Armée des Pyrénées occidentales
Encyclopedia
The Army of the western Pyrenees (Armée des Pyrénées occidentales) was one of the French armies of the French Revolutionary Wars
. From April 1793 until 12 October 1795, the army fought in the Basque Country and in Navarre
during the War of the Pyrenees
. After indecisive fighting during the first year of its existence, the army seized the Spanish port of San Sebastián
in August 1794. By the time the Peace of Basel
was signed on 22 July 1795, the Army of the western Pyrenees captured significant portions of northeastern Spain.
The army commanders with the longest tenure were Jacques Léonard Muller, who served from October 1793 to August 1794, and Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey, who served from August 1794 until the army was disbanded. Emperor Napoleon I
appointed Moncey a Marshal of France
in 1804 during the First French Empire
.
.
When first deployed in spring 1793, the army had 8,000 soldiers organized into two divisions, with a total of 15 battalions (bns) and 18 independent companies. The regular units were the 20th, 80th, and 148th Infantry Demi-brigade
s (2 bns each) and the 5th Light Demi-brigade. In addition there were the National Guard
units, Aldudes bn, 3rd bn/Dordogne, 3rd bn/Landes, 4th bn/Lot-et-Garonne, and Paris Louvre bn. The cavalry regiments were the 18th Dragoons, Volunteers of the Western Pyrenees (12th Hussars), and Bayonne Volunteer Chasseurs (24th Chasseurs à cheval). By mid-1794, effective strength reached 66,000 men. In June 1795 the army comprised 66 battalions and four regiments of cavalry. The army headquarters was first established at Bayonne
, then later at Saint-Jean-de-Luz
.
The left division, based at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
was commanded by General of Division Pierre François Lambert Lamoureux de Genettière. Wounded, he was replaced on 8 June 1793 by General of Division Louis Dubouquet. In 1794, the army was divided into three divisions, led by Generals of Division Moncey, Henri Delaborde
, and Jean Henri Guy Nicolas de Frégeville. The front-line divisions had 31 battalions. In addition, General of Division Jean Mauco commanded a reserve division based at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. In October 1794, a new division was formed, under the orders of General of Division Jean Antoine Marbot
.
Moncey was promoted to army command after his brilliant success in capturing San Sebastián
on 3 August 1794. He enjoyed relatively good relations with the Representatives-on-mission. In any case, the Reign of Terror
ended on 27 July 1794, and with it the French government's practice of sending unsuccessful generals to the guillotine
.
At the time of the army's dissolution on 12 October 1795, 18 battalions were retained to garrison the western Pyrenees, while 36 battalions and two cavalry regiments joined the Army of the West to fight in the War in the Vendée.
, no battles of importance occurred in the western Pyrenees in the year 1793. However, the French republican forces fought a number of skirmishes against Spanish troops and their French royalist allies. Examples include actions fought by the 5th Light Infantry Demi-Brigade on 6 June 1793 at Chateau-Pignon and at Aldudes
in June 1793.
On 5 February 1794, Dubouquet successfully defended the fortified Sans Culottes Camp on a hilltop near Hendaye
against 13,700 Spanish troops led by José Urrutia. On 3 June, a 2,300-man French brigade led by General of Brigade Lavictoire, part of Mauco's division, stormed the Izpegi Pass
(Col d'Ispeguy), 13.5 km west of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The 1,000 defenders included Spanish and French royalist soldiers. The same day, Colonel
Jacques Lefranc seized the Izpegi Ridge and other French troops captured positions near the Maya Pass.
On 23 June near Bera, Navarre (Vera), Don Ventura Caro's 8,500 Spanish soldiers were repulsed by a French force defending the fortified Mont Calvari. On 10 July, General of Brigade Antoine Digonet's 4,000-strong brigade drove Spanish and French royalists from their defenses atop Monte Argintzo, 10 km south of Elizondo
. The Spanish commander, Marquis de Saint-Simon was badly wounded and 49 captured French royalist prisoners were massacred by the victorious French republican forces.
On 23 July, the Army of the Western Pyrenees attacked the Spanish with the three front-line divisions of Moncey, Delaborde, and Frégeville in the Battle of the Baztan Valley
. Army commander General of Division Muller placed Moncey in control of the operation, which overran the Spanish positions near Elizondo and Doneztebe
(Santesteban). The French then turned north, following the Bidasoa
River northward at the end of July. On 1 August, Moncey seized the heights of San Marcial and the town of Hondarribia
(Fuenterrabia), reaching the coast. Cut off by the French, Don Vicente de los Reyes surrendered with 2,000 Spanish soldiers and 300 cannon. On 3 August, Moncey captured San Sebastián and 1,700 more Spanish soldiers plus 90 cannons fell into French hands. Moncey took the town of Tolosa
in August and was promoted to command the army on 1 September.
From 15 to 17 October, Moncey launched a broad front offensive from the Baztan valley and the Roncevaux Pass
toward Pamplona
known as the Battle of Orbaitzeta
. After clashes at Orbaitzeta
in the east, Mezquiriz (Mezkiritz) in the center, and Lekunberri
in the west, the French army defeated the army of Pedro Téllez-Girón, 9th Duke of Osuna. An arms foundry north of Orbaitzeta and the Spanish navy's mast store at Irati were captured by the French. A final clash occurred at Bergara
before the onset of cold weather and a disease outbreak ended operations for the year.
In the winter of 1794-1795 Moncey reorganized his army, which had seen 3,000 men die from disease. He finally received a siege train and 12,000 reinforcements arrived from the Army of the West in June. Moncey began to advance on 28 June and rapidly pressed back Crespo's Spanish forces. The French captured Vitoria
on 17 July and Bilbao
on 19 July. When news of the Peace of Basel arrived in early August, the Army of the Western Pyrenees was across the Ebro
and preparing to invest Pamplona.
Army commanders and their tenure are listed as follows.
MG Thomas-Alexandre Dumas
, born in Haiti
of European and African parents, was appointed commander in chief of the Army in the western Pyrenees by order of the Executive Council on 8 September 1793 and joined the army on 28 October. But the representatives-on-mission opposed his taking command and kept Muller in provisional command, by an order dated 29 October. At the beginning of December, under a new order of the Executive Council, Dumas left the Army of the western Pyrenees without having taken command. Instead, he led a column of reinforcements to the Army of the West.
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. From April 1793 until 12 October 1795, the army fought in the Basque Country and in Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
during the War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees refers to the Pyrenees front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. Also known as Great War, War of Roussillon, or War of the Convention, it pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal from March 1793 to July 1795 during the...
. After indecisive fighting during the first year of its existence, the army seized the Spanish port of San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
in August 1794. By the time the Peace of Basel
Peace of Basel
The Peace of Basel of 1795 consists of three peace treaties involving France .* The first of the three treaties of 1795, France made peace with Prussia on 5 April; , * The Second was with Spain on 22 July, ending the War of the Pyrenees; and*...
was signed on 22 July 1795, the Army of the western Pyrenees captured significant portions of northeastern Spain.
The army commanders with the longest tenure were Jacques Léonard Muller, who served from October 1793 to August 1794, and Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey, who served from August 1794 until the army was disbanded. Emperor Napoleon I
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
appointed Moncey a Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
in 1804 during the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
.
Organization
The army came into existence by a decree of 30 April 1793, when the Army of the Pyrenees was divided into the Army of the eastern Pyrenees and the Army of the western Pyrenees. This occurred after the outbreak of fighting in the War of the PyreneesWar of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees refers to the Pyrenees front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. Also known as Great War, War of Roussillon, or War of the Convention, it pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal from March 1793 to July 1795 during the...
.
When first deployed in spring 1793, the army had 8,000 soldiers organized into two divisions, with a total of 15 battalions (bns) and 18 independent companies. The regular units were the 20th, 80th, and 148th Infantry Demi-brigade
Demi-brigade
Not to be confused with 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign LegionThe Demi-brigade was a military formation first used by the French Army during the French Revolutionary Wars. The Demi-brigade amalgamated the various infantry organizations of the French Revolutionary infantry into a single unit...
s (2 bns each) and the 5th Light Demi-brigade. In addition there were the National Guard
National Guard (France)
The National Guard was the name given at the time of the French Revolution to the militias formed in each city, in imitation of the National Guard created in Paris. It was a military force separate from the regular army...
units, Aldudes bn, 3rd bn/Dordogne, 3rd bn/Landes, 4th bn/Lot-et-Garonne, and Paris Louvre bn. The cavalry regiments were the 18th Dragoons, Volunteers of the Western Pyrenees (12th Hussars), and Bayonne Volunteer Chasseurs (24th Chasseurs à cheval). By mid-1794, effective strength reached 66,000 men. In June 1795 the army comprised 66 battalions and four regiments of cavalry. The army headquarters was first established at Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, then later at Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.Saint-Jean-de-Luz is part of the province Basque of Labourd and the Basque Eurocity Bayonne - San Sebastian .-Geography:...
.
The left division, based at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothills....
was commanded by General of Division Pierre François Lambert Lamoureux de Genettière. Wounded, he was replaced on 8 June 1793 by General of Division Louis Dubouquet. In 1794, the army was divided into three divisions, led by Generals of Division Moncey, Henri Delaborde
Henri Delaborde
Henri François Delaborde was a French general in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.-Early career:He was the son of a baker of Dijon. In 1783, Delaborde joined the Regiment of Condé as a private...
, and Jean Henri Guy Nicolas de Frégeville. The front-line divisions had 31 battalions. In addition, General of Division Jean Mauco commanded a reserve division based at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. In October 1794, a new division was formed, under the orders of General of Division Jean Antoine Marbot
Jean Antoine Marbot
General Jean-Antoine Marbot was a French general and politician.Marbot was a member of the Garde du Corps but resigned upon the outbreak of the French Revolution. In 1791 he was elected a deputy to the Legislative Assembly. He took part in the French Revolutionary Wars in the Cerdagne against Spain...
.
Moncey was promoted to army command after his brilliant success in capturing San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
on 3 August 1794. He enjoyed relatively good relations with the Representatives-on-mission. In any case, the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
ended on 27 July 1794, and with it the French government's practice of sending unsuccessful generals to the guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
.
At the time of the army's dissolution on 12 October 1795, 18 battalions were retained to garrison the western Pyrenees, while 36 battalions and two cavalry regiments joined the Army of the West to fight in the War in the Vendée.
Operations
According to historian Digby SmithDigby Smith
Digby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
, no battles of importance occurred in the western Pyrenees in the year 1793. However, the French republican forces fought a number of skirmishes against Spanish troops and their French royalist allies. Examples include actions fought by the 5th Light Infantry Demi-Brigade on 6 June 1793 at Chateau-Pignon and at Aldudes
Aldudes
Aldudes is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-Population:The population has been steadily declining over the years.It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre.-References:* -External links:...
in June 1793.
On 5 February 1794, Dubouquet successfully defended the fortified Sans Culottes Camp on a hilltop near Hendaye
Hendaye
Hendaye is the most south-westerly town and commune in France, lying in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department and located in the traditional province Lapurdi of the French Basque Country...
against 13,700 Spanish troops led by José Urrutia. On 3 June, a 2,300-man French brigade led by General of Brigade Lavictoire, part of Mauco's division, stormed the Izpegi Pass
Izpegi Pass
The Izpegi Pass is a 672 m high Pyrenean mountain pass located right on the border between Spain and France, linking the Baztan and Baigorri valleys in the Basque Country. The river Bidasoa, called Baztan on its upper stage, rises close-by on the western side of the Iparla mountain range...
(Col d'Ispeguy), 13.5 km west of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. The 1,000 defenders included Spanish and French royalist soldiers. The same day, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Jacques Lefranc seized the Izpegi Ridge and other French troops captured positions near the Maya Pass.
On 23 June near Bera, Navarre (Vera), Don Ventura Caro's 8,500 Spanish soldiers were repulsed by a French force defending the fortified Mont Calvari. On 10 July, General of Brigade Antoine Digonet's 4,000-strong brigade drove Spanish and French royalists from their defenses atop Monte Argintzo, 10 km south of Elizondo
Elizondo, Navarre
Elizondo is a town located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. It is located on both banks of the Baztan River. The town is the capital of the Baztan valley and where most service establishments are concentrated. Elizondo is one of fifteen settlements in the valley...
. The Spanish commander, Marquis de Saint-Simon was badly wounded and 49 captured French royalist prisoners were massacred by the victorious French republican forces.
On 23 July, the Army of the Western Pyrenees attacked the Spanish with the three front-line divisions of Moncey, Delaborde, and Frégeville in the Battle of the Baztan Valley
Battle of the Baztan Valley
The Battle of the Baztan Valley was fought between 23 July and 1 August 1794 during the French Revolutionary War, between a French force from the Army of the western Pyrenees commanded by Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey and the Spanish forces led by Don Ventura Caro. The French army drove the Spanish...
. Army commander General of Division Muller placed Moncey in control of the operation, which overran the Spanish positions near Elizondo and Doneztebe
Doneztebe
Doneztebe-Santesteban is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
(Santesteban). The French then turned north, following the Bidasoa
Bidasoa
The Bidasoa is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the small town of Oronoz-Mugairi in the province of Navarre, the river actually results from the merge of several streams near the village Erratzu, with...
River northward at the end of July. On 1 August, Moncey seized the heights of San Marcial and the town of Hondarribia
Hondarribia
Hondarribia is a town situated on the west shore of Bidasoa river's mouth, in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain. The border town is sited on a little promontory facing Hendaye over the Txingudi bay. The town holds an ancient old quarter with walls and a castle...
(Fuenterrabia), reaching the coast. Cut off by the French, Don Vicente de los Reyes surrendered with 2,000 Spanish soldiers and 300 cannon. On 3 August, Moncey captured San Sebastián and 1,700 more Spanish soldiers plus 90 cannons fell into French hands. Moncey took the town of Tolosa
Tolosa, Spain
Tolosa is a town and municipality to the south of Donostia-San Sebastián in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. It is located in a valley of the river Oria and overlooked by Uzturre, a white cross-topped mountain.-Famous people from Tolosa:...
in August and was promoted to command the army on 1 September.
Roncevaux Pass
Roncevaux Pass is a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees near the border between France and Spain. The pass itself is entirely in Spain.According to tradition, it is the site where Roland died during the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778, a landmark in Basque history leading to the foundation of the...
toward Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
known as the Battle of Orbaitzeta
Battle of Orbaitzeta
The Battle of Orbaitzeta was fought from 15 to 17 October 1794 during the War of the Pyrenees, between the French Army of the western Pyrenees led by Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey and Spanish forces under the command of Pedro Téllez-Girón, 9th Duke of Osuna...
. After clashes at Orbaitzeta
Orbaitzeta
Orbaitzeta is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-History:On 15-17 October 1794, the Battle of Orbaitzeta was fought in the area. General Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey led the French Army of the western Pyrenees to victory over General...
in the east, Mezquiriz (Mezkiritz) in the center, and Lekunberri
Lekunberri, Spain
Lekunberri is a municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre , northern Spain. It is situated in the northwestern portion of the province, some 30 km from the provincial capital, Pamplona...
in the west, the French army defeated the army of Pedro Téllez-Girón, 9th Duke of Osuna. An arms foundry north of Orbaitzeta and the Spanish navy's mast store at Irati were captured by the French. A final clash occurred at Bergara
Bergara
Bergara is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the north of Spain.An Enlightened center of education operated by the Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País , it was the place where Faustino Elhuyar discovered wolfram.During the Carlist...
before the onset of cold weather and a disease outbreak ended operations for the year.
In the winter of 1794-1795 Moncey reorganized his army, which had seen 3,000 men die from disease. He finally received a siege train and 12,000 reinforcements arrived from the Army of the West in June. Moncey began to advance on 28 June and rapidly pressed back Crespo's Spanish forces. The French captured Vitoria
Vitória
Vitória is the capital of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. It is located on a small island within a bay where a few rivers meet the sea. It was founded in 1551. The city proper has a population of 313,300 whilst the Greater Vitória metropolitan area has a population of more than 1,612,885 ,...
on 17 July and Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
on 19 July. When news of the Peace of Basel arrived in early August, the Army of the Western Pyrenees was across the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
and preparing to invest Pamplona.
Commanders
- General of Division Joseph Servan de Gerbey, 1 May - 4 July 1793
- General of Division Anne François Augustin de La Bourdonnaye, interim, 5–10 July 1793
- General of Division Pierre Joseph du Chambge d'Elbecq, 11 July - 31 August 1793
- General of Division Jean Etienne Philibert de Prez de Crassier, 1 September - 4 October 1793
- General of Division Jacques Léonard Muller, 5 October 1793 - 30 August 1794
- General of Division Jean Henri Guy Nicolas de Frégeville, temporary, March 1794
- General of Division Bon Adrien Jeannot de MonceyBon Adrien Jeannot de MonceyBon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey , 1st Duke of Conegliano, 1st Baron of Conegliano, Peer of France , Marshal of France, was a prominent soldier in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
, 1 September 1794 - 12 October 1795
MG Thomas-Alexandre Dumas
Thomas-Alexandre Dumas
Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie, was a hero of the French Revolution and General in Napoleon's army. He is better known as Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, General of the French Revolution and the father of author Alexandre Dumas, père, and grandfather of author Alexandre Dumas, fils...
, born in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
of European and African parents, was appointed commander in chief of the Army in the western Pyrenees by order of the Executive Council on 8 September 1793 and joined the army on 28 October. But the representatives-on-mission opposed his taking command and kept Muller in provisional command, by an order dated 29 October. At the beginning of December, under a new order of the Executive Council, Dumas left the Army of the western Pyrenees without having taken command. Instead, he led a column of reinforcements to the Army of the West.
Books
- Beckett, Ian F. W. "Moncey: An Honest Man". Chandler, DavidDavid G. ChandlerDavid G. Chandler was a British historian whose study focused on the Napoleonic era.As a young man he served briefly in the army, reaching the rank of captain, and in later life he taught at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Oxford University awarded him the D. Litt. in 1991...
(ed.). Napoleon's Marshals. New York: Macmillan, 1987. ISBN 0-02-905930-5 - Smith, DigbyDigby SmithDigby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9