Battle of Matrand

Part of the Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814

Date	5 August 1814
Location	Matrand, Eidskog Coordinates: 60°1′45.18″N 12°7′28.3″E / 60.0292167°N 12.124528°E / 60.0292167; 12.124528
Result	Norwegian victory

Belligerents

Norway

Sweden

Commanders and leaders

Lt. Colonel Andreas Samuel Krebs

Major General Carl Pontus Gahn

Casualties and losses

50 dead
90 wounded
15 captured

70 dead
270 captured

The Battle of Matrand was a military battle on 5 August 1814 between Norwegian and Swedish forces as part of the Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814. It was the bloodiest battle of the entire war, in which the Swedes lost 340 men, of which 270 were captured; the Norwegians lost around 50 men with 90 wounded and 15 captured.

After the defeat at Lier the Swedish army retreated first to Malmer and from there back to Matrand, where the rest of the army was stationed. At Matrand they took care of the wounded and it is said that they used the local church there as a field hospital.

At Matrand, Major General Carl Pontus Gahn would let the troops rest and resupply themselves with new ammunition, before they again should attempt an offensive towards the fortress of Kongsvinger. But on 4 August, Gahn received a message that Norwegian reinforcements were sent from Høland to Kongsvinger in order to reinforce the Norwegian positions. Gahn therefore decided to withdraw back across the border to Sweden instead of attempting an offensive.

From Norwegian farmers who visited the Swedish camp at Matrand, Lt. Colonel Andreas Samuel Krebs had received reliable information about the Swedish plans. When he got the message that Gahn intended to march his troops back across the border, he decided to strike against the Swedish in the early morning of August the 5th.

At 22:00, 4 August, Krebs started his march against the Swedish forces at Matrand. The troops marched together to Åbogen where Captain Dons, with about 1,000 men, was sent to Pramhus, from where he could attack the enemy from behind at Skotterud. Lt. Colonel Krebs with his remaining troops continued to Malmer, where he sent off 250 men to Skinpungrud to attack the enemys flanks. The rest of his troops continued on to Matrand, but it was a weak force of only about 700-800 men.

The Norwegian and Swedish vanguards met quickly close to Matrand, and the Swedes were forced to retreat back to stronger defensive positions. There, the Swedish vanguard also got reinforced, and they managed to keep the Norwegian troops back for about an hour. Gahn used this opportunity to try to speed up the withdrawal and get the Swedish troops safely back behind the border, but they were eventually quickly pushed back towards the rest of the brigade, which had taken positions on both sides of the road, east of the river at Matrand.

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Wikipedia