Augustin Ehrensvard designed the marine fortresses at Viapori and Loviisa to defend the eastern half of Sweden. He carried out this, his life's work, in the firm belief that Finland was Sweden's equal within the Kingdom of Sweden. At Ehrensvard's suggestion, a separate 'archipelago fleet' was established to patrol the coast of Finland; this unit later played a key role in the naval engagements of 1788-90 during Gustavus III's war with Russia.
Background
Augustin Ehrensvard was born on 25 September in 1710 in the Vastmanland region of Sweden at Fullero Manor, which was then owned by his mother's uncle Count Jacob Cronstedt. There he also spent the first ten years of his life, since his father Jacob Johan Scheffer spent years on the battlefield during the Great Northern War. Known for his improvements to Sweden's artillery, Scheffer was made a nobleman in 1717, taking the tide of Ehrensvard. It was not until 1719 when he was promoted to colonel and made commander of the fortress at Marstrand, that he was able to bring his family together. The ten-year-old Augustin moved from Fullero to Marstrand in 1720.
Education
Augustin studied at University of Uppsala.
Career
At the age of sixteen Augustin Ehrensvard began his military career as a volunteer in the artillery. After his first promotion, he was given paid leave to study at the University of Uppsala, where he became so interested in mathematics that at one stage he dreamt of becoming a professor. On his own initiative, he also studied mechanics at Stjernsund under Chrisroffer Pohlem. Along with Daniel Thunberg, Pohlem later became Ehrensvard's most important technical adviser during the building of Viapori.
In 1736 Ehrensvard, now promoted to lieutenant, received a travel stipend from the Privy Council to spend two years studying artillery, armament and equipment depots and gun factories in various European countries. During his travels he studied fortresses and questions concerning their defense and capture. He was later forced to listen to allegations that his experience in this field was inadequate and based on a single study trip; by training he was an artillery officer, not a fortifications expert. During his trip he also studied painting, drawing and engraving in Paris.
After returning to Stockholm, Ehrensvard trained artillery officers as a captain mechanics'. At the same time he began his political career, representing his family at the Diet of 1738-39. He joined the 'Hats' faction and in time was given a key role because of his military expertise, though he did not rank among the political leaders.
When the War of the Hats against Russia broke out in 1741, Ehrensvard was assigned to the commander-in-chief and thus visited Finland for the first time. His first task was to make the artillery fit for war service, after which he supervised the extension of the defenses at Hamina. A disastrous retreat began the next summer. In August, Ehrensvard helped to save from greater defeats an army which was retreating from Malmi in Helsinki Parish towards Helsinki itself. He was in charge of a Swedish battery on a hill beside Tuomarinkyla Village, and this succeeded in silencing a Russian battery in Tapaninkyl Village; some munitions took direct hits and exploded. Shortly thereafter Ehrensvard was ordered to accompany the commander-in-chief to Stockholm, where a report was to be made on the situation in Finland.
His experiences during the Finnish campaign made a deep impression on the yard. In his later commentaries and notes on defense, he often returned to these experiences, and it is clear during the War of the Hats he had already formed an idea of how Finland's defenses should be organized.
The defense of Finland became one of the main issues at the Diet of 1746-47. The Finnish representatives in particular vehemently asserted that the Diet must assume responsibility, and they received support from Swedish members as well. The idea of establishing a large fortress and naval base near Helsinki had been
raised back in 1723 and again in 1738, but without any result. These plans now received renewed attention, and gradually the conclusion was reached that strong naval defenses complemented by fortresses constituted the surest protection against the enemy in the East. The discussions led gradually to concrete plans, thanks mainly to Augustin Ehrensvard and Hans Henrik von Liewen of the Hats faction.
In its final report, which to judge from its style was written by Ehrensvard, the commission suggested that a border fortress be situated at Loviisa (then called Degerby) and that the main fortress - an army depot - be established at Helsinki. The Degerby garrison would block the important coastal road, which ran right through the town and was the only road leading to the Russian border. Access from the sea would be controlled by a small fortress on the island of Svartholma. Double fortifications were proposed for Helsinki: these would consist of a sea fortress on the Susiluoto islets beyond Kruunuvuori Bay and a series of fortifications around the town itself, making Kruunuvuori Bay a sealed-of harbor. During the planning done in the 1720s, some fortifications experts had still been proposing gun-towers of different heights according to 17th-century principles, and therefore the commission now stressed that the fortifications had been planned "according to the position and contour of the hill". Ehrensvard and his colleagues estimated that the construction work would take only four years. Ehrensvard received his letter of appointment on 26 November 1747.
