This book describes the army raised in Finland during the reigns of Gustav III and Gustav IV Adolf, the last decades of Swedish rule. It considers the organization of the army and its role in the defence of Finland. Regimental records and official regulations have been used to illustrate the army's peacetime routine, which for the majority of officers and soldiers comprised a life as farmers punctuated by periods of training and public works. Subjects covered in the book range from discipline to uniforms. Special attention is paid to how an army whose official language was Swedish interacted with its Finnish-speaking soldiers. The book concludes with an examination of the mobilization of the army, its performance in war and effectiveness as a fighting force.
Dr John Screen is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London. He has written extensively on Finnish military history, including The Finnish Army 1881-1901: Training the Rifle Battalions (Helsinki, 1996), Keisarillinen Suomen Kadettikoulu 1812-1903 (with Veli-Matti Syrjö, Helsinki, 2003), and a biography, Mannerheim (Helsinki, 2001).
Autonomian ajan Suomen sotalaitoksen toimintaan erikoistuneen tutkijan J. E. O. Screenin tutkimus käsittelee Ruotsin ajan viimeisinä vuosikymmeninä olemassa ollutta Suomen sotalaitosta. Perusteellisessa selvityksessä käsitellään niin armeijan organisaatiota, ylläpitoa, sotaharjoituksia, kuria kuin materiaalistakin puolta. Teos on runsaasti kuvitettu.