An attempt was made to play the adversaries against each other, but Russia forced the issue by building and equipping a large Baltic fleet with orders to pillage and harass the eastern Swedish seaboard.

Under the supervision of the colonel of fortifications Baltzar von Dahlheim boulder-filled boats were towed into the very narrow strait, where they were sunk in the shallowest and narrowest parts to render it impassable.

On the morning of 13 August, generaladjutant Filip von Tessin returned from a scouting mission to Baggenstäket to report that Russian galleys had been spotted at the entrance to the passage.

The closest large Swedish army unit, the 800-man Södermanlands regemente, was alerted and under its commander Rutger Fuchs force marched 19 kilometers to meet the enemy.

After a rapid march through rocky and densely forested terrain under a hot summer sun, von Essen reached Baggenstäket before 7pm without encountering any fire.

However, the Russian fleet was untouched and would continue to harass the eastern coast of Sweden the next year until it suffered heavy losses in the battle of Ledsund.