The Battle of Sävar and Ratan is actually two separate battles fought with only a day apart. They are mentioned together as it was the same armies that fought both battles and the later battle can in fact be thought as an extension of the first one.

Prelude to the battle

The Russians had successfully captured the city of Umeå and driven the Swedish army commanded by Sandels south, down to Härnösand. Tsar Alexander I of Russia demanded that Sweden should cede all of Österland and large parts of Norrland. In order to achieve a better position for negotiations with Russia, the Swedish army command conceived a plan in which they would land troops north of the Russian positions in Umeå and attack the Russian army in the back while the mainland army of 3,400 men under Fabian Wrede attacked them in the front. Umeå  listen [˘ʉməoː] is a city and a municipality in Västerbotten County, in northern Sweden. ... Count Johan August Sandels (1764-1831) was a Swedish soldier and politician, being appointed Viceroy of Norway (Riksståthållare in Swedish, Rigsstatholder in Norwegian (Danish)) 1818 and Field Marshal in 1824. ... Coat of arms - a beaver with a pike in its mouth Härnösand is a Municipality in Västernorrland County, northern Sweden. ... Tsar ( Bulgarian цар, Russian царь,  listen?; often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to... Aleksandr Pavlovich Romanov or Tsar Alexander I (The Blessed), (Александр I Павлович) (December 23, 1777–December 1, 1825), Russia (reigned March 23, 1801–December 1, 1825), son of the Grand Duke Paul Petrovich, afterwards Paul I of Russia, and Maria Fedorovna, daughter of Frederick Eugene of Würtemberg. ... Österland, or Österlanden, is a historical land of Sweden. ... Norrland is a historical land of Sweden. ...

Chosen to lead the sea-borne task force was Lieutenant-General Gustav Wachtmeister. Battle proven in the Prussian army, in the Sweden-Russia war 1789-1790, and in the Pomeranian War just two years earlier. There was talk on giving the command to von Döbeln, but Wachtmeister was chosen. The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia ( German: Preußen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and... Gustav IIIs Russian War, also known as the Russo-Swedish War, was fought between Sweden and Russia from June 1788 to August 1790. ... This article is about the 1756–1763 war. ...

There was no threat from the Russians possible on the waters as the combined force of the Swedish Örloggsflottan and the British Navy had the Russian fleet at bay. The task force debarked from Stockholm on August 8 and sailed north towards Ratan 45 km north from Umeå. In order to avoid being detected by the Russian army in Umeå the task force sailed east of Holmön. It arrived at Ratan August 16. The planned attack was to take place at August 19 The Swedish Navy (Swedish Marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. ... Royal Navy Ensign The Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom. ... Stockholm [, ] is the capital and the largest City of Sweden. ... August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

The Swedish task force sent was composed by:

• 2 ships of the line (Adolf Fredrik and Försiktigheten)
• 1 frigate (Jarramas)
• 44 gun sloops
• 6 galleons
• 20-40 troop transport ships
• 6,800 soldiers

Ships of the line were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ... Sailing frigates were 4th, 5th, or 6th-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ... Important notice: This article is about the modern civilian boat type. ... For the fictional unit of money called a galleon, see Money in Harry Potter. ...

Description of the battle

On August 17 the Swedish army disembarked their ships in Ratan. Later, the same day a small Russian detachment in Djäkneboda was destroyed. August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

The Russian commander Lieutenant-General Nikolay Mikhailovich Kamensky was marching south when he learnt about the Swedish task force; he quickly wheeled around and marched north in order to face Wachtmeister's army before Wrede's arrived.

The Swedish force under Wachtmeister was delayed at Sävar 20 km north of Umeå. The Russians attacked Wachtmeister's force in Sävar at 07:30 August 19. The Russian force took possession of high ground immediately and the Swedes counterattacked the Russians uphill. A fierce battle broke out and despite the Swedes success in the fighting Wachtmeister ordered his forces to retreat back to Ratan. The Battle of Sävar was over at 15:00. Although the Battle of Sävar turned out as a Russian victory, the Russian army was too damaged to dare face Wrede advancing from the south. Umeå  listen [˘ʉməoː] is a city and a municipality in Västerbotten County, in northern Sweden. ... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

In Sävar, Sweden suffered casualties of 396 men dead and around 450 wounded, the Russians suffered around 600 men dead and around 1000 wounded.

After the Battle of Sävar, the Swedish force fell back to the village of Ratan, in which they immediately prepared for another battle. On August 20 Kamensky ordered his army to attack the Swedes in a delaying battle to secure the Russian supply wagons retreat north. This time Sweden had support from their artillery, not only the ground based, but also the cannons loaded on the Swedish fleet. Altogether, around 100 cannons were available for the Swedish army. The artillery barrage destroyed large parts of the village and its surroundings. August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... The Swedish Army, or Armén is the army branch of the Swedish Armed Forces, the military of Sweden. ...

During the Battle of Ratan, Wachtmeister managed to defeat Kamensky, who afterwards retreated north towards Piteå. Shortly after, Swedish troops entered Umeå. Piteå Municipality (or Pite in the local dialect) is a Municipality in southern Norrbotten County in northernmost Sweden, to which the City of Piteå belongs. ...

Casualties at Ratan numbered 150 Swedes (26 dead, 2 prisoners) and 150 Russians (dead and wounded).

Aftermath

The battles outcome helped Sweden achieve a better position in the peace negotiations with Russia. The Russian Tsar Alexander had demanded all of Österland, Åland, the parts of Norrland in present day Finland and parts of Norrland in present day Sweden. The Czar's demand was that the border was to be drawn at the River of Kalix. The engagements in Sävar and Ratan helped move the border north to the Tornio and Muonio rivers. National motto: ? Official language Swedish Capital Mariehamn Governor Peter Lindbäck Premier Roger Nordlund Total Area  - Land  - Water 6,784 km² 1,527 km² 5,258 km² Population  - Total (2002)  - Density 26,257 17. ... The Republic of Finland (Finnish: Suomen tasavalta, Swedish: Republiken Finland) is a Nordic country in northeastern Europe, bordered by the Baltic Sea to the southwest, the Gulf of Finland to the southeast and the Gulf of Bothnia to the west. ... Kalix is a Municipality in Norrbotten County, in northern Sweden. ... Tornio (Torneå in Swedish) is a municipality in Lapland, Finland. ... Muonio is a municipality of Finland. ...

Having the border further north than demanded by the Russians helped Sweden a lot; major findings of iron ore were discovered in these areas later.