.gif)
Battle of Boulou (1794)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Boulou, 29 April to 1 May 1794, saw the French Army of the eastern Pyrenees led by Jacques François Dugommier
attacking the joint Spanish-Portuguese Army of Catalonia under Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union
. The decisive French victory resulted in the French regaining nearly all the land they lost to the Kingdom of Spain in 1793. Le Boulou
is on the modern A9 highway, 20 km south of the department capital at Perpignan
and seven km north of Le Perthus
on the France-Spain border.
(CG) Antonio Ricardos
enjoyed a nearly unbroken record of success against its poorly-trained opponents. The Siege of Bellegarde
concluded in June with the French surrender of the Fort de Bellegarde, which dominated the key Pass of Le Perthus through the Pyrenees. After several small battles, Ricardos drove to the outskirts of Perpignan by the end of the summer. However, the French army revived under General of Division (MG) Eustache d'Aoust
to deal their enemies a sharp reverse at the Battle of Peyrestortes
on 17 September. Five days later, Ricardos defeated the French at the Battle of Truillas
.
Subsequently, the Spanish general fell back to the valley of the Tech River
where he repulsed a series of French attempts to drive him back into Spain. D'Aoust tried and failed to oust the Spanish from Le Boulou on 3 October. In the Battle of the Tech (or Pla del Rey) from 13 to 15 October, Ricardos bloodily repulsed the attacks of MG Louis Turreau
. D'Aoust was defeated again in his 7 December attack on Villelongue-dels-Monts
. The Spanish seized the port of Collioure
on 20 December. The Representatives-on-mission, who exercised extraordinary powers over field commanders, blamed D'Aoust for the December fiascos and sent him to Paris
under arrest. D'Aoust, the hero of Peyrestortes, shared the fate of at least two previous Army of the eastern Pyrenees leaders when he was executed by guillotine
in July 1794.
arrived to lead the army, fresh from his victory at the Siege of Toulon. He began a complete reorganization of the army, setting up supply depots, hospitals, and arsenals, and also improving roads. After getting reinforcements from the Toulon
army, Dugommier's field army numbered 28,000. These troops were supported by 20,000 garrison troops and 9,000 green volunteers. He formed his field army into three infantry divisions under MG Dominique Pérignon, MG Pierre Augereau, and MG Pierre Sauret
. There was a 2,500-strong cavalry division led by MG André de la Barre and a reserve headed by General of Brigade (BG) Claude Victor.
During the winter, Ricardos traveled to Madrid
to plead for reinforcements. He died there of pneumonia on 13 March 1794. Ricardos' designated successor, CG Alejandro O'Reilly
died on 23 March before he could reach the front. In the interim, Lieutenant General
(LG) Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, Marquis de las Amarilas
assumed leadership over the Army of Catalonia. But in late April, LG Luis Firmin de la Union finally accepted command of the army, after refusing it three times.
De la Union deployed his 20,000-strong army to hold the Tech valley, with defenses both north and south of the river. LG Eugenio Navarro commanded the right flank division, whose positions included Collioure and Port-Vendres
on the coast. The 8,300-man center division of LG de las Amarilas held strongpoints at Le Boulou, Montesquieu-des-Albères
and the Camp of Trompettes. LG Juan Miguel de Vives with 5,500 soldiers of the left division defended Céret
, where de la Union installed his headquarters. LG Don Juan Forbes' Portuguese
contingent deployed on the extreme left at Arles-sur-Tech
and Amelie-les-Bains-Palalda
.
Dugommier placed Augereau on his right flank with 6,400 infantry and 80 cavalry. Augereau's right brigade occupied Taillet
, his center brigade Oms
, and his left brigade Llauro
. Sauret's division of 7,300 infantry and 100 Hussars held the coastal sector on the left flank. Pérignon's center division represented the main French striking force with 8,500 infantry and 1,300 cavalry, backed by three reserve brigades totalling 7,000 men.
