ORDER OF BATTLE // August 21, 1808
Battle of Karstula
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 4,700–4,800 estimated
Sweden
1,500–1,600
Medium-confidence figure
Russian Empire
3,200
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Karstula on August 21, 1808 resulted in a Swedish defeat when Otto von Fieandt's force of 1,500–1,600 men was overcome by Yegor Vlastov's Russian force of approximately 3,200. The Swedes sustained 313 casualties including losses during the subsequent retreat, while Russian casualties numbered 245. The engagement illustrates the broader pattern of the Finnish War in which Swedish and Finnish forces repeatedly faced numerically superior Russian formations, contributing to the erosion of Swedish defensive capacity in the region.
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