CHAP, xvin.] PETER THE GREAT'S CAVALRY. 



307 



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 in 



At one period Peter the Great had the enormous 

 force of 84,000 cavalry of all kinds in his army.* 



The Russian cavalry did very good service in the 

 attack made by the Russian army upon the Swedish 

 General Loevenhaupt, who was endeavouring to convoy 

 a large quantity of stores to King Charles XIL, in 

 Sept. 1708. A skirmish took place on the banks of the 

 Rysta, where the Swedish commander had drawn up 

 ]iis rear-guard in battle array to check the advancing 

 Russians, and give time to the trains to get away. On 

 the morning of the 27th Sept., the Russian dragoons 

 came up, and began to fire with both musketry and 

 guns. After a severe skirmish Loevenhaupt fell back 

 to Lessnoy, where he concentrated his troops for a 

 desperate fight. 



The Czar followed him closely. To hide the advance 

 of his troops, he despatched 1,000 dragoons under 

 Colonel Campbell. The Russian column consisted of 

 an infantry regiment, a dragoon regiment, and two guards 

 regiments. On account of the character of the ground, 

 Peter the Great ordered the dragoons to dismount, and 

 to form up in battle order alongside of the infantry. A 

 severe struggle took place, in which the dismounted 

 dragoons fought well in line of battle as infantry, and 

 the fight ended in the success of the Russians, who 

 drove the Swedish advanced guard back upon their main 

 force. After a very bravely contested action with vary- 

 ing success, the night separated the combatants, and 

 under cover of it the Swedf^ retreated, leaving behind 

 them all their baggage. Tne next day, being closely 

 pursued, Loevenhaupt abandoned his convoy, which he 

 burned, and continued his retreat, being closely followed 

 by some regiments of Russian dragoons, and a force of 

 Calmucks and Cossacks, under General Floug, who came 

 up with the rear-guard at Propoyske and defeated it. 



This was a most important instance of the destruc- 

 tion of a convoy, for the supplies lost were immense, and 

 the blow to the Swedish army irreparable. In this aflfair 

 the cavalry took a great part. 



Groudim Leffcovitch, 38. 



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