THE SIEGE AND BATTLE OF NAKVA. 
17 
(Dr. Schuyler) says that neither Peter nor those about him appreciated 
the rapidity of the Swedish movements under Charles, and that they 
expected the siege would still be going on when Peter should return. 
Be this as it may, the Tsar’s desertion of his army in the hour of danger 
had the worst consequences. Peter entrusted the command to the 
Prince de Croy who had fought with distinction in the Austrian Service 
but was totally unacquainted with Russian troops and knew little of 
their language. Within twenty-four hours of Peter’s departure the 
Swedish army, numbering about 8,000 men, after four days’ forced 
marching, reached the pass of Pyhajoggi which, if fortified, would have 
held any army in check. But owing to Peter’s obstinate refusal, at an 
earlier date, to allow this pass to be fortified, the Swedes easily drove 
back the few troops sent to guard the defile and Charles swept down 
on the Russian camp. The result is well known, confusion and panic 
ensued. The Russians raised the cuckoo cry of “We are betrayed by 
the foreigners” and several of their officers were killed. The cavalry 
bolted and many men and horses were drowned in crossing the Narova 
river, the bridge breaking down. The two Regiments of Russian 
Guards, which were protecting the artillery park, stood their ground at 
first but the Prince de Croy, and the other generals, being quite un¬ 
able to allay the panic and restore order made their way to the Swedish 
lines and surrendered. The Russian loss was estimated at 5,700 men. 
Seventy-nine officers, including nine generals, were taken prisoners 
aud the Swedes captured, in addition, 149 caunon and 32 mortars. 1 
How the Swedes treated their unhappy prisoners is best told in the 
following sorrowful petition :— 
“To ye Right hon’ble Henry Earle of Romney, Mast’r 
“Generali of his Ma’ties Ordnance. 2 
“The humble Petition of Abra. Kennesby, Fireworker, etc. William 
“Stokes, and Archibald Crosier, Bombardiers, Subjects of his Sacred 
“Ma’tie of Gt. Brittaine etc. now miserably distressed Prisoners at 
“Stockholm in Sweden. 
“Most humbly shewing, That your said Petitioners having faithfully 
“served his Ma’tie Our most gracious King for some years in ye late 
“Warrs in Brabant after ye Peace concluded, anno 1697, were permitt¬ 
ed, and thereupon stipulated to serve ye Czar Majestie of Muscovie 
“unto which place we were, anno 1698, transported where faithfully, 
“not without good acceptations, we performed our duty untill ye 20th 
“of November 1700; that at ye seige and battle before Nerve (sic) we 
“with others were taken Prisoners, stripped of our cloths, destitute of 
“money, from thence sent to ye common close prison at Revall, thus 
“miserable, naked, and poor, not having to sustain our life save what 
“charitable people moved with our grones and dolefull cries were for 
“six months time (moved to preserve us alive) bestowed on us; one of 
“our companions, Thomas Lambert a bombardier, perishing in this de¬ 
plorable condition,—the Muscovite Generali, the Hnees (sic) Lord 
1 The above account of the siege and battle of hi arva is partly taken from Dr. Schuyler’s and 
partly from Waliszewski’s narratives. 
2 Ordnance Warrants, Vol. 48, fol. 103. 
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