Historical background
The campaign of 1849 started with a Schleswig-Holstein & German invasion of Southern Jutland, with 61.000 men. 46.000 German reichtroopers in three divisions, one Kurhessian-Bavarian (1st Div.), one Hanoverian (2nd Div.) and a Prussian (3rd Div.), and the Schleswig-Holstein army of 16.000 men.

The Danish army´s withdrawal up north in Jutland
The withdrawal was dictated by the position of the important parts of the Danish country. The Danes wanted to protect the Northern part of Jutland, and at the same time they wanted to defend Als with its bridgehead at Sundeved, and the island of Funen with its bridgehead at Fredericia. The Schleswig-Holstein army had to follow the movements of the Danish army, if it wanted to occupy Jutland and still keep the supply lines open.

About 15.000 men under general De Meza withdrew to the island of Als, just separated from Jutland by a small strait. The bridgehead on the eastern coast of Jutland, at Sundeved was taken by the Germans. To oppose the threat to his supply lines the Schleswig-Holstein commanding general, Prittwitz, left 20.000 German “Reichtroopers” at Sundeved. The rest of the Schleswig-Holstein army followed the retreating Danish army. At the fortified city of Fredericia, the Danes left a garrison of 7.000 men, plus a reserve on the Island of Funen - also just separated from Jutland by a small strait (the Little Belt).

The Prussian commander (Prittwitz) left the whole Schleswig-Holstein army to lay siege on Fredericia. The rest of the Danish army, under general Olav Rye retreated further North, and fought several small delaying actions. Finally he withdrew to another small peninsula on the Eastern coast of Jutland (“Helgenæs”). The Germans could not move further North, because they then would have the Danish army behind it. This Danish tactic was possible because the Danish navy was almost totally superior at Sea.

So the Danes had all the advantages in this situation, when the German/Schleswig-Holstein army was separated in three parts with several days march between them. With the help of the fleet, it was possible for the Danes to concentrate the bulge of the army against any part of the German army.

The siege of Fredericia
Fredericia was besieged by the Schleswig-Holsteinian army under General Bonin on the 9th of May 1849. Fredericia is located on the South and East side of Jutland surrounded by a strait “Little Belt”, which at that place is rather narrow. The distance from Fredericia to the ferry station (Strib) on Funen is only about 1300 yards. The fortifications consisted of a main rampart with nine bastions, and the moat around the rampart was 10 yards wide and 5 yards deep. Commander of the garrison (7.000 men) was Colonel Lunding.

The besiegers constructed 4 redoubts (no. 1 - 4). Their function was to shell the town, and cover the Schleswig-Holsteinian army against a sally from the garrison. The garrison made a sally on the 13th of May to prevent the construction of redoubt no. 3, but it was never the less finished on the 15th of May. From the 16th of May and for 4 days the Schleswig-Holstein army shelled the town.

The population was evacuated to Funen. Four of the most densely built areas in the town were destroyed, but as the fires were quickly put out, and as it is impossible to observe the inner town from outside the rampart, General Bonin believed the damage to the town to be insignificant. As the garrison constantly was relieved and given 6 days rest, by transferring troops to and from Funen, Bonin decided with all means, to stop communication between Fredericia and Funen.

So he constructed two redoubts near the beach, North of the fortress - redoubt no. 5 (Treldeskansen) and redoubt no. 6 (which actually never was finished). In a sally on the 30th of June, the Danes destroyed some of those earthworks, and spiked 9 cannons (one 168 lb. mortar, three 84 lb. howitzers and five 24 lb. smoothbores). And those cannons were still not in function at the actual battle 6 days later. But the sally could not prevent redoubt no. 5 from being finished.

So now the Schleswig-Holsteinians had surrounded the town from sea to sea, and seriously threatened to cut the communication with Funen. Therefore Colonel Lunding urged his superior commanders not to delay a major outbreak much more. Several attack plans were discussed, and the commanders settled for a major attack, north out of the fortress, combined with “fake” landing demonstrations with two “fleets” of each 22 ships (1 steamer, 4 gunboats, 5 transports and 12 sailing ships), north and south of the fortress. Those demonstrations prevented several of the Schleswig-Holsteinian forces from participating in the battle.

The battle should have started on the 5th of July, but one of the Danish brigades didn’t receive its orders in time. Instead it was suggested that the army should attack at 01.00 am. This was a lucky decision for the Danes, as the whole Schleswig-Holsteinian army had been waiting all day long on the 5th of July in the earthworks for a attack that never came. At dusk on the 5th of July most of the troops retired to their camps for the night - they wouldn’t get much sleep.

The battle of Fredericia
It had been raining heavily the previous days, but the night of the 6th of July, was quiet and warm, with a clear sky. A dense fog concealed the movement of the Danish troops from the Schleswig-Holsteinians. During the morning a slight wind from north, helped to muffle the noise of the moving Danish troops. Furthermore all the streets of Fredericia were covered with straw to damp all sounds from the army. The attack started at 01.00 am.

“Avantgarden” under general De Meza attacked redoubt no. 3 and 4 and also the nearby mortar battery. It also covered the open space between redoubt no. 4 and 5. They took redoubt no. 4 and the mortar battery, and the engineers started the demolition immediately. But the attack bogged down in front of redoubt no. 3, which was defended by a small part of the Schleswig-Holsteinian 4th Jaegerkorps under their leader Major Schmidt.