The initial stages of the planning assumed that Helsinki and its offshore islands would form a single large fortress surrounded by bastions facing in all directions. In February blasting work started at Siltavuori near Pitkasilta Bridge. In March work began at Kasavuori, now Tahtitorninmaki (‘Observatory Hill’), where the foundation stone was officially laid on 16 July. The hill was named Ullanlinna ('Ulla’s Castle') after Queen Ulrika Eleonora. At the same time work started on the outermost island, Susiluoto.
As the work continued in the spring of 1749, it slowly dawned on Ehrensvard and his assistants that the project was too extensive and the resources inadequate. The work at Pitkasilta Bridge was now considered less important, and it was stopped. A year later the builders were concentrating on Ullanlinna. In the autumn of the same year the authorities in Stockholm decided, at Ehrensvard's suggesti¬on, to concentrate all their energies on the offshore islands, postponing other work; Ehrensvard thought of this only as a delay, however, never abandoning his plans to fortify Helsinki as well.
Despite all the difficulties that he had experienced locally and with the central government, Ehrensvard continued his work on the island fortress; according to the curtailed plans, this was to comprise four enclosed forts on one of the many islands. An important point was reached on 17 July 1750, when, at Ehrensvard's suggestion, King Frederick I named the fortress Sveaborg, a name which gradually developed into the Finnish form Viapori. There could be no clearer indication that Viapori was being built for the defense of the entire kingdom and by no means only to protect Helsinki or the Finnish part of the realm.
During Ehrensvard's first period at Viapori, 1748-56, the Kustaanmickka fort on Susiluoto was completed, and on the adjoining Susisaari Island there was also so much progress that the main fortress was ready for use. However, only minor work was carried out on the largest of the islands, Iso Mustasaari, because it was reserved for later stages of construction. In contrast, work on the fortification of three smaller islands - Pieni Mustasaari, Lansi-Mustasaari and Sarkka - was already fairly advanced by the early 1750s. Viapori's most important buildings included two docks, a galley dock and a ship dock, construction of which began in 1752 on the basis of plans by Daniel Thunberg.
After King Frederick 1 died in 1751, Ehrensvard became the target of increased criticism in Stockholm. There were even complaints from among his own ranks, as the investment in Finland was thought to be far too costly; and the planned four-year period would soon be over with the end of the work not even dimly visible.
Soon after coming to the throne, King Adolphus Frederick had announced his intention of personally inspecting the fortifications in Finland. The journey took place in June 1752. In early summer Ehrensvard once more attended the Diet in Stockholm, but on 14 June - five days before the king's arrival - he was back at Viapori. On the following day he even found time to inspect the work at Degerby. The king was accompanied on his inspection by some ten experts on fortifications, all of whom, however, were among Ehrensvard's critics.
Ehrensvard made a sharp reply to the criticism, pointing out that for year after year his activities had been approved by the king, the Privy Council and the Estates. At the Diet of 1755-56 Ehrensvard won another victory: a separate naval unit consisting of galleys and other light vessels was established at his suggestion. Most of this fleet - which was under army control and not that of the Admiralty - was to be stationed in Finland, with Viapori as its base. Ehrensvard was appointed commander of this unit and was at the same time promoted to major-general and made a member of the Military Board. Like the Viapori and Loviisa fortresses - called "Finska fastningsbyggnaden" in Swedish - this 'archipelago fleet' was the result of a project undertaken outside the regular organization of the military forces, on the basis of special powers and funds granted to Ehrensvard. Ehrensvard's second period at Viapori proved to be short; this was due to the difficult political situation in the Diet. When the 'Caps' succeeded in gaining power in 1765, harsh criticism of Ehrensvard resumed, and he was dismissed in December 1765. He retired to the official residence at Mietoinen in Saari which he had been given upon application in 1761.
However, the Hats returned to power in 1769, and Ehrensvard was sent back to Viapori. The third period was also short, lasting from 1770 to 1772. Despite poor health, he was at his post at Viapori on 20 April 1770, and with 800 men he started work on the completion of the half-finished bastions, shipyards and barracks. The following year, however, his deteriorating health forced him to follow developments at Viapori from his official residence at Mietoinen. In July 1771 he offered his resignation, which was accepted on 29 July insofar as fortification work was concerned. He continued, however, as commander of the army's fleet. He was made a count on 15 October 1771. After this, when he was asked for advice he replied that as far as he was concerned, the future "is over, and my only wish is that those who come after me should be spared the troubles that I myself have experienced". Ehrensvard died on 4 October 1772 at his official residence at Mietoinen. Three weeks before, Gustavus III had promoted him to field marshal.