Battle of Schleswig

The Battle of Schleswig occurred near Dannevirke on Easter morning, April 23, 1848 as the second battle of the First Schleswig War of 1848-1850.

Prussia had just entered the war and had sent almost 12,000 troops to Schleswig-Holstein. Counting reserves, General Wrangel commanded in total more than 18,000 men – almost three times the size of the Danish forces. The German Reich troops did not participate in the battle, but their presence forced the Danes to fight defensively against the Prussians.

On a cold and wet Spring morning the Germans attacked, but were held back by Colonel Frederik Læssøe who admirably defended himself, and losses were limited. There was still a horrific number of casualties.

The battle lead to an acute bout of discouragement in Denmark – a sharp reversal from the optimism of the March entry of Denmark into war. The army withdrew to Funen leaving Jutland open to Wrangel's troops.

The battle inspired writer Carl Ploug to write a song about the battle, "Paaskeklokken kimed mildt..." (full text)