Battle of Sabugal
Battle of Sabugal | |||||||
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Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
A contemporary sketch of the battlefield | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
French Empire |
United Kingdom Portugal | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
André Masséna |
Arthur Wellesley Sir William Erskine | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
12,000[1] | 10,000[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,500[1] | 500[1] |
The Battle of Sabugal was an engagement of the Peninsular War which took place on 3 April 1811 between Anglo-Portuguese forces under Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) and French troops under the command of Marshal André Masséna. It was the last of many skirmishes between Masséna's retreating French forces and those of the Anglo-Portuguese under Wellington, who were pursuing him after the failed 1810 French invasion of Portugal.
In poor weather, with heavy rain and fog, Allied forces succeeded in forcing the demoralized French force into retreat. The victory was lauded by the British;
Background
By October 1810, Marshal Massena's French army had been halted by the
While the
The battle
The 1st Brigade of the British-Portuguese Light Division crossed the Côa at 10.00 hrs on the morning of 3 April. The French 4th Légére (Light) from Pierre Hugues Victoire Merle's 1st Division was alerted by musket fire as the 1st Brigade drove off a small number of French pickets. The French formed a column and advanced on the British. While making good progress initially, the concentrated French force was driven back by British artillery. The 1st Brigade followed the retreating French forces up a nearby hill, but was quickly ousted by the remaining French forces, who still held a considerable numerical advantage. The British were forced back into cover behind some small stone walls. Heavy rain had also begun to interfere with the muskets of both sides. An attempted counter-attack by the 1st Brigade also ended in failure, as the French had in the meantime set up artillery. Together with further French reinforcements, Reynier forced the British back to the cover of the stone walls at the foot of the hill.[2]
The crest was attacked for a third time by the 1st Brigade, now supported by the 2nd Brigade, which had arrived on the battlefield. While the French were initially pushed back, Reynier sent in a stream of French units to meet the arriving British
A French commander, Baron Thiébault, blamed the collapse of the 2nd Corps for the French defeat on 3 April, stating that "It might have been avoided if General Reynier had had faith in Massena’s foresight". Sources differ in the number of French prisoners taken, ranging from 186 to over 1,500.[2]
Erskine's role
Major-General William Erskine commanded the Light Division during the battle. Wellington planned to have the Light Division and two brigades of cavalry circle behind Reynier's open left flank while the other four divisions attacked in front. When the day dawned with heavy fog, the other commanders decided to wait until visibility improved. Undeterred, Erskine peremptorily ordered Lieut-Colonel Thomas Sydney Beckwith's 1st Brigade forward. Instead of crossing the Côa beyond Reynier's flank, the brigade drifted to the left in the fog, crossed at the wrong location and struck the French left flank.
Erskine, who was very nearsighted and mentally unbalanced, then became cautious and issued explicit instructions to Colonel George Drummond not to support his fellow brigade commander. At this point, Erskine rode off to join the cavalry, leaving the Light Division leaderless for the rest of the battle. Reynier switched most of his 10,000-man corps against Beckwith's 1,500 and pressed the light infantry back. When Drummond heard the sounds of battle approaching, he deduced that Beckwith's men were retreating. Disobeying orders, Drummond led his 2nd Brigade across the Côa and joined Beckwith. Together they drove the French back.
When the mist cleared, Reynier saw the other four divisions advancing in front, led by Thomas Picton's 3rd Division. He quickly withdrew the bulk of the II Corps, leaving 3,000 men of his right flank to hold off four divisions. William Grattan of the 88th Foot noted of the badly outnumbered French, "They never fought better. So rapidly did they fire that instead of returning their ramrods, they stuck them in the ground and continued to fight until overpowered by our men." Reynier admitted the loss of 760 men.
Aftermath
The guerrilla war proceeded until the end of the Peninsular war.
The Spanish conventional warfare proceeded until the end of the Peninsular war.
Napoleon had ended his invasion of Spain with the occupation of Madrid.
The third Portuguese campaign ended with the French retreat out of Portugal.
The stalemate in the west started with the first siege of Badajoz.
Notes
References
- Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905). Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- Powell, Vic; Jones, Colin (1908). "Battle of Sabugal 3 April 1811". Portsmouth Napoleonic Society. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
Further reading
- Dobbs, Captain John (2000). Recollections of an Old 52nd Man. Spellmount reprint.
- Glover, Michael (1974). The Peninsular War 1807-1814. Penguin.
- Garrety, Colour Sergeant Thomas Benjamin (1998). Memoirs of a Sergeant late in the 43rd light infantry regiment. Ken Trotman reprint.
- Gurwood, Lieut–Colonel (1841). Selections from the Dispatches and General orders of Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington.
- Hamilton, Sergeant Anthony (1998). Hamilton's campaign with Moore and Wellington. Spellmount reprint.
- Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1902a). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. I. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1902b). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. II. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1902c). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. III. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1902d). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. IV. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1902e). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. V. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1902f). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. VI. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1902g). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. VII. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- Simmons, Major George (1986). A British Rifleman. Greenhill reprint.
- Smith, Lieutenant–General Sir Harry (1902). Autobiography of Lieutenant – General Sir Harry. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- Thiebault, Arthur John (1994). The Memoirs of Baron Thiebault. Worley publications.
External links
- Media related to Battle of Sabugal at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by Battle of Campo Maior |
Napoleonic Wars Battle of Sabugal |
Succeeded by Blockade of Almeida |