Battle of Koljonvirta 1808
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 27 October 1808 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1808 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Finland | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Finnish War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 63.5886, 27.1642 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Koljonvirta (Finnish: Koljonvirran taistelu, Swedish: Slaget vid Virta bro) i.e. the Battle of the Virta Bridge, also known as the battle of Idensalmi (Russian: Иденсальмское сражение), was fought between Swedish and Russian troops on October 27, 1808, in the course of Finnish War, with the Swedes prevailed in the engagement despite Russian numerical advantage.
The Swedish force consisted of troops from Savolax and Östergötland. After the main Swedish army had been defeated at the Battle of Oravais the army under Johan August Sandels in Savonia had to retreat in order not to be outflanked by the Russians. Sandels found a good defensive position north of Idensalmi (now Iisalmi) and decided to resist the Russian advance there. The Russians were led by Lieutenant General Nikolay Alexeyevich Tuchkov, who was bringing his troops to the Idensalmi strait,—towards Sandels' position locations.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Koljonvirta (revision 1370267278), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Pulkkila 1808 · 99 km
- Battle of Karstula 1808 · 142 km
- Battle of Kokonsaari 1808 · 143 km
- Battle of Varkaus 1918 · 146 km
- Battle of Revolax 1808 · 165 km
- Battle of Suomussalmi 1939 · 167 km
Other battles of the Finnish War
- Battle of Alavus 1808
- Battle of Grönvikssund 1808
- Battle of Jutas 1808
- Battle of Karstula 1808
- Battle of Kauhajoki 1808
- Battle of Kokonsaari 1808
- Battle of Lapua 1808
- Battle of Lemo 1808
- Battle of Nykarleby 1808
- Battle of Oravais 1808
All 27 battles of the Finnish War →
Browse more: battles in Finland · Europe · 19th century battles