Battle of Alavus

Overview

The Battle of Alavus took place on 17 August 1808 in the vicinity of the town of Alavus, as part of the Finnish War. The Finnish army, under the command of General Carl Johan Adlercreutz defeated a smaller Russian force and drove it southwards. It was the last in a string of Swedish successes during the summer of 1808, and marked the turning point in the war.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Alavus on 17 August 1808 saw the Finnish army under General Carl Johan Adlercreutz defeat a smaller Russian force of roughly 2,400 men, inflicting between 200 and 314 casualties and driving the Russians southward. The engagement concluded a series of Swedish successes during the summer of 1808 and marked the turning point of the Finnish War. After this battle, Swedish fortunes in the conflict reversed, making Alavus both the high-water mark of Swedish operational momentum and the threshold beyond which Russia reasserted control over the campaign.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (1)