16 
THE SIEGE AND BATTLE OE NAEVA. 
ated. They were, Abraham Kennesby who served as gunner in the 
Descent Train, A.D. 1692-3, bombardier in the Sea Train, 1694-5, and 
fireworker in the Newfoundland Train, 1696; William Stokes gunner 
in the Flanders Train from the 15fch of Sept. 1693 to the time of the 
Peace; Archibald Crosier gunner in the Flanders Train from the 15th 
of Aug. 1693 to the time of the Peace; and Thos. Lambert bombardier 
in the late Flanders Train. 1 2 It is probable that these four gunners were 
attached to Peter’s own company of Bombardiers which, if we may judge 
from the lamentable state of inefficiency of the Russian Artillery, under 
the command of Prince Alexander of Imeritia, before Narva in 1700, 
was in no way superior to the “ pleasure” regiments with which Peter 
amused himself in mimic warfare at this early period of his eventful 
career. 
War having been declared by Russia against Sweden on 8th Aug. 
1700, 3 an army numbering nearly 40,000 men was sent to reduce Narva, 
a strongly fortified town in the Swedish province of Livonia and situated 
on the right bank of the river Narova. We are told that Peter started 
off gaily from his capital at the head of his Bombardier Company, which 
accompanied the vanguard of his army, “full of expectation of an easy 
victory.” 3 On the 23rd Sept. Peter arrived at Narva and found the 
place in a good state of defence and only to be taken by a regular siege 
for which little or no preparation had been made. The fortress was 
well armed, but the garrison was small consisting of 1,300 infantry, 200 
cavalry and about 400 armed citizens. Owing to insufficient transport, 
and the awful state of the roads, the main portion of the army did not 
reach Narva until l8tli October and the troops were in a very exhausted 
state from the privations encountered on the march. The Russian line 
of circumvallation, which was entirely on the left or western side of the 
river, was about seven miles in length. 
Earthworks were also thrown up opposite to the castle of Ivangorod 
which was connected with the fortress by a good stone bridge and form¬ 
ed part of the defences of the town. The bombardment began on 20th, 
October, from eight batteries on the Narva side and also from the 
trenches in front of Ivangorod. We are told that the artillery fire con¬ 
tinued day and night for two weeks without success. The gun-carriages 
had been so knocked about by transportation that they “usually fell to 
pieces after three or four discharges.!” The Russians were constant¬ 
ly harrassed by sorties from the town. On 6th November the ammu¬ 
nition ran short and the bombardment had to cease the following day 
until new supplies were brought from Novgorod. News also shortly 
reached the Russian camp that Charles XII. was on his way to relieve 
the town and would be at Narva within twenty-four hours. At this 
crisis the Tsar thought fit to leave his army and go to Novgorod. One 
of Peter’s biographers and apologists says the Tsar went to hurry up 
ammunition and reinforcements; and also to interview the King of 
Poland and decide on the future conduct of the war. The same apologist 
1 Ordnance Warrants. Vol. 48, fol. 103 
2 Old Style. 
3 K. Waliszewski’s 'Peter the Great, English edition, translated from the French. 
