Siege of Valencia (1812)
Siege of Valencia (1812) | |
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Part of Valencia, Spain 39°28′13″N 0°22′36″W / 39.4703°N 0.3767°W | |
Result | French victory |
374-455 guns[1]
The siege of Valencia from 3 November 1811 to 9 January 1812, saw
Background
On July 8, 1811, Marshal Suchet received his baton, making him the only French general to be appointed Marshal of France for winning victories in Spain. He won this honor specifically for his victory in the siege of Tarragona.[2] The port of Tarragona fell to the French on 29 June 1811 as a British naval squadron stood helplessly offshore. Suchet pressed the siege ruthlessly and lost 4,300 troops during the operation, but Spanish losses were far heavier. The loss of the port involved most of the Army of Catalonia and therefore left Spanish forces in the area gravely weakened.[3]
Emperor
Siege
Suchet commanded 20,595 men in five infantry divisions under
Palombini's
Blake disposed of 28,044 soldiers for the defense of Valencia, organized in three groups, the Expeditionary Corps, the 2nd Valencian Army, and the 3rd Murcian Army. The Expeditionary Corps' included the infantry divisions of Generals Miguel Lardizabal y Uribe and José Pascual de Zayas y Chacón plus General Casimiro Loy's cavalry and two horse artillery batteries, a total of 6,041 men. The 2nd Army consisted of the infantry divisions of Generals Miranda, José Obispo, Villacampa, and Velasco, plus General San Juan's cavalry. The 2nd Army mustered 16,468 men, two foot and one horse artillery batteries. Counting 5,535 troops, the 3rd Army had the brigades of Generals Creagh and Montijo plus eight squadrons of cavalry and one horse artillery battery.[5]
Blake deployed his army facing generally north with his right wing on the coast, his right-center in Valencia, his left-center at Mislata, and his left at Manises. The divisions of Obispo and Villacampa, which had performed poorly at the Battle of Sagunto, held the left flank. To their right stood Creagh's brigade. Next in line were the good-quality divisions of Lardizabal and Zayas. Miranda's division occupied Valencia while some irregulars held the gap between the city and the coast. Blake posted his cavalry at Aldaia and Torrent, behind his left flank. Though the line as far as Manises was fortified and protected by canals and ditches, the left flank hung in the air.[6]
Suchet discerned that Blake's left flank was the weak point and determined to envelop it. He planned to take the divisions of Harispe, Musnier, Reille, and Boussart in a wide sweep around the open Spanish flank. Suchet directed Habert to break through along the coast, while Palombini attacked Mislata and Compère observed the Spanish lines. If all went well, Suchet might bag Blake's entire army. On the night of 25 December, Suchet led his main column across the Rio Túria at Riba-roja de Túria.[6]
At first, Habert's attack on his right flank fooled Blake into thinking it was Suchet's main effort. Then Palombini's attack at Mislata diverted his attention. Despite persistent assaults, the Italians failed to break through and suffered heavy losses. Suchet's main column reached Blake's left rear virtually unopposed.[6] As Harispe approached the village of Aldaia, he sighted the Spanish cavalry reserve. With a single squadron of the 4th Hussars, Boussart rashly attacked a vastly superior force. The handful of French horsemen were wiped out, while Boussart was cut down and left for dead, his sword and decorations pilfered.[8] The bulk of the French cavalry under General of Brigade Jacques-Antoine-Adrien Delort[9] soon came up and routed the Spanish troopers, driving them beyond the Rio Júcar and depriving Blake of much-needed cavalry support.[8]
General Nicolás de Mahy, in overall command of the left flank, realized that his troops were in danger of being encircled. He ordered an immediate retreat and the divisions of Obispo and Villacampa, as well as Creagh's brigade made their escape to the south. Blake ordered Lardizabal and Zayas to retire within Valencia. The veteran units cleanly disengaged but were doomed to be trapped in the city. Suchet rapidly ringed the city with his army.[6]
With a population of 100,000, a lack of food, and obsolete defenses, Valencia was in no condition to sustain a siege. On the night of 28 December, Blake tried to break out of the city. The attempt failed except for a spearhead of 500 troops which got away. Suchet wasted little time, digging the first siege parallels on 1 January and taking the outer defenses under fire three days later. As the bombardment intensified, Blake capitulated and handed over Valencia on 9 January.[6]
Results
For the loss of about 2,000 killed and wounded, Suchet succeeded in capturing 16,270 Spanish soldiers, 21 colors, and 374 guns. In addition, 4,011 Spanish troops died in battle or from disease. All of Blake's cavalry, plus the units of Obispo, Villacampa, and Creagh avoided capture, but his best troops became prisoners. Blake performed poorly throughout the siege and the citizens of Valencia despised him for his feeble efforts. The French held the Spanish general in prison near
Suchet continued to advance to the south, capturing the port of
Far to the north, General
On 20 January, Severoli laid siege to
Aftermath
The guerilla war proceeded till the end of the Peninsular war.
The Spanish conventional warfare proceeded till 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 Allied campaign in Spain started with the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e Bodart 1908, p. 429.
- ^ Ojala 1987, p. 497.
- ^ Smith 1998, p. 365.
- ^ a b Ojala 1987, p. 498.
- ^ a b c d Smith 1998, pp. 373–374.
- ^ a b c d e f Rickard 2020.
- ^ Gates 2002, p. 322.
- ^ a b Rickard 2019.
- ^ a b Mullié 1852.
- ^ Gates 2002, p. 324.
- ^ Gates 2002, p. 325.
- ^ Smith 1998, p. 374.
- ^ a b Smith 1998, p. 375.
- ^ Glover 2001, pp. 207–208.
- ^ Glover 2001, pp. 210–212.
References
- Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618-1905). Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ISBN 0-14-139041-7.
- Mullié, Charles (1852). Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 a 1850 (in French).
- Gates, David (2002). The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. London: Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-9730-6.
- Ojala, Jeanne A. (1987). ISBN 0-02-905930-5.
- Rickard, J. (2020). Siege of Valencia 25 December 1811-9 January 1812. Archived from the original on 5 January 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- Rickard, J. (2019). Combat of Aldaya 26 December 1811. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ISBN 1-85367-276-9.
External links
- Media related to Siege of Valencia (1812) at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos |
Napoleonic Wars Siege of Valencia (1812) |
Succeeded by Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812) |