Battle of Czarne

Battle of Czarne Battle of Hammerstein
Part of the Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629)
Date April 12–17, 1627 Location Czarne (Hammerstein), Poland Result Polish victory
Belligerents
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	Swedish Empire
Commanders and leaders
Stanisław Koniecpolski, Field Crown Hetman of Poland	Johann Streiff Maximilian Teuffel
Strength
about 3,000	1,700–1,800
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown
1,300 Swedish troops joined the Polish army, and 250 were allowed to retreat; thus the Swedish casualties could be estimated at about 150–250.

The Battle of Czarne, also known as Battle of Hammerstein or Hamersztyn, took place during the Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629), between April 12 and 17, 1627 at Czarne (Hammerstein), in the province of Royal Prussia, Poland. The Polish forces were led by Field Crown Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski while the Swedes were led by Johann Streiff, Maximilian Teuffel and Johann Friedrich von Kötteritz.

The battle ended with a Swedish surrender mainly due to low morale of the German mercenaries in Swedish service. These troops started a mutiny and negotiated with the Polish command without Streiff's knowledge and prepared to switch sides to join the Polish army. Being unable to trust their mercenaries the Swedish troops were forced to surrender.

In January 1627 Axel Oxenstierna developed a plan to destroy the Polish forces by flanking them from east and west. The western component was to come from new recruits in Germany; their recruitment however was significantly delayed, and eventually ordered by Gustavus II Adolphus to march for Poland before they reached the planned strength of 5,000. They numbered about 1,000 reiter cavalry, 1,500 infantry and eight artillery pieces. Initially this put Polish forces under Field Crown Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski in a difficult position, but eventually the German mercenary forces under Johann Streiff (commanding the cavalry) and Maximilian Teuffel were however separated from the main Swedish forces on March 20, surprised by the flooding of the Vistula which made crossing the river impossible in most places. They considered retreating to Puck but Koniecpolski with 3,000 troops besieged it and the Swedes surrendered on April 2 before Streiff and Teuffel could arrive. Streiff and Teuffel decided to move towards Gniewno, through Czarne (Hammerstein) and Człuchów (Schlochau). They reached Czarne around 10 or 11 April, but were surprised to realize then that the Polish forces of Koniecpolski were very close, in Człuchów. They attempted to break through Debrzno, but were repulsed by the Polish forces. Surrounded from most sides, and slightly reinforced by the rear guard under Johan Friedrich von Kötteritz, the Swedes begun fortifying their positions, preparing for a siege.

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