However, Gyllenkrook's squadron's fun was cut short, for some hours before dawn of 7 December Skjoldebrand was informed that Lallemand had left Segeberg. He also received a new order from the Crown Prince that implied dissatisfaction with the conduct of the pursuit. Some shuffling of units occurred as units were detached from Skjoldebrand's force while he received two squadrons of Schill's Prussian Hussars.

The weather was clear and the ground had frozen. The Danes were not far away and the Swedish troopers followed them northwards at a more energetic pace. Skjoldebrand may have felt pressure both from the Crown Prince and his men that today there had to be some action.

After some delay at a bridge which had been destroyed by the Danes, the advance elements of the Swedish force made contact with the Lithuanian uhlans forming the Danish rear guard south of Bornhoft. While a small skirmish went on along the road, Skjoldebrand and the main force followed just behind and soon reached the highest point on the open fields. The Swedish staff could see how the landscape changed at Bornhoft from open fields with shallow hills to more closed terrain broken up by hedges, stone walls and marshes.

Apparently Lallemand's infantry were trying to protect themselves from the pursuing cavalry by reaching this area. Another Danish force was also near the village of Bornhoft, and as soon as Lallemand joined them the odds would indeed be in the Danes' favor.

The Swedes hurried to catch Lallemand's brigade, but just before the two forces were within range, the Danish infantry slipped behind an overgrown earth bank one kilometer south of Bornhoft which marked the start of very rugged terrain. Lallemand placed part of his brigade along this good defensive position to act as rear guard for the rest of his retreating force.

Where the road crossed the earth bank two cannon from battery Gerstenberg were unlimbered. East of the road one company each of the Slesvig Jagers and Holstein Sharpshooters deployed, and on the west side of the road stood one company Oldenburg Jagers. The rest of the Danish force was either retreating along the road, or deploying inside the village of Bornhoft.

The leading Swedish cavalry squadron pushed forward, but was met by a volley from the earth bank and two hussars dropped from their saddles. The advance guard was recalled and the Swedish cavalry force was put into attack formation. Skjoldebrand hesitated. The Danish force in front of him was much superior in numbers and the terrain was unsuitable for cavalry combat. However, could he afford to let the Danes simply withdraw without a fight? On his right and left were seven squadrons from what was known to be the finest cavalry regiment in the Swedish army -- the Mornerska Hussars.

Senior Light Cavalry Regiment of Sweden

The Mornerska Hussars were formed during the Seven Years War in response to the Prussian light cavalry forces which constantly harassed the Swedish army in northern Germany. The "Royal Swedish Hussar Regiment", as it was called then, was the first hussar regiment in the Swedish army and served as a model for the other light cavalry regiments which were to follow.

An interesting fact not widely known is that the later legendary Prussian general and field marshal Blucher started his career as a young hussar in this Swedish regiment during the Seven Years War. However, after a short service he was taken prisoner in 1760 by a Prussian patrol and served the rest of his life in the Prussian army.

Prussian drill and organization methods were used from the start for the Swedish hussars. Having its origins in northern Germany, the Mornerska Regiment used German command-terms during the Napoleonic Wars, even though the regiment was garrisoned in the south of Sweden by this time.

The regiment was used extensively for scouting and smaller raids in 1806-1807 and 1813, but it had not taken part in any larger action until Bornhoft.

Baptism of fire

"If it is going to happen, it is going to happen now!" Colonel Cederstrom of the Mornerska Hussars said to general Skjoldebrand. These words put an end to the hesitation of the Swedish commander and he gave the signal for attack. The buglers sounded the charge and the whole line started to advance. When they had trotted for a short distance, the two Danish cannon fired, but it went over the heads of the Swedish and Prussian cavalrymen. Along the earth bank the Danish infantrymen started to fire, but it was too early and the fire had no effect.

"They are scared", Skjoldebrand said to Cederstrom, "but now we must hurry so as to get at most one round of grape-shot [canister] against us", and he ordered the charge. The order was repeated along the line and the advance sped up to a full gallop. Skjoldebrand said later that at this point he looked to his right and his left and the line was still perfectly straight, "just as at the parade-ground".

The canister came just before they reached the guns. Colonel Cederstrom was wounded in his right arm, and fell from his horse. Skjoldebrand was afraid that this would bring disorder in the line and to cheer up the men he shouted "Hurrah!" which was repeated along the line and the pace was increased even more. The Danish gunners fled and the two guns at the entrance of the defile became the first booty for the Swedes.

Panic in the Center

The Left Breaks a Danish Square

The left wing of the Swedish first line, consisting of three squadrons from the Mornerska Hussars, charged towards the earth bank where a company Oldenburg Jagers fired at them inflicting few casualties.

At right, horse sketches © Keith Rocco

The horses easily jumped over the earth bank and the Jagers were ridden down. Although partly scattered, the Swedish squadrons then turned at the Holstein Sharpshooter battalion which was in the process of forming square. The Holstein infantry fired a half-hearted volley before the whole square broke and the men ran away to take cover in the numerous ditches and hedges. Led by party crasher Gyllenkrook and his squadron, the Swedish hussars continued into the defile where they joined the confused mass of fighting men moving towards the village.

Behind the Mornerska Hussars came the Skanska Hussars along with the Prussian hussars who passed the hedge without any resistance and continued towards the village without taking part in the crowded fight in the defile.

On the right side of the road the Swedes had a tougher time. Here one single squadron from the Mornerska Hussars faced one company of Schleswig Jagers reinforced with one company of Holstein Sharpshooters. The commander of the Swedish squadron was killed when he came near the earth bank, and the Swedish attack was checked.

The Swedes soon received reinforcements in the form of one squadron of the Skanska Carabiniers, which came up from behind. However, the attack was temporarily stopped once again when the carabiniers' standard bearer was killed. But after the carabinier's squadron commander picked up their standard and ordered the men forward, the carabiniers charged over the earth bank together with the hussars. This was more than the Danes could take and the infantry on the east side of the road broke and fled in all directions. The Swedish cavalrymen from the right wing then followed their comrades converging on the village.

The Attack Loses Momentum in the Village