Fight in the Pyrenees
| date | July 25 to August 2, 1813 |
|---|---|
| place | northern pyrenees |
| output | Allied victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 79,000 men | 62,000 men |
| losses | |
|
12,501 dead, wounded and missing |
7,000 dead, wounded and missing. |
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The fighting in the Pyrenees was the result of a massive offensive launched on July 25, 1813 by Maréchal Soult on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte in the Pyrenees. It was about hoping to relieve the French garrisons enclosed in Pamplona and San Sebastian , that is, to force the besiegers to withdraw.
After initial successes and initially rapid progress, the French were increasingly faced with massive resistance from Allied troops under the command of Arthur Wellesley, Marquis of Wellington. Soult gave up the offensive on July 30th and began to retreat to France without having achieved his goal.
The French advance led to several skirmishes. Soult successfully fought the battle of Roncevaux with two corps against the British 4th and a Spanish division. The Allied units could be pushed back further during the day until they holed up on the Col de Roncevaux during the night, pursued by the far superior French forces.
Furthermore, on July 25, a French corps fought against the 2nd British Division near the hamlet of Maya. The British were pushed back towards the Col de Maya in the evening.
As a result of the French offensive, Wellington concentrated strong forces north of Pamplona and stopped Soult's advance at the Battle of Sorauren on July 28th.
The offensive ended on August 2nd with the crossing of the Napoleonic troops across the Spanish-French border.
literature
- David Gates: The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War . Pimlico, London 2002. ISBN 0-7126-9730-6
- Michael Glover: The Peninsular War 1807-1814. Penguin, London 2001. ISBN 0-141-39041-7
- Digby Smith: The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill, London 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9