attack in the center of the road , while the sharpshooters and a skier company attacked the wings . The advancing Norwegians quickly drove the Swedish rearguard at Gamleseteren against the main force , and Gahn realized that there was a large force attacking the column from the rear , threatening to encircle them . What he did not realize was that it was the Norwegians ' main force . He chose , however , to turn the whole battalion around to face the attackers , and ordered the forces about to break through Captain Nægler ' s lines to fall back in order to regroup with the rest of the battalion . The Swedish counter - attack was carried out with tremendous force . It was during this phase of the battle that the Norwegian Captain Nicolay Peter Drejer distinguished himself when he climbed up on a pine stump and commanded his troops while shooting at the Swedes . The stump was later named after him ( Norwegian : " Drejerstubben " ) . The heroic act helped to increase the morale among the Norwegian soldiers . Two grenadiers helped him reload his weapons , making him able to fire almost continuously against the enemy . After being shot 7 times , Captain Drejer collapsed . He died 4 days later . Gahn ' s troops , after repeated attempts , managed by to drive the Norwegian troops back , but they failed to break through , and thus had no opportunity to retreat along the same path that they had arrived . The situation also worsened for the Swedes when they were attacked from the other side by Captain Næglers two companies ; since Gahn now had to form a front against the two sides . The encircled Swedish troops surrendered when most of their ammunition was spent , and the whole force was captured ( with the exception of a few soldiers , who escaped through the woods ) . When the outcome of the battle at Trangen was clear , Staffeldt sent troops under the command of Captain Nægler towards Midtskogen in Sweden . There the remaining Swedish troops , a detachment led by Major Söderhjelm , were captured . Aftermath . After the battle , the captured officers , including Colonel Carl Pontus Gahn , were taken to Bjørneby where the Norwegian field hospital was located . This field hospital was also quickly filled up by several wounded Swedish and Norwegian soldiers . The remaining Swedish prisoners who were not wounded were marched to Åsnes church , before they later were sent on to Drammen and Lier in Buskeruds Amt . The severely injured Captain Nicolay Peter Drejer was brought to Sønsterud farm in Gjesåsen after the battle . There he died four days later from the injuries . Legacy . The Battle of Trangen has been a source of legendary stories , and a national symbol in Norway . In retrospect , and especially during the Norwegian romantic nationalism in the late 19th century , emphasis was placed on Nicolay Peter Drejer ' s courageous efforts and he was given much of the credit for the victory at Trangen . A memorial is raised at the site .