The French commander believed that the Spanish army's center of gravity was too far west and planned to exploit this weakness. He hoped to cross the Tech and roll up the right flank of the Spanish center division. To make this task easier, he directed Augereau to demonstrate in front of Céret and lure the Spanish into drawing more troops to their left flank. Pérignon held his troops back from the river to hide the true French intentions. The main Spanish communications ran from Le Boulou through the Pass of Le Perthus
(300 meters altitude) near the Fort de Bellegarde. Dugommier wanted to force the Army of Catalonia into a retreat over the much more difficult Col du Porteille (800 meters alt.), four km to the southwest of Le Perthus. If he could achieve this, the Spanish might have to abandon their wagons, cannons, and supplies.
In late April, Augereau built a redoubt at the Saint Ferriol hermitage, north of Céret. De la Union countered by constructing two redoubts of his own. On 27 April, Augereau probed the Spanish positions, then retired. The following day, Augereau captured one of the new Spanish redoubts, prompting the Spanish army commander to order 2,000 troops under the Prince of Montforte from his center to his left. On 29 April, de la Union launched 3,000 troops, including cavalry led by General Pedro Mendinueta y Múzquiz
, to attack Augereau on the north bank. Following his instructions, the French division commander fought a rear guard action, drawing the Spanish troops toward Oms. De la Union finally called off the attack, but he left Mendinueta's cavalry to observe Augereau.
That night, the Spanish generals held a council of war. De la Union's chief of staff
Tomàs Morla saw through Augereau's actions and proposed that Navarro's division attack on the right while de Vives and de las Amarilas joined forces and attacked the French center near Le Boulou. The council voted to adopt this action, which would secure the supply road from Le Boulou to Bellegarde. As a precaution, the council decided to withdraw the army's trains by the road to Bellegarde. However, they decided there was plenty of time to issue orders the next morning, rather than that evening.
ford, planning to climb the mountains behind the Spanish camps in order to take the defenses in the rear. General of Brigade (BG) Dominique Martin's left flank brigade marched past Saint-Genis
and began ascending Saint Christopher Peak. His men reached the hermitage where they emplaced six cannon and 13 howitzers to fire on the Spanish positions from the rear. Then part of his brigade advanced west to cut the road to Bellegarde. BG Théodore Chabert's brigade advanced on Villelongue-dels-Monts while BG François Point's right flank brigade began attacking the fortified camp at Montesquieu-des-Albères, defended by Colonel
Francisco Venegas de Saavedra. La Barre supported Point's troops, while Victor with a reserve brigade occupied Saint-Genis to keep Navarro's division sending help to the Spanish center. Two more reserve brigades under BG Louis Lemoine attacked Trompettes. While these battles were being fought in the center, Augereau retook Oms from Mendinueta on the French right flank and Sauret captured Argelès-sur-Mer
from Navarro on the left. In order to give an impression of French superiority, Dugommier arrayed a large body of poorly-trained volunteers near his headquarters at Banyuls-dels-Aspres
.
De la Union sent Montforte with 2,800 infantry and 800 cavalry to reinforce the Camp of Trompettes and Del Puerto with 2,000 more to help Venegas. But neither of these forces were able to halt the concentrated French offensive.
On 1 May, seeing his defenses fatally compromised, de la Union made preparations to retreat. Montforte abandoned Trompettes and withdrew to the south bank across a ford near Le Boulou. That day, the French assault overran the camp at Montesquieu-des-Albères and the Spanish retreated, taking the badly wounded Venegas with them. La Barre sent François Quesnel with 800 horsemen along the south bank to cut off the Spanish retreat, but this effort failed. On the western flank, Augereau sent troops under Jean Guieu
and Guillaume Mirabel to push Mendinueta's cavalry back to Céret.
