The actions at Ruona and Salmi
August 31-September 2 1808, R=Nikolai Kamenskij S=Carl Johan Adlercreutz
The hour of decision had arrived. The Swedish summer offensive continued after the battle and victory of Alavo, but the strong Russian army never diminished in size, since reinforcements were now steadily arriving in the field. By late August, the Russian forces fighting Adlercreutz were 21.200 troops strong. Adlercreutz had some 11.600 troops. The Russians pressed their advance.
The fighting was hard on the road to Nykarleby from the very start. Here the major fighting was done in the vicinity of Kuortane. Swedish and Russian troops clashed at Ruona on August 31. At Salmi on September 1-2 Kamenskij and Adlercreutz fought the decisive engagement of the summer offensive. Here the most violent artillery duel of the entire war was fought and the Swedish were finally compelled to withdraw.
The Swedish summer offensive had failed and Adlercreutz retreated back towards the West Coast. The real decision of the war was yet to be fought - the battle of oravais, but already after Salmi, the situation had turned in favour of the Russians. The Russian armies were growing in strength every day, while the reinforcements for the Swedish were left out as the government in Stockholm did not send any.
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