Four days later, the corps fought valiantly at the Battle of Holowczyn, losing its captain lieutenant Otto Wrangel. Peter I in a letter to Fyodor Apraksin, claimed the Drabants—whom he viewed as a role model for every European army—had lost their general along with half of the force. On 10 September, they witnessed the Battle of Malatitze, and ten days later fought at the Skirmish at Rajovka, arriving among the first group save the king, who was surrounded by a large enemy force. By the end of 1708, as the army turned towards Ukraine, the corps counted 146 men in the lines. The following year, the Drabants participated in the February-offensive to dislodge the nearby Russian units and scorch the land west of the Vorskla:
