Battle of the Bidassoa
Battle of the Bidassoa (1813) | |
---|---|
Part of La Rhune 43°20′16″N 1°43′7″W / 43.33778°N 1.71861°W | |
Result | Allied victory |
Portugal
Spain
17 cannons[4]
In the Battle of the Bidasoa (or the Battle of Larrun) on 7 October 1813 the Allied army of
Wellington aimed his main assault at the lower Bidasoa, while sending additional troops to attack Soult's centre. Believing his coastal sector secure, Soult held the right flank with a relatively weak force while concentrating most of his strength on his left flank in the mountains. However, the British general obtained local intelligence that indicated that water levels on the lower river were much lower than the French suspected. After careful planning, Wellington launched a surprise assault which easily overran the French left flank defences. In the centre, his army also won through the French defenses, though his Spanish allies were repulsed in one attack. At the beginning of the fighting, Soult realised that his left flank was in no danger, but it was too late to reinforce his positions on the right. Some French generals were shocked at how poorly their soldiers fought.
Background
Operations
In the
Preparations
Because the French troops had begun to plunder their fellow citizens,
Deciding that the coastal sector was the strongest part of his line, Soult posted
General of Division
Fearing an allied thrust over the Maya Pass and down the
Wellington had 64,000 Anglo-Portuguese infantry and artillery, plus 25,000 Spanish soldiers from the Army of Galicia. Since cavalry was of little use in the mountains, the
The crossing was meticulously planned. Near the lower fords, British engineers built a turf wall near the river. This would shelter Andrew Hay's 5th Division during the time before it crossed the river. Wellington positioned five field batteries and three 18-pound siege cannon to provide fire support to the attacking infantry.[10]
Battle
Allied Army
Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington (89,000, 24,000 engaged)[11]
Coastal Sector[a] | La Rhune Sector[a] |
---|---|
|
|
French Army
Corps | Division | Battalions | Strength |
---|---|---|---|
Right General of Division Honoré Charles Reille |
7th Division: General of Division Antoine Louis Popon de Maucune | 8 | 3,996 |
9th Division: General of Division Pierre François Joseph Boyer | 12 | 6,515 | |
Center General of Division Bertrand Clausel |
4th Division: General of Division Nicolas François Conroux | 9 | 4,962 |
5th Division: General of Division Jean-Pierre Maransin | 9 | 5,575 | |
8th Division: General of Division Eloi Charlemagne Taupin | 10 | 4,778 | |
Left General of Division Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon |
1st Division: General of Division Maximilien Sebastien Foy | 8 | 4,654 |
2nd Division: General of Division Jean Barthélemy Darmagnac | 9 | 4,447 | |
3rd Division: General of Division Louis Jean Nicolas Abbé | 8 | 6,051 | |
6th Division: General of Division Augustin Darricau | 7 | 4,092 | |
Reserve General of Division Eugene-Casimir Villatte |
8th Division: General of Division Eugene-Casimir Villatte | 18 | 8,018 |
Artillery: | - | 2,000 |
Bidassoa
At 7:25 am the 5th Division launched its attack from near
That morning Soult was absorbed in watching
La Rhune
The toughest fighting of the day occurred in Clausel's sector.
Meanwhile, James Kempt's other Light Division brigade and Francisco de Longa's Spanish division attacked up two spurs of La Rhune to secure some positions. To their right, Pedro Girón's two Andalusian divisions (Virues and La Torre) attacked the summit of La Rhune. Though the Spanish attacked repeatedly, they were defeated. However, the next day the French abandoned the position to avoid encirclement.[14][15][16]
Results
The Allies were victorious for the first time on French soil. In Reille's sector, the French lost 390 killed and wounded, plus 60 men and eight cannons captured. In Clausel's sector, the French suffered 600 killed and wounded, plus 598 men and nine cannons captured. The British lost 82 killed, 486 wounded, and five missing, or a total of 573. The Portuguese lost 48 killed, 186 wounded, and eight missing, or a total of 242.[4] The Spanish suffered the balance of the 1,600 total Allied casualties.[14] The defeat lowered morale in Soult's army. Except at La Rhune, French troops did not obstinately defend their positions. Villatte commented, "with troops like these we can expect only disgrace".[17] Soult made Maucune the scapegoat, dismissed him from his division, and sent him to the rear.[12] After the battle, some of the Allied troops indulged themselves in the looting of French homes and towns. Wellington came down harshly on British troops caught plundering. He felt sympathetic to the Spanish, who had seen their nation ravaged by French soldiers, but he determined to tolerate no looting for fear of provoking a guerilla war.[18]
During the follow-up to this victory, Spanish troops seized the Sainte-Barbe Redoubt at 43°18′1″N 1°34′55″W / 43.30028°N 1.58194°W, 1.4 kilometres (0.9 mi) south of the village of Sare. On 12 October, Conroux's division recaptured the fort from its garrison of La Torre's division and drove off a five-battalion Spanish counterattack. French casualties are estimated at 300, while the Spanish lost 300 killed and wounded, plus 200 captured.[19] The next engagement was the Battle of Nivelle on 10 November 1813.[20]
Explanatory notes
Notes
- ^ Glover's text states 61,000, but his order of battle footnote adds up to 62,170 (Glover 2001, p. 281).
- ^ a b c Glover 2001, p. 283.
- ^ Oman 1930, p. 536.
- ^ a b Smith 1998, pp. 459–460.
- ^ Oman 1930, p. 535.
- ^ Bodart 1908, p. 460.
- ^ a b Glover 2001, p. 280.
- ^ a b c d Glover 2001, p. 281.
- ^ a b c d e Gates 2002, p. 523.
- ^ Glover 2001, pp. 283–284.
- ^ Glover's Nivelle order of battle was used (Glover 2001, pp. 385–387).
- ^ a b Glover 2001, p. 285.
- ^ Glover 2001, pp. 285–286.
- ^ a b Glover 2001, p. 286.
- ^ Smith specified Girón as the Spanish commander (Smith 1998, p. 460).
- ^ Although Glover does not mention Girón in his account of the La Rhune attacks (Glover 2001, p. 386); Girón's division commanders are inferred from the Nivelle order of battle.
- ^ Glover 2001, p. 287.
- ^ Glover 2001, pp. 286–287.
- ^ Smith 1998, p. 460.
- ^ Smith 1998, p. 476.
References
- Gates, David (2002), The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War, London: Pimlico, ISBN 0-7126-9730-6
- Glover, Michael (2001), The Peninsular War 1807-1814, London: Penguin, ISBN 0-14-139041-7
- Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1930). A History of the Peninsular War: August 1813 – April 14, 1814. Vol. VII. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- Smith, Digby (1998), The Napoleonic Wars Data Book, London: Greenhill, ISBN 1-85367-276-9
- Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905). Retrieved 8 June 2023.
External links
- Media related to Battle of the Bidassoa at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by Battle of Wartenburg |
Napoleonic Wars Battle of the Bidassoa |
Succeeded by Battle of Leipzig |