Action of FEHRBELLIN, on the 18th of June, 1675, between the Brandenburgers, under their Elector, Frederick William, and the Swedes, under the command of General Woldemar Wrangel.

During the Thirty Years' War in Germany, and subsequently, in the course of the seventeenth century, France was engaged in more or less active hostilities with the troops of the empire. In 1674, the latter were powerfully re-enforced on the Rhine by the forces of the Elector of Brandenburg, commonly called the Great Elector. They amounted in number to nearly twenty thousand men, and had acquired a high reputation for valor and discipline; and it became an object of moment with the French king to separate them from their allies. For this purpose, the Swedes were excited to invade and to ravage the Brandenburg territories. In this manner, the object aimed at was in fact accomplished: Frederick William marched his troops back to his own dominions, and lost no time to come into conflict with his new enemy. This took place at Fehrbellin, in the Electorate of Brandenburg.

The numerical strength of the armies was-Brandenburgers: six thousand cavalry, five hundred infantry, and twelve threepounders; and Swedes: eleven thousand men, for the most part infantry.

It is in reference to the small number of the troops engaged that we have called the present conflict an action, and not a battle. But when we have reference to the consequences which ensued from it, we may well regard it as one of the most important battles of modern times. The reputation acquired on this occasion by the Brandenburgers in the victory which they achieved over the redoubtable Swedes, contributed in no small degree to the transformation, a quarter of a century afterwards, of the Electorate of Brandenburg into the kingdom of Prussia, which was speedily destined to rank among the European powers of the first order, and which has more than once, in the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, acted a highly important part in the transactions of the world.

The Elector had concentrated his forces at Magdeburg, where, after holding a council of war, he resolved to surprise the Swedes by the rapidity of his advance against them. They were mostly distributed between Brandenburg, Rathenow, and Havelberg.

In the night of the 15th of June, Rathenow was surprised by the Brandenburger General Dorflinger, and an entire regiment of Swedish dragoons was captured. And upon this, General Wrangel orders his troops to fall back upon Fehrbellin, which they do, pursued, sword in hand, by the Elector.

Meanwhile, a detachment of one hundred and thirty horsemen, under Lieutenant-Colonel Hennings, is sent forward into

the rear of the enemy, to destroy the bridge over the Rhin at Fehrbellin-a commission that was accordingly executed.

General Wrangel is reduced to the necessity of fighting while the bridge is being actively restored.

He takes up the position A A; his left wing in front of Hackenberg, and resting on the marshes of the Rhin; and his right wing extending in the direction of Dech tow.

After holding a council of war, the Elector resolves upon directing his principal attack from the forest of Dechtow, against the enemy's right wing, this being judged to be the weakest part of his line.

The Elector, on arriving at B B, between Linum and the forest of Dechtow, places his artillery on the sand-hill near E, under the protection of which he moves with the main body of his forces along the forest of Dechtow, whilst the Prince of Hesse Homburg marches against the enemy's left wing at C. The prince, however, attacks with too much precipitation, contrary to his instructions, and is repulsed by the Swedes with consid

erable loss.

As soon as he is informed of this untoward event, the Elector hastens his attack against the right of the enemy at DD; and although his cavalry suffers considerably from the fire of the enemy's artillery, it repels, notwithstanding, a charge made upon it by the Swedish cavalry.

The Swedish infantry next makes repeated but vain efforts to seize possession of the artillery of the Brandenburgers. It is constantly repelled, and is severely treated by the Brandenburg guards, and the cavalry regiments of Anhalt and Mor

ner.

General Wrangel, seeing the defeat of his right wing, retreats in two columns, F F, in the direction of Fehrbellin. One of these columns is repeatedly charged by the cavalry of the Elector (G). These charges are, however, steadily repelled by the hostile infantry, which continues its retreat in the greatest order.

The Swedes at length reach Fehrbellin, where their baggage had been left at H. They halt behind this and some feeble intrenchments in the village of Feldberg, and also behind the walls of Fehrbellin. The Brandenburgers post themselves at J J.

The former continue their retreat from Fehrbellin, by way of Ruppin, to Wittstock, during the night and the following morning, breaking down the lately restored bridge over the Rhin.

A large number of cattle, two hundred baggage-wagons, and five pieces of cannon, fell into the hands of the Brandenburgers. They took from the enemy also, on the field of battle, eight colors, two standards, and four cannon.

The loss of the Swedes in killed and wounded is variously stated at from two thousand five hundred to four thousand men. That of the Brandenburgers was much less, though it is nowhere accurately mentioned.

The battle of NARVA, fought on the 20th of November, 1700, between the Russians, under the Duke of Croy, and the Swedes, commanded by their king, Charles XII.

