Battle of Torroella

Battle of Torroella

Part of: War of the Palatinate Succession

The battle of Torroella

date	May 27, 1694
place	Torroella near Girona in Catalonia
output	French victory

Parties to the conflict
France	Spain
Commander
Duc de Noailles	Viceroy Juan Manuel Pacheco, Marquis of Villena-Escalona
Troop strength
24,000	16,000-24,000
losses
500 dead and wounded	3,000 dead, wounded and prisoners

The Battle of Torroella , also known as the Battle of the Ter , was a battle in the War of the Palatinate Succession that was fought on May 27, 1694 on the banks of the Ter near the Puente Mayor near the important city of Girona in Catalonia in what is now Spain.

foreplay

In 1694, the French King Louis XIV decided to seek supremacy in Catalonia and leave Catinat's army on the defensive in Piedmont in order to have more troops in reserve for the Spanish front.

The Viceroy of Catalonia, Don Juan Manuel Lopez Pacheco Acuña Giron y Portocarrero , Marquis of Villena and Duke of Escalona, ​​who was also in command of the army, had practically all the troops he could muster along the river Ter to help the strong French To be able to stand up to the expeditionary force. The French were led by the Duke of Noailles , who wanted to take Girona.

Both armies had roughly the same strength (approx. 20,000 foot soldiers and 4–5,000 horsemen). The French regiments consisted largely of veterans, while the Spanish armed forces consisted mainly of newly recruited and newly created units that had never proven themselves in the field. In addition, the French had more and superior artillery with better projectiles at their disposal, which was also operated by well-trained crews under experienced officers.

Main battle

The Spanish army was divided into three corps to guard the fords at Verges, Ullà and Torroella. According to the Spanish Viceroy, "our entire army consisted of 11,900 foot soldiers and 4,000 horsemen, a total of 16,300 men."

On the previous days, the French had tried unsuccessfully to cross the Ter first at Verges and then to Ullà and Torroella de Montgrí . On the morning of May 27th, a thick fog hung over the banks of the river. About 2,000 French dragoons and horsemen took advantage of this and crossed the Ter near Torroella unnoticed, followed by a large number of infantry grenadiers. On the other bank they immediately launched attacks against the Spaniards, who had not holed up and were also exposed to heavy fire from the French artillery from the other side of the river.

After a first volley of their muskets, the Spaniards were no longer able to repel the oncoming enemies effectively. They began to flee from the battlefield, causing chaos for the rest of the army. Since the cavalry had withdrawn and the infantry remained defenseless, an effective defense against the French was not possible. So many Spaniards died trying in vain to repel the enemy. In the face of this defeat, and because by now many French troops had crossed the river and were ready for battle, the entire Spanish army fell into disarray. The entire cavalry fled to Girona with the rearguard.

The French managed a great victory against the Spaniards with only minor losses. They could kill many soldiers, as well as capture equipment, guns and numerous standards.

Aftermath

Official Spanish sources say 2,931 foot soldiers and 324 horses were lost, including dead, wounded and deserters. According to French sources, the Spanish lost more than 9,000 men, including 2,000 prisoners. Their own losses are said to amount to 500 men.

In this situation, the viceroy had no choice but to send some of his troops to Girona and march himself with the majority of his army to Barcelona , where he spent the whole of June. Meanwhile, the French looted more than 10 villages near the Ter.

On May 30th, three days after the Spanish defeat at Torroella, Noailles erected a land and sea blockade of the fortress Palamós , which surrendered to the French on June 10th. The city of Girona was captured on June 29th.

Barcelona was saved by the French Minister of War, Marshal Noailles cut funds and demobilized his army. In addition, an English fleet arrived under Edward Russell , which forced the French support fleet under Tourville to retreat to Toulon .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ cf. Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th Edition, New York 1910, Vol.X, p. 460.
2. ^ Antonio Espino López: Capítulo XIII: Las campañas de 1693-94. El derrumbe de la estabilidad defensiva (Spanish), accessed December 9, 2015.
3. ^ Giancarlo Boeri, Josè Luis Mirecki, Josè Palau : The Battle at the river Ter (Catalonia) (Engl.), Accessed on December 9, 2015.