Battle of Srem (A Federation of Equals)

The Battle of Srem, or logistically, the Battle of Lubonieczek was a minor military engagement during the Krakovian War, widely regarded as the turning point in the conflict. It took place on the sixth of January, and continued for three days, as a foward Prussian unit attempted to prevent a Imperial Battalion from entering into the Srem, five miles west of Lubonieczek. The outnumbered Prussian division, led by Generalfeldmarschall Albert Ferdinand Adolf Karl Friedrich von Bonin, managed to defeat the Russian force and turn the course of the offensive.

Prussian Intervention
The Danubian defeat, delivered at the Battle of Bielsko, prompted the King of Prussia to intervene, due to concerns about Russian Hegemony over Eastern Europe, and the agressive nature of the advancing armies. Fredrick William IV, provided nearly 150,000 soldiers to confront the Imperial Army on the eastern front, however, the suprising advance of Prince Pyotr Dmitrievich Gorchakov prompted Fredrick to rush soldiers into Prussian Poland. Albert von Bonin, commanded only 10,000 Prussian soldiers which he dispersed across the east to maintain control over urban populations.

Russian Advance
Bonin was left with 4,000 soldiers under his direct authority, whilst Pyotr was advancing through central Poland with 10,000, a portion of which was directed to grasp the urban centers; many of which were defended by Bonin's dispersed units. Albert, fearing that the Prussian Army was lagging behind, whilst the bulk of the Russians, numbering in the tens of thousands, had just amassed in Warsaw, drew the line of advance at Srem. Srem was under two-hundred miles from Berlin, and many Junkers critized this motion, citing its nearness to the capital of Berlin. Nonetheless, Albert maintained his plan; fortifying the Jezioro Racyskie lake, on the eastern frontier of  Lubonieczek, a village five miles away of Srem.

The Russian Prince, had no knowledge of the Prussian intent to defend the southern portion, as the Tsar had desired the urban center of Poznan, just north of Srem. As the Imperial Army neared the city, Bonin defied his superiors, and informed the Russians of his position. The suspicious prince attempted to move around Poznan and encircle the Prussian position, but the dispersed Prussian forces provided heavy resistance west of the Poznan, finally drawing Pyotr's hand, whom lead the Imperial Army to confront Albert.

Albert commanded a single batallion, the 4th, which was a component of the 1st Corps.