From the account which we have given of the action at Fehrbellin, where it may be said that the Prussian troops gave an earnest of the high character they were subsequently destined to attain, it naturally occurs to speak of the very unsuccessful coup d'essai in the art of war on a large scale made by the Russians, in the reign of Peter the Great, at the close of the seventeenth century, an event furnishing no prognostic whatever of the formidable military power that Russia has since be

come.

Charles XII. was, in the year 1700, engaged in a war with Denmark; and the Czar Peter, and Augustus II., of Poland, judged the time to be propitious to make good their respective claims to a portion of the Swedish territory on the east of the Baltic Sea. A corps of eight thousand Poles, accordingly, entered Livonia, in February, near the mouth of the Duna, without any preceding declaration of war, and attacked and carried the forts situated in that quarter. Peter, in the October following, invaded Ingermania with an army variously estimated at from sixty thousand to eighty thousand men, and advanced upon Narva.

This city, at the time of which we speak, was surrounded by a strong wall, provided with six bastions and some outworks. Its garrison, including that of the castle of Ivanogrod, on the right bank of the River Narva, consisted of two thousand Swedes, under the orders of Colonel Count Horn.

A treaty of peace having been concluded with Denmark, on the 17th of August, at Travendahl, the King of Sweden hast

ened to embark as many troops as could immediately be mustered to act against the Russians, and for the relief of Narva. Landing at Revel, he proceeded by forced marches to his destination, and reached Laguna, seven English miles from Narva, on the 19th of November. At eleven o'clock, on the morning of the 20th, he stood in the presence of the Russians, with a force of only six thousand infantry, three thousand cavalry, and thirty-seven cannon.

The Russians have commonly been estimated at eighty thousand men, which is, quite probably, an exaggeration of a third more than the reality, and a sixth or seventh of the whole number were cavalry. They occupied intrenchments which they had thrown up before Narva, and which they had furnished with a hundred and forty-five pieces of cannon. It is, however, proper to state that not more than twelve thousand of the Russian army were well-disciplined troops, the remainder being composed of badly-organized and badly-armed militia, and of Cossacks and Tartars. The officers, too, even those of higher rank, had no experience, and were grossly ignorant of their profession. The Czar Peter was not with his army, having gone to Pleskow to bring up a body of additional troops, after having left the Duke of Croy in the chief command during his absence; to whose orders, it may be added, that neither officers nor men of the Russian army were disposed to pay much respect. In the annexed plan

AA denotes a line of circumvallation to protect the Russians

against any attack from without; and B B, a line of contravallation to protect them against such sorties as might be attempted against them by the garrison of Narva. Both these lines were términated above and below Narva by the river of the same

name.

C is the citadel, against which Peter, before the arrival of Charles XII., had directed his main attack. But his batteries, which had been placed at DD, were so badly served, that they failed to effect a breach, in the course of a whole month, in the feeble rampart surrounding the city. Count Horn's artillery, on the contrary, was managed with so much ability as to inflict no little injury on that of the Russians.

a a indicates the position of the Swedes before the commencement of the battle, on the 20th of November.

Charles XII. resolved to storm the line of circumvallation of the enemy at two different points. bb is the column on the right, which is destined for this purpose; it consists of eleven battalions of infantry, preceded by a detachment of grenadiers, the whole under the orders of General Welling. Twenty-four squadrons of cavalry (cc), commanded by General Wachtmeister, follow this column as a support to it. The second column is dd, on the left of the former, and separated from it by the Hermannsberg (the hill of Hermann); it is composed of eight battalions, and is commanded by General Renschold. It has, on the extreme left, at ee, a small column of two battalions, under Colonel Stenbock. The king is present with the left wing. All the infantry are provided with fascines for filling up the ditch. The gardes du corps (body-guards) of the king, and eleven squadrons of cavalry besides, cover this wing at ff. General Ribling, with the remainder of the cavalry, forms the reserve (gg). A battery of sixteen pieces, hh, placed on the Hermannsberg, covers the advance of the right wing, and another of twenty-one pieces, at ii, covers that of the left.

These dispositions having been made, Charles XII. gives the signal for attacking. The two principal columns, notwithstanding the lively cannonade of the Russians, advance to the assault of the lines with their usual war-ery, "With the aid of God!" A dense snow-storm, driven by the wind into the faces of the Russians, favors the attack of the Swedes, so that they arrive at the ditch unperceived by the enemy.

In less than a quarter of an hour, his line has been broken through at kk, and the troops which had been posted at F F F betake themselves to the bridge of boats at F. Others of their number seek their safety by scatterring themselves in the open country, but are speedily driven back to their intrenchments by the Swedish cavalry.

Meanwhile, the bridge of Narva gives way to the pressure of the crowds of Russian fugitives, many of whom are drowned