Baltic Campaign part 3: Siege of Pori

With the losses suffered by the Russian army in assualting the Tomio ridge, the decision was taken by General Roman to withdraw through Finland to the Russian earthwork fort of Pori where he was prepared to sit the summer out and await the winter when the British would again have to retire to Stockholm. Roman was confident that the supplies in Pori could last his force for a year and also that his artillery was still numerous enough to deal with a near equal number of British artillery and siege works. With the arrival  of Danish infantry through the blockade  he was still more confident that the earth fort at Pori could win him the war.

However when Lord Blantyre, chasing the Russian rear through Finnish spring, finally arrived at Pori he saw the danger and decided a direct, swift assualt was all that could seal his victory. So with the newly arrived 28th he set about opening an artillery bombardment to silence the Russian guns whilst the infantry (with no pretence at siege works) charged up hill across open ground and a river bed towards the Russian fort with only their hands, feet and a few ropes to get them over the walls. The assualt seemed set for a blood bath

Lord Blantyre's expeditionary force

-2nd Battalion, 42nd black watch regiment of Highlanders

Two companies: 48 men

-16th Bedfordshire regiment of foot

One company: 24 men

-28th North Gloucester regiment of foot
Three companies: 72 men

-Royal Horse artillery
four 8pdrs.

Brigadier Roman's invasion force

-Pavlov grenadiers, 1st and 2nd companies

two companies: 48 men

-Danish Infantry
One company: 24 men

-Foot artillery
three 6pdrs

Blantyre, mounted above his army, led the way as the infantry advanced in dense columns, covered by Parkhill's battery of horse artillery. The open ground was a great distance to cross and would need to be covered quickly before the Russian guns and musketry took their toll.

A Russian engineer officer on watch duty spies the advancing British in the late morning and reports the seemingly suicidal assault to his senior who, with disbelief  at the British stalwart tactics, order the artillery to open fire!

The first shot from the fort tears into the heart of one of the Black Watch's columns whilst still stationary, sending the remaining highlanders fleeing in all directions, but leaving the other redcoats as resolute as ever.

Blantyre galloped forward, onto the bridge between the opposing forces, whilst the columns bean their charge. However the uneven ground of the river bed meant that only three out of the five remaining company columns reached the earthworks leaving the 28th and 42nd unsupported.

As the columns came up against the walls the lead men levelled their muskets over the works at the defenders, but with the thin lines of Pavlov grenadiers and the light but close 3pdr cannons pointing their direction the stranded companies seemed lost.

As the first company of the 28th attempted to make ground on the earthworks, a close range, file length blast from the nearby 3pdr pop gun ripped through the ranks. Unable to control the few remaining men, both officers and NCOs fled  the fortress walls with their dirtied and blooded men.
But the 42nd had much more luck as the front men peppered the Pavlovs with musketry taking their toll on them whilst making good use of the earthworks cover.

On the far left of the assaulting British the 28th attempted to make a rush across the lower hurriedly constructed defences held by the Danes and Pavlovs, but they were soon countered by the Pavlovs bayonets, denying them entrance. Meanwhile the Danes rushed from the safety of their defences to flank charge the Gloucesters inflicting heavy casualties. The few remaining redcoats with their Major down ran back to their lines. So far the British assault seemed to be a drastic failure and one that could lead to Blantyre's ruin, it had been a gamble and it did not appear to have paid off.

Seeing the Danes out from their defences and exposed, Major Parkhill commenced battery fire on the company. The shots struck well delving into the redcoated ranks and inflicting severe losses. The remnants of  a once glorious company retired, the fight gone from them. Heads would roll in the Russo-Danish relations office.

With half his infantry gone to only a single company of Roman's, Blantyre decided on a last desperate push for death or glory. He rallied his three remaining companies and directed them at a single point in the Russian fortifications, personally leading them up against the bulwarks.
Having been hard at work, the sappers with axes and spades and the men with their bayonets, the 42nd finally kicked, shoved and hauled their way over and  through the earthworks before them, bursting straight into the side of an artillery position and easily overrunning the gun.

With the Bedfords pushing to force their way into the most heavily defended and pallisaded gun position, the gunners took action, plunging round shot down the files of the oncoming troops and causing desperatly high casualties. At the same time a detachment of Grenadiers opened an enfilading volley from line into the heart of the disordered redcoats. The Bedfords were almost completely annihilated with few men uninjured.

But even as the Bedfords ran, the remaining 28th had torn their way through the earthen walls and overrun the central, heavily fortified artillery piece. The 42nd, meanwhile, had charged straight into the assembled line of Pavlov grenadiers causing considerable casualties. Several of the Pavlovs tried some pot shots at Blantyre but missed and with that Blantyre called for a halt in the fighting.
Roman and Blantyre met to discuss terms while the men halted in their columns. Blantyre believed he would have to retire, but at the same time believed he could end the assault now with his superior artillery. Roman considered his position strong, being able to boast the same number of infantry (superior quality) as the British but could not match they're artillery being left with only one gun. Blantyre decided to offer Roman a surrender in which the Russians handed over Pori and any claim to Finland in return for an Anglo-Swedish promise not to march on St Petersburg. Roman however was hesitant.

To persuade him Parkhill opened bombardment on one company of the Pavlovs arrayed beyond the safety of the earthworks, demolishing their formation. The armistace was broken and the fighting continued but the damage had been done and General Roman was in a bad place.

The 42nd broke as the Pavlovs retaliated with a volley, but the Gloucesters led by Blantyre quickly secured the last Russian gun. Roman was forced to unconditional surrender having but one company left and being faced by the 28th and Parkhill's artillery. 

Pori surrendered along with the Russian army. Roman agreed to turning his army over to fighting the French and with his army turned the Tzar soon followed. 

With the arrival of Blantyre in Sweden had come the ejection of the Russians from Finland and the turning of the Russians against the French. For his part in the war Lieutenant Colonel Robert Walter Stuart, lord Blantyre, of the 2/42nd was promoted to Brigadier General and Colonel McDowell was given much credit.