Soon the Schleswig-Holsteinians counterattacked with the 6th Battalion from the west and the 8th Battalion from the north, and one company of the 7th Battalion, who was occupying redoubt no. 2.

The Danish 2nd Lette (Light) Battalion and the 2nd Jaegerkorps wavered and retreated. The demolition of the earthworks stopped. General Bonin ordered the last of the Schleswig-Holsteinian reserves of the second brigade (the 8th Battalion) to press the attack further forward. He hoped that not all the Danish attackers had left the fortress through the few narrow gates, but he was wrong.

The Schleswig-Holsteinian 8th Battalion was counterattacked by Schleppegrells Brigade. At first they repelled the Danish attack, but as the Danes were preparing for a new attack, the sun started to rise.

General Bonin could now for the first time overlook the battlefield, and had to realize that his left flank (his 1st Brigade) was beaten and in full rout. To save the rest of his Corps he ordered a general retreat towards Stoutrup. So when Schleppegrells brigade attacked for the second time, the Schleswig-Holsteinians were already retreating. So the Danes started to pursue.

To see what had happened we have to turn the time back to 01.00 am, and look at the events on the Schleswig-Holsteinians left flank (the Danish right flank).

The Danish 5th Brigade under General Olav Rye (Ryes Brigade) should according to the plans move North to the ford crossing Rands Fjord, to hinder a Schleswig-Holsteinian withdrawal or reinforcement that way. But before reaching that goal, his forces had to take the Schleswig-Holsteinians strongest redoubt Treldeskansen (“skanse” is the Danish word for redoubt). But the strength of this stronghold was very much underestimated by the Danes.

Olav Rye ordered 2 of his 5 battalions to bypass Treldeskansen, preventing reinforcements to reach the redoubt. The three remaining battalions stormed the redoubt, supported by the batteries Marcussen and Meincke.

The death of Olav Rye
With all his forces in battle, General Rye wanted to move forward and make his own observations of the battle. He had ordered his adjutant back to get new horses instead of those they had lost in the fighting. His head of staff had left earlier on another errand. As the General rode forward alone, his horse was killed under him.

He went on by foot to the Battery Marcussen and got a new horse. He rode further north of Treldeskansen with a company from the 4th Reserve Battalion. His new horse was shot too, and he continued on foot. Then at 3 am in the morning he was hit by two bullets, one in the thigh and one in the lower abdomen, and he died shortly afterwards.

 

Back at Treldeskansen (redoubt no. 5) the fighting was at a stalemate, but then the Danes were reinforced by the 8th Battalion from Moltkes Brigade and the half-battery Tillisch. Combined with the forces already present, the redoubt was taken, and with it 300 prisoners. The time was about 4 am in the morning.

The commander of the Schleswig-Holsteinian 1st Brigade (their left wing), Major Stuckradt, decided to withdraw his forces towards Egeskov over the ford at Rands Fjord, to the area north of Rands Fjord. But then he got the message that Danish gunboats covered the ford with their guns,so he decided to go west, south of Rands Fjord, towards Bredstrup.

At that time the Danish advance guard (De Meza) had pursued the retreating Schleswig-Holsteinians towards Egum and Stallerup, and now they blocked the way for the Schleswig-Holsteinians retreating South of Rands Fjord. About 750 men were taken prisioner. The whole left flank of the Schleswig-Holsteinian army was almost gone.

According to General Bonins official record after the battle, the 1st Brigade mustered only 1242 men of the initially 5000:

1st Battalion had 1 officer and 70 men
2nd Battalion had 1 officer and 70 men
4th Battalion had 1 officer and 170 men
3rd Jaegerkorps had 2 officers and 130 men
3rd Battalion which was moved to Bredstrup (west of the map) during the battle was the only effective Battalion in the brigade. It had lost 203 men.

The whole area between the town and Rands Fjord was now free from Schleswig-Holsteinians troops. In the meantime Schleppegrells Brigade had passed North of the inundation, and turned towards the southwest and moved against the redoubts no. 1 and 2. They captured them in 1/2 - 1 hour, supported by 2 companies from the 6th Reserve Battalion of the Garrison.

In order to cover the retreat, the Schleswig-Holsteinians Avantgarde (the right flank), tried to make a stand at Stoutrup with two battalions, but they were forced away by the Danish 3rd Jaegerkorps of the 3rd Battalion.

Just east of Stoutrup, the Schleswig-Holsteinian artillery park was located (at the Inn “Heise Kro”). Here the Danish 3rd Jaegerkorps captured about 100 wagons, a couple of guns and thousands of cannonballs and grenades as spoil of war.

The rest of the day the Danes pursued the Schleswig-Holsteinians until they reached a ravine West of Fredericia. But the main battle was over at 9 am, 8 hours after it had started.

As a result of the battle, a cease-fire was implemented, and on the 25th of August the last German troops left Denmark. The fighting was not renewed until July 1850 with the major battle of Isted, when 27.000 Germans and 37.000 Danes clashed for two days on the 24th and 25th of July.