Battle of Stäket The Battle of Stäket was a minor battle during the Great Northern War . A probing Russia n force , circumventing Vaxholm Castle , attempted to pass through Baggensstäket , a very narrow passage in the Stockholm archipelago . After a desperate counterattack by Södermanlands regemente the Russian force departed . Prelude . After the death of Charles XII of Sweden at Fredriksten in 1718 , the Swedish armies had pulled back from all fronts . Surrounded by hostiles , it was clear that a peace treaty would not be forthcoming without large territorial losses . An attempt was made to play the adversaries against each other , but Russia forced the issue by building and equipping a large Baltic fleet with orders to pillage and harass the eastern Swedish seaboard . On 11 July 1719 the fleet was spotted off the Swedish coast . The Swedish navy was shattered after the long war , but still offered some resistance . The Russian fleet on its side did not commit to a battle , but proceeded burning cities ( like Norrköping ) and farmsteads . Admiral Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin had already investigated Baggensstäket , " the backdoor to Stockholm " as a way to reach the capital city without passing the fortress at Vaxholm . The Russian ' s interest was noticed . Under the supervision of the colonel of fortifications Baltzar von Dahlheim boulder - filled boats were towed into the very narrow strait , where they were sunk in the shallowest and narrowest parts to render it impassable . A small redoubt with three cannon and 400 men guarded the channel , while four galley s were anchored in the Lännersta sound beyond . Probably in order to apply more pressure on Sweden in the peace negotiations , Apraxin decided to attempt an attack on Stockholm . On 10 August , Russian units were spotted around Gålö , Muskö , and Ornö , about 20 kilometers from Baggenstäket . If they could pass through Baggenstäket it would be possible to reach the capital while completely out of reach of the cannon of Vaxholm . The battle . On the morning of 13 August , generaladjutant Filip von Tessin returned from a scouting mission to Baggenstäket to report that Russian galleys had been spotted at the entrance to the passage . The closest large Swedish army unit , the 800 - man Södermanlands regemente , was alerted and under its commander Rutger Fuchs force marched 19 kilometers to meet the enemy . Lieutenant - colonel Johan von Essen was sent ahead with a force to protect the arrival of the rest of the regiment . After a rapid march through rocky and densely forested terrain under a hot summer sun , von Essen reached Baggenstäket before 7pm without encountering any fire . However the Russians by then had disembarked their forces , on both sides of the channel ' s eastern entrance . Continuing their rapid march , von Essen ' s unit suddenly came under fire from the fields around Skogsö gård . Its position was very exposed and the unit took losses ; von Essen himself was wounded . At 8 pm , Fuchs ' battalion arrived and received news of von Essen ' s situation . To his right von Essen had a marsh , which forced Fuchs to pass von Essen on his left , a difficult move through snarled and hilly terrain as darkness was falling . The Russians heard Fuchs ' approach and opened fire . Fuch ' s battalion responded and caused losses to the tightly grouped Russians , but was soon also in danger of being outflanked , on its left . Fuchs ' started to withdraw into the woods and the Russians did not pursue . After two hours of confused fighting the battle was over , and the Russian solidiers retreated into their landing craft . Aftermath . Apraksin ' s probe had been repulsed and the immediate threat to Stockholm had been averted . Due to unfavorable winds , Apraksin ' s fleet was forced to remain in Baggensfjärden the next day , but eventually left before the arrival of an English fleet commanded by Admiral John Norris and the Karlskrona squadron . Rutger Fuchs was acclaimed as a hero and " saviour of Stockholm " after the action and was promoted to Major General and made friherre . However , the Russian fleet was untouched and would continue to harass the eastern coast of Sweden the next year until it suffered heave losses in the battle of Ledsund .