Daran schloss sich dann ein massiver Block unserer Linienregimenter an.
In deren Rücken stand meine Einheit, die Grenadiere, die wiederum von unserer Pikeniereinheit gegen Kavallerieangriffe gedeckt werden sollte.
Am rechten Flügel bewegten sich die Dragoner, die hier eine Umfassungsbewegung der Schweden – sollten diese doch angreifen wollen – verhindern sollten.

Alsbald eröffneten die Geschütze die Schlacht. Das Feuer war aber noch nicht sehr effektiv.
Zum Glück. Wer noch niemals unter Artilleriefeuer gelegen hat, der kann die Angst, die Unruhe, die Unsicherheit nicht nachempfinden, die man in einem solchen Augenblick durchleidet.
Unser Kommandeur, wie immer viel zu ungeduldig, gab den Befehl vorwärts zu marschieren. Er wollte unbedingt diese Nachhut vernichten, und als Sieger und Held in Geschichtsbüchern unseres Volkes gefeiert werden.

Alles schien hier sehr gut zu laufen.
Am linken Flügel stießen die Kavallerieregimenter aufeinander.

Es entspann sich ein zäher Kampf.

Im Zentrum waren mittlerweile die Infanterieeinheiten aufeinander getroffen und beschossen sich gegenseitig.

Nachdem sich eines unserer Linienregimenter auch zurückzog, bekamen wir Befehl.
„Grenadiere!!! Schwenkt ein!!!“
Wir übernahmen den hier gefährdeten Abschnitt.

Am härtesten traf es unsere Dragoner am rechten Flügel, die sich jetzt ganz zurückziehen mussten.

Die Linienregimenter mussten sich deshalb neu ausrichten. Aber noch standen wir alle.
In diesem Moment machten unsere siegreichen Kavalleristen einen großen Fehler. 

Da fiel ihnen die schwedische Kavallerie in den Rücken, der es tatsächlich gelungen war sich wieder zu sammeln.

„Achtung!!! Vorrücken!!!“, lautete jetzt der Befehl unseres Kommandeurs.
Unser Marsch nach vorne konnte die Moral des vor uns stehenden Regiments wieder heben, und es stellte sich – trotz der Verluste – erneut zum Kampf.

Auch unsere Dragoner sammelten sich und schlossen sich erneut am rechten Flügel an.

Wir mussten jetzt in die Frontlinie, denn unsere Front schien zu brechen.

Die Bilder sind von einem Spiel, das wir schon vor einiger Zeit gespielt haben. Irgendwie waren die Bilder auf der Festplatte verschollen gegangen, aber ich wollte sie Euch nicht vorenthalten.
Das wird allerdings nicht die letzte Schlacht sein, die hier zwischen den Truppen Peters des Großen und Karls XII. ausgefochten wurde.
Da wird noch einiges folgen.

We had won the last battle; and now, they were on retreat.
That the withdrawal of the Swedes did not degenerate into a hopeless escape, was only due to the generals skill of their king.
Charles XII. manouvered  excellent, and he showed us, why the world saw him as one of the greatest generals in history.
I myself, Gregori Kopinski, was one of the lieutenants of our great Tsar Peter and I was part of the army that was to put the Swedes at the ford.
We were only dealing with the rear guard. We saw that as we approached the river.
The Swedes had occupied the ford and placed their artillery here. Opposite our right wing were the Swedish infantry regiments.
On the other side of the line, the Swedes had positioned their excellent cavalry and dragoon regiments.
Cossacks were also seen somewhere, and they appeared again and again, and also disappeared like a ghost.
Our commander had decided to form the battle line in a massive block.
On the left wing, slightly withdrawn, our cavalry units were on standby.
Our center was formed by our line regiments and artillery units.
The cannons were on the left, an infantry regiment between them.
This was followed by a massive block of our line regiments.
Behind them stood my unit, the grenadiers, which in turn was to be covered by our pikemen unit against cavalry attacks.
Moving on the right wing were the Dragoons, who were supposed to prevent an encircling movement of the Swedes – should they want to attack.
Immediately the guns opened the battle. The fire was not very effective yet.
Luckily. Those who have never been under artillery fire can not sympathize with the fear, the restlessness, the uncertainty that one suffers at such a moment.
Our commander, as always too impatient, gave the order to march forward.
He absolutely wanted to destroy this rearguard, and be celebrated as a victor and hero in history books of our people.
Our line regiments moved toward the enemy.
The dragoons shortened the distance and swung their line on the enemy.
Everything seemed to be going very well here.
On the left wing, the cavalry regiments collided.
Our riders were surprised by the perfectly skirmishing enemy dragoons and one of our regiments had to retreat with losses.
The impetuous Swedish cavalry surged forward, seeking a direct decision.
Now that one of our units had to regroup, the others wanted to prove that they could hold the Swedes and attacked.
It was a really tough fight.
However, the third regiment drove the Swedes back.
Here at this point of the frontline everything was open.
In the meantime, the infantry units had met and fired at each other.
I had to watch our dragoons get into trouble and quit the fight.
The Swedes facing them proved to be too tough.
After one of our regiments had to retreat, we got orders.
„Grenadiers !!! Turn in !!! „
We took over the here endangered section.
The Swedish fire was getting better, and our units were slowly getting used to.
Our dragoons on the right wing were in trouble, and they had to retire completely.
Our artillery also retreated, as they were in danger of being surprised by the enemy cavalry.
The regiments therefore had to realign themselves. But we were all still standing.
At that moment, our victorious cavalrymen made a big mistake.
Victory drunken, they tried to pursue the Dragoons, who meanwhile had retreated over a ford to the other shore.
So the Swedish cavalry, who had actually managed to collect again, fell in their back.
Although our regiment was able to re-align itself, the pressure was too great and it had to retreat.
Although our center was very weak, we were able to withstand the murderous musket fire of the Swedes for a long time.
However, the Swedes widened their line and brought in addition Dragoons to the front.
We watched in horror as the unit right in front of us turned to flee.
To our left, the cavalry attacked our line as well. The regiment that faced it here also had to give up.
Now even our artillery was endangered.
„Danger!!! Advance !!! „was the order of our commander.
Our march forward stabilized the morale of the regiment ahead to us, and it turned out to fight again, despite the losses.
Our dragoons also gathered and joined again on the right wing.
The Swedes responded by moving forward again. As always, their infantry was unimpressed.
Luckily on the left wing the attack of the Swedish riders on our artillery failed.
In the center, however, it became more critical.
„Grenadiers !!!! Forward!!!“
We, the grenadiers, now had to be in the front line because our front seemed to break.
Of course, we managed to stabilize the vulnerable section, but we still had to retreat slowly.
A breakthrough or embracing the rear guard was out of the question.
Rather, it was the Swedes who maintained the battlefield while we broke the battle and made camp at a reasonable distance.
The decision was adjourned.

This will not be the last battle between the troops of Peter the Great and Charles XII.
There will be a lot to follow.