[6] The combined Saxon–Russian army of totally 29,000 men[2] had entrenched themselves across the 600 meter wide Düna River under the command of Adam Heinrich von Steinau.

[5] The allied army was initially under the command of Saxon general Otto Arnold von Paykull and Ferdinand Kettler of Courland, who were both ensured of an easy victory.

Prior to the battle, Kettler pronounced: "even a superior force of three hundred thousand Swedes, would still not be enough, to successfully achieve any progress with the crossing".

[5] After all the troops were embarked, the Swedes first torched some small boats and pushed them into the river, forming a smoke screen;[7]: 687  then, at four o'clock in the morning of the 19th, the attack began.

The four Swedish floating batteries returned fire, and after half an hour, the Swedes reached the beach and were immediately thrown into fight against Saxon patrols.

The Swedes then sequentially stormed and took the nearby Garras redoubt which seized them ground of at least 200 paces inland, where they managed to establish a good foothold, covering the ongoing construction of the floating bridge.

After a brief stalemate, the Swedes formed up to repulse a second attack made by the Saxon general Otto Arnold von Paykull who strictly intended to drive them back before the arrival of further Swedish reinforcements.

[5] However, bad weather prevented final constructions of the bridge which denied the crossing of the Swedish cavalry and so August II slipped away with his army.

[11][2][12] In preparation for the crossing, king Charles XII had ordered to build the first bridge across the Daugava River, which was made of anchored and interconnected by ropes and boats.

[13] During the battle, small barges armed with cannons were used, thus combining land and sea forces as well as deception (smoke) to achieve a stunning victory, carefully planned and very well executed.