Chased by Quesnel's cavalry, Montforte retreated south on the road to Bellegarde. But at Les Cluses
he ran into an ambush set by Martin's brigade. In a scene of chaos, a part of the Spanish wagon and artillery trains were wrecked or abandoned. The bulk of the Spanish army headed for Maureillas-las-Illas
before climbing the steep road to the Col du Porteille. After covering the withdrawal at Céret, de Vives pulled out of the town and Augereau crossed the bridge to harass the Spanish retreat. The Portuguese division withdrew across a pass farther west.
states. "The Spanish army never recovered from this setback." By forcing his adversaries to retreat by way of the Col du Porteille, Dugommier compelled the Spanish to assume a defensive position south of the crest of the Pyrenees in the Alt Emporda
. The only remaining Spanish holdings on French soil were Collioure, Port-Vendres, and Bellegarde. The French captured the first two at the end of May, while Bellegarde held out until 17 September 1794.
Jacques François Dugommier
Jacques François Coquille named Dugommier was a French general....
attacking the joint Spanish-Portuguese Army of Catalonia under Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union
Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union
Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union became a general officer in the army of the Kingdom of Spain. In 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars, he commanded the Spanish Army in a mostly unsuccessful effort to hold back the army of the First French Republic...
. The decisive French victory resulted in the French regaining nearly all the land they lost to the Kingdom of Spain in 1793. Le Boulou
Le Boulou
Le Boulou is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
is on the modern A9 highway, 20 km south of the department capital at Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
and seven km north of Le Perthus
Le Perthus
Le Perthus is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Inhabitants are called Perthusiens and, as of 2006, inhabitants were 582.-Geography:...
on the France-Spain border.
1793
The year 1793 was a difficult time for the French forces defending Rousillon. The Spanish army of Captain GeneralCaptain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
(CG) Antonio Ricardos
Antonio Ricardos
Antonio Ricardos Carrillo de Albornoz was a Spanish general. He joined the army of the Kingdom of Spain and fought against Habsburg Austria, the Portugal, and the First French Republic during a long military career. By embracing the Spanish Enlightenment, he earned the displeasure of conservative...
enjoyed a nearly unbroken record of success against its poorly-trained opponents. The Siege of Bellegarde
Siege of Bellegarde (1793)
The Siege of Bellegarde commenced on 23 May 1793 and ended on 24 June 1793 when Colonel Boisbrulé's French garrison surrendered the Fort de Bellegarde to a Spanish army under the command of Antonio Ricardos. The capture of the fort gave Spain control of an important highway through the Pyrenees...
concluded in June with the French surrender of the Fort de Bellegarde, which dominated the key Pass of Le Perthus through the Pyrenees. After several small battles, Ricardos drove to the outskirts of Perpignan by the end of the summer. However, the French army revived under General of Division (MG) Eustache d'Aoust
Eustache Charles d'Aoust
Eustache Charles Joseph d'Aoust was a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars....
to deal their enemies a sharp reverse at the Battle of Peyrestortes
Battle of Peyrestortes
The Battle of Peyrestortes on 17 September 1793 saw soldiers of the First French Republic fighting troops of the Kingdom of Spain during the War of the Pyrenees. The French Army of the eastern Pyrenees, temporarily commanded by Eustache Charles d'Aoust defeated two divisions of the Army of...
on 17 September. Five days later, Ricardos defeated the French at the Battle of Truillas
Battle of Truillas
The Battle of Truillas was fought on 22 September 1793 during the French Revolutionary War between the French Army of the eastern Pyrenees led by Luc Siméon Auguste Dagobert and the Spanish Army of Catalonia under Antonio Ricardos. This attempt by the French to exploit their success in the Battle...
.
Subsequently, the Spanish general fell back to the valley of the Tech River
Tech River
The Tech is a river in southern France, very close to the French-Spanish border. It runs through a valley in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in the former Roussillon, and is 84 km long. Its source is the Parcigoule Valley and it feeds the Mediterranean Sea...
where he repulsed a series of French attempts to drive him back into Spain. D'Aoust tried and failed to oust the Spanish from Le Boulou on 3 October. In the Battle of the Tech (or Pla del Rey) from 13 to 15 October, Ricardos bloodily repulsed the attacks of MG Louis Turreau
Louis Marie Turreau
Louis Marie Turreau , also known as Turreau de Garambouville or Turreau de Linières, was a French general officer of the French Revolutionary Wars. He was most notable as the organisor of the colonnes infernales during the war in the Vendée, which massacred tens of thousands of Vendéens and ravaged...
