Battle of Garris
Encyclopedia
In the Battle of Garris on February 15, 1814, an Allied force under the direct command of Arthur Wellesley, Marquess Wellington
defeated General of Division
Jean Harispe
's French division during the Peninsular War
.
near Bayonne
, Marshal
Nicolas Soult's French army tried to pen Wellington's Allied army in the extreme southwest corner of France. To do this, Soult positioned his divisions in a line running from the fortress of Bayonne on the west to the fortress of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
on the southeast. Facing south, three divisions held the line of the Adour River from Bayonne to Port-de-Lanne
. Facing southeast, four divisions defended the Joyeuse River
from the Adour to the village of Hélette
.
Wellington's began his offensive on February 14 by sending Lieutenant General Rowland Hill
with 20,000 men against the French left wing. In the face of this threat, Harispe's division at Hélette abandoned the line of the Joyeuse and fell back toward the Bidouze River
at Saint-Palais
. The next unit to the north, General of Division Eugene-Casimir Villatte
's division, threatened by Lieutenant General Thomas Picton
's 3rd British Division, also backpedaled to the Bidouze.
Garrüze). He deployed his division on a long ridge and awaited the Allied onset. The only escape route was the single bridge over the Bidouze at Saint-Palais. Late in the afternoon, Major General William Pringle
's brigade of Lieutenant General Sir William Stewart
2nd British Division came up to the position, but merely skirmished with the French.
But Wellington was on hand and sent peremptory orders to attack. Pringle's two battalions formed into close column, attacked and soon reached the top of the ridge. The French defenders gamely counterattacked but failed to drive away the British. Meanwhile, Major General Pablo Morillo
's Spanish division and Major General Carlos Lecor's
Portuguese Division began to envelop the outnumbered French soldiers. Harispe ordered a withdrawal. With the Portuguese closing in on the bridge, the French retreat soon became a stampede to safety. Most made it across the bridge but the Allies captured some men on the east bank. The French lost 300 men killed and wounded and 200 prisoners. The Allies suffered 170 casualties, including 40 Portuguese. In a melee with the 81st Line, the 1/39th lost 43 men.
with six divisions. The next major clash would be the Battle of Orthez
.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
defeated General of Division
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Jean Harispe
Jean Isidore Harispe
Jean Isidore Harispe, 1st Comte Harispe was a distinguished French soldier of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as a of the following period. Harispe was created a Marshal of France in 1851.-Early life:...
's French division during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
.
Background
After the Battle of the NiveBattle of the Nive
The Battles of the Nive were fought towards the end of the Peninsular War. Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish army defeated Marshal Nicolas Soult's French army in a series of battles near the city of Bayonne.Unusually, for most of the battle, Wellington...
near 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...
, Marshal
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...
Nicolas Soult's French army tried to pen Wellington's Allied army in the extreme southwest corner of France. To do this, Soult positioned his divisions in a line running from the fortress of Bayonne on the west to the fortress of 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....
on the southeast. Facing south, three divisions held the line of the Adour River from Bayonne to Port-de-Lanne
Port-de-Lanne
Port-de-Lanne is a commune in the Landes department in Aquitaine in south-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Landes department...
. Facing southeast, four divisions defended the Joyeuse River
Joyeuse River
The Joyeuse, is a left tributary of the Bidouze, in the French Basque Country , in the Southwest of France.- Name :Its name Joyeuse, that applies also to the Aran River and one of its tributaries, is the name of the sword of Charlemagne. It was attributed after the battle of Roncevaux...
from the Adour to the village of Hélette
Hélette
Hélette is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre.-External links:*...
.
Wellington's began his offensive on February 14 by sending Lieutenant General Rowland Hill
Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill
General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill of Almaraz GCB, GCH served in the Napoleonic Wars as a trusted brigade, division and corps commander under the command of the Duke of Wellington. He became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in 1829.-Early career:Educated at a school in Chester, Hill was...
with 20,000 men against the French left wing. In the face of this threat, Harispe's division at Hélette abandoned the line of the Joyeuse and fell back toward the Bidouze River
Bidouze
The Bidouze, is a left tributary of the Adour, in the French Basque Country , in the Southwest of France.- Geography :The Bidouze rises at the base of Eltzarreko Ordokia in the Arbailles massif....
at Saint-Palais
Saint-Palais
Saint-Palais is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Saint-Palais, Allier, in the Allier département* Saint-Palais, Cher, in the Cher département* Saint-Palais, Gironde, in the Gironde département...
. The next unit to the north, General of Division Eugene-Casimir Villatte
Eugene-Casimir Villatte
Eugène-