Oeversee is a name which is usually associated with the Danish German War of 1864 where the Danes rearguard turned on the advancing Austrians and inflicted heavy losses. While the experience of fighting in the area was new to the Austrians it was not to the Danes, indeed it is quite possible that some of the Danes who stood there against the Austrians had done so fourteen years earlier against another foe. This is the story of this earlier smaller but no less important action.

Soon after the Revolution had broken out in Schleswig Holstein the German Confederation had decided to go to the aid of the rebels. Led by the Prussians, who were motivated by anything but an enthusiasm for revolution the Federal forces advanced into Holstein but arrived too late to prevent the defeat of the Duchy army at Bov on 9th April. Determined to support the rebels the Federal army moved forward and met the Danes at Schleswig.

The battle of Schleswig, fought on 23rd April, is justly seen by the Danes as a glorious defeat. They had, with considerably inferior forces given the Prussians, who had been unwilling to wait for the rest of the Federal Army to move up before attacking, a "bloody nose". Unfortunately this view of the action caused the Danes to adopt a rather cavalier attitude toward their withdrawal which caused the "glorious 23rd" to be followed by a "disastrous 24th.

Following the battle of Schleswig the Danes fell back only as far as Flensburg and due to their belief that the Prussians were in no condition to pursue them, they failed to post anything more than a token rear guard. While they were right about the Prussians they had failed to take into account the rest of the Federal division which von Wrangel, the German high commander, now ordered to take up the pursuit.

The Federal troops under General Halkett took to the task with enthusiasm as they believed that the impetuous actions of the Prussians on the previous day had deprived them of an opportunity to share in the victory. The advanced guard of the Federal troops soon captured five men of the 2nd Danish Jager Corps. From these men and some locals they learned that elements of the 2nd Jager Corps and the 5th Dragoon Regiment along with two guns were in the area just to the north. Seeing an opportunity General Halkett divided his available forces into three columns in the hope of surrounding the Danes.

On the right flank a column composed of one Mecklenburg squadron under the command of Captain von Bulow and twenty men of the Hanoverian King's Hussars advanced to the east of the main road (the "Ox Way") towards Munkwolstrup. On the left flank a column composed of the bulk of the Hanoverian King's Hussars under Lieutenant Colonel Plate was to circle the Sankelmark Lake while the main column was to continue straight up the main road.

Danish soldiers in the battle by Oeversee

At first it seemed that the columns were to late as when the right flank column arrived at Munkwolstrup they found the Danes gone and had to content themselves with a wagon and a large amount of weapons. However when Plate's column arrived at the Bilschau Inn to the north of the lake they learned that a squadron of the 5th Danish Dragoons (apparently those who had been at Munkwolstrup) were still to the south.

Immediately Plate deployed his troops placing the 1st and 2nd Squadrons behind the inn and straddling the main road while keeping the 3rd squadron in reserve. Thus when the Danes arrived they found their escape route blocked and although they sought to evade there opponents one colonel, four officers and forty five dragoons were taken along with the Regimental standard.

Before all the wounded prisoners could be removed two companies of the 2nd Danish Jager Corps came into view causing the Hussars to quickly fall back to the west of Bilschau. Seeing the way clear the Danes were just making the rising ground before Bilschau when disaster struck. Although the bulk of the central Federal column had been slow to move forward its most advanced unit (a squadron of Mecklenburg Hussars) was within striking distance of the Danes.

Realising that their quarry was escaping they immediately launched an attack. Although unsuccessful and costly (6 men were wounded) the attack did force the Danes to halt their retreat and seek cover in marshy terrain by which time the 3rd Hanoverian Light Infantry had arrived on the scene.

The Schutzen company immediately deployed into the woods to the west of the road which forced the Danes to abandon their good position for one in close terrain, which was far less favorable. The situation for the Danes was now becoming desperate as a second Federal infantry unit joined the fray. This unit, the 2nd Brunswick Infantry Battalion, now joined with the Hanoverians in a bayonet attack against the beleaguered Danes.

Bravely the Jagers fought on until at about 4.00 pm when, with their ammunition running low and darkness fast approaching, they gave up the unequal struggle and surrendered. The Federal troops captured some 250 men including a number of officers. Casualties on the Danish side had been heavy considering the number of men engaged with four dead (including the commanding officer) and 26 wounded. Casualties on the German side were fairly light.

Unfortunately for the Danes this disaster was to lead to another which was, if anything, more humiliating. Some of the Dragoons succeeded in reaching Flensburg where the bulk of the army was gathered. These panic stricken men went though the town yelling "the Prussians are here" which resulted in hysteria. Men came running out of their billets fleeing in a disorderly mass toward the north of the town.Although order was quickly restored the damage was already done and on the 25th the Danes continued their retreat north.

So ended what was to be one of the blackest days of the war for the Danes especially as both events could so easily be avoided if proper precautions had been taken. The day was significant in another way as well. As a result of these events the minister of war, Tscherning, began to doubt the competence of the High Command to wage war leading to mistrust and suspicion which undermined the war effort. A situation which would continue throughout the war and which would reappear in 1864 as well.

Once again in writing this article I am indebted to Gerd Stolz of Kiel, Germany. In this case doubly for it was his article dealing with the same combat on which this article is based and it was he who supplied additional information and comments as well. Gerd also tells me that one can still find the graves of several of those killed in the action in the Churchyard of the Church in Oeversee.