Battle of Vilnius (1702)

The Battle of Vilnius was a battle which took place on 16 April 1702 in Vilnius, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, during the Great Northern War. After having seen the city early seized by the Swedish army, the grand notary of Lithuania, Ludwik Konstanty Pociej launched a surprise attack with 3,000 men (other figures states as few as 2,000 and others 4,000 men) on the equally matched Swedes of 3,000 men (due to intense sickness it could be lower [the Dala regiment alone had only 740 men prior to the battle in comparison to the 1,200 of the original strength] with as few as 2,500 men) under Carl Gustav Mörner stationed inside the city. The attack was, however, repulsed and the Polish army had to withdraw with a loss of 100 men killed and two cannons lost while the Swedes lost 50 men killed in the action. The city remained in Swedish control until Mörner left it with his army in order to reinforce Charles XII in his battle against Agustus. It was later recaptured by the Swedish general Carl Gustaf Dücker in 1706.

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