. D'Aoust was defeated again in his 7 December attack on Villelongue-dels-Monts
Villelongue-dels-Monts
Villelongue-dels-Monts is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.The inhabitants are called Villelonguais.-Geography:...
. The Spanish seized the port of Collioure
Collioure
Collioure is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies on the Mediterranean and was a part of the ancient Roussillon province....
on 20 December. The Representatives-on-mission, who exercised extraordinary powers over field commanders, blamed D'Aoust for the December fiascos and sent him to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
under arrest. D'Aoust, the hero of Peyrestortes, shared the fate of at least two previous Army of the eastern Pyrenees leaders when he was executed by 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...
in July 1794.
New commanders
On 16 January 1794, MG Jacques François DugommierJacques François Dugommier
Jacques François Coquille named Dugommier was a French general....
arrived to lead the army, fresh from his victory at the Siege of Toulon. He began a complete reorganization of the army, setting up supply depots, hospitals, and arsenals, and also improving roads. After getting reinforcements from the Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
army, Dugommier's field army numbered 28,000. These troops were supported by 20,000 garrison troops and 9,000 green volunteers. He formed his field army into three infantry divisions under MG Dominique Pérignon, MG Pierre Augereau, and MG Pierre Sauret
Pierre Francois Sauret
Pierre François Sauret de la Borie enlisted in the French army as a private, fought in the Seven Years War, and became a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He served with distinction during the War of the Pyrenees before being transferred to the Army of Italy...
. There was a 2,500-strong cavalry division led by MG André de la Barre and a reserve headed by General of Brigade (BG) Claude Victor.
During the winter, Ricardos traveled to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
to plead for reinforcements. He died there of pneumonia on 13 March 1794. Ricardos' designated successor, CG Alejandro O'Reilly
Alejandro O'Reilly
Alejandro O'Reilly , was a military reformer and Inspector-General of Infantry for the Spanish Empire in the second half of the 18th century...
died on 23 March before he could reach the front. In the interim, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
(LG) Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, Marquis de las Amarilas
Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, Marquis de las Amarilas
Jerónimo Morejón Girón-Moctezuma, 3rd Marquis de las Amarillas, born 7 June 1741 at Málaga and died 17 October 1819 at Seville, became a general officer in the army of the Kingdom of Spain and commanded division-sized combat units during the War of the Pyrenees in 1793 and 1794. Though he attained...
assumed leadership over the Army of Catalonia. But in late April, LG Luis Firmin de la Union finally accepted command of the army, after refusing it three times.
Dispositions
Port-Vendres
Port-Vendres is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.A typical Mediterranean fishing port, situated near the Spanish border on the cote Vermeille in south west France, Port-Vendres is renowned for its numerous fish and sea food restaurants. You can watch the fishing...
on the coast. The 8,300-man center division of LG de las Amarilas held strongpoints at Le Boulou, Montesquieu-des-Albères
Montesquieu-des-Albères
Montesquieu-des-Albères is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
and the Camp of Trompettes. LG Juan Miguel de Vives with 5,500 soldiers of the left division defended Céret
Céret
Céret is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It is the capital of Vallespir historical Catalan comarca.-Geography:...
, where de la Union installed his headquarters. LG Don Juan Forbes' Portuguese
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
contingent deployed on the extreme left at Arles-sur-Tech
Arles-sur-Tech
Arles-sur-Tech is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-Location:Arles-sur-Tech is situated in a valley which separates France from Spain, through which the 84km long river "Tech" flows as it passes through Arles-sur-Tech. This small town is dominated by the Pyrenees...
and Amelie-les-Bains-Palalda
Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda
Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It is situated in the Tech valley, and combines the old and the new with a mix of narrow cobbled streets and modern accommodation...
.
Dugommier placed Augereau on his right flank with 6,400 infantry and 80 cavalry. Augereau's right brigade occupied Taillet
Taillet
*Town of Taillet is more like a village of just 81 people. Located at the most south eastern end tip of France. It is at the foot of the North East end of the Pyrenees Mountains. Almost bordering Spain Northern tip, near the Mediterranean Sea. It mostly has lush forest land, some grazing land for...
, his center brigade Oms
Oms, Pyrénées-Orientales
Oms is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
, and his left brigade Llauro
Llauro
Llauro is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
. Sauret's division of 7,300 infantry and 100 Hussars held the coastal sector on the left flank. Pérignon's center division represented the main French striking force with 8,500 infantry and 1,300 cavalry, backed by three reserve brigades totalling 7,000 men.
The French commander believed that the Spanish army's center of gravity was too far west and planned to exploit this weakness. He hoped to cross the Tech and roll up the right flank of the Spanish center division. To make this task easier, he directed Augereau to demonstrate in front of Céret and lure the Spanish into drawing more troops to their left flank. Pérignon held his troops back from the river to hide the true French intentions. The main Spanish communications ran from Le Boulou through the Pass of Le Perthus
Le Perthus
Le Perthus is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Inhabitants are called Perthusiens and, as of 2006, inhabitants were 582.-Geography:...
(300 meters altitude) near the Fort de Bellegarde. Dugommier wanted to force the Army of Catalonia into a retreat over the much more difficult Col du Porteille (800 meters alt.), four km to the southwest of Le Perthus. If he could achieve this, the Spanish might have to abandon their wagons, cannons, and supplies.
Baiting the trap
Pedro Mendinueta y Múzquiz
Pedro Mendinueta y Múzquiz was a Spanish lieutenant general and colonial official. From January 2, 1797 to 1803 he was viceroy of New Granada. He was a knight of the Order of Santiago, and he was awarded the Gran Cruz of Carlos III.-Background:Mendinueta began his military career as an infantry...
, to attack Augereau on the north bank. Following his instructions, the French division commander fought a rear guard action, drawing the Spanish troops toward Oms. De la Union finally called off the attack, but he left Mendinueta's cavalry to observe Augereau.
That night, the Spanish generals held a council of war. De la Union's chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
Tomàs Morla saw through Augereau's actions and proposed that Navarro's division attack on the right while de Vives and de las Amarilas joined forces and attacked the French center near Le Boulou. The council voted to adopt this action, which would secure the supply road from Le Boulou to Bellegarde. As a precaution, the council decided to withdraw the army's trains by the road to Bellegarde. However, they decided there was plenty of time to issue orders the next morning, rather than that evening.
French attack
In the early hours of 30 April, Pérignon's division crossed the Tech at the BrouillaBrouilla
Brouilla is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
ford, planning to climb the mountains behind the Spanish camps in order to take the defenses in the rear. General of Brigade (BG) Dominique Martin's left flank brigade marched past Saint-Genis
Saint-Genis
Saint-Genis is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
and began ascending Saint Christopher Peak. His men reached the hermitage where they emplaced six cannon and 13 howitzers to fire on the Spanish positions from the rear. Then part of his brigade advanced west to cut the road to Bellegarde. BG Théodore Chabert's brigade advanced on Villelongue-dels-Monts while BG François Point's right flank brigade began attacking the fortified camp at Montesquieu-des-Albères, defended by 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...
Francisco Venegas de Saavedra. La Barre supported Point's troops, while Victor with a reserve brigade occupied Saint-Genis to keep Navarro's division sending help to the Spanish center. Two more reserve brigades under BG Louis Lemoine attacked Trompettes. While these battles were being fought in the center, Augereau retook Oms from Mendinueta on the French right flank and Sauret captured Argelès-sur-Mer
Argelès-sur-Mer
Argelès-sur-Mer is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies near Perpignan.-Geography:...
from Navarro on the left. In order to give an impression of French superiority, Dugommier arrayed a large body of poorly-trained volunteers near his headquarters at Banyuls-dels-Aspres
Banyuls-dels-Aspres
Banyuls-dels-Aspres is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.The inhabitants are called Banyulencs.-External links:*...
.
De la Union sent Montforte with 2,800 infantry and 800 cavalry to reinforce the Camp of Trompettes and Del Puerto with 2,000 more to help Venegas. But neither of these forces were able to halt the concentrated French offensive.
On 1 May, seeing his defenses fatally compromised, de la Union made preparations to retreat. Montforte abandoned Trompettes and withdrew to the south bank across a ford near Le Boulou. That day, the French assault overran the camp at Montesquieu-des-Albères and the Spanish retreated, taking the badly wounded Venegas with them. La Barre sent François Quesnel with 800 horsemen along the south bank to cut off the Spanish retreat, but this effort failed. On the western flank, Augereau sent troops under Jean Guieu
Jean Joseph Guieu
Jean Joseph Guieu, also Jean Guyeux, joined the French royal army and quickly rose in rank during the French Revolutionary Wars. He fought in the War of the Pyrenees against Spain and became a general officer. After transferring to Italy, he held important commands under Napoleon Bonaparte in the...
and Guillaume Mirabel to push Mendinueta's cavalry back to Céret.
Chased by Quesnel's cavalry, Montforte retreated south on the road to Bellegarde. But at Les Cluses
Les Cluses
Les Cluses is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
he ran into an ambush set by Martin's brigade. In a scene of chaos, a part of the Spanish wagon and artillery trains were wrecked or abandoned. The bulk of the Spanish army headed for Maureillas-las-Illas
Maureillas-las-Illas
Maureillas-las-Illas is a rural commune in the Vallespir, Pyrénées-Orientales in the south of France. The town belongs to the Communauté de communes of Vallespir uniting Maureillas-las-Illas with Céret, Saint-Jean-Pla-de-Corts, Reynès and Le Boulou....
before climbing the steep road to the Col du Porteille. After covering the withdrawal at Céret, de Vives pulled out of the town and Augereau crossed the bridge to harass the Spanish retreat. The Portuguese division withdrew across a pass farther west.
Results
The Spanish army suffered 2,000 killed and wounded. An additional 1,500 soldiers, 140 guns, and all of the army trains and baggage fell into French hands. French losses are given as 20 killed and 300 wounded. 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...
states. "The Spanish army never recovered from this setback." By forcing his adversaries to retreat by way of the Col du Porteille, Dugommier compelled the Spanish to assume a defensive position south of the crest of the Pyrenees in the Alt Emporda
Alt Empordà
Alt Empordà is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain, one of two into which Empordà was divided by the comarcal division of Catalonia in 1936.- Municipalities :Populations are as of 2001.*Agullana - pop. 668*Albanyà - pop. 99*L'Armentera - pop. 742...
. The only remaining Spanish holdings on French soil were Collioure, Port-Vendres, and Bellegarde. The French captured the first two at the end of May, while Bellegarde held out until 17 September 1794.
Books
- Hugo, A. France militaire : histoire des armées francaises de terre et de mer de 1792 à 1833, Calmann-Lévy (1907)
- Ostermann, Georges. "Pérignon: The Unknown Marshal". 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 - Pope, Stephen. The Cassell Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars, Cassell (1999)
- 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
External references
- historyofwar.org Battle of Le Boulou by J. Rickard
- Louis Turreau Sa Defaite au Pla-del-Rey Un Secret Defense by Bernard Prats in French
- Mort Tragique d'Antonio Ricardos by Bernard Prats in French
- Bataille du Boulou 1ere Partie by Bernard Prats in French
- La Bataille du Boulou Fin by Bernard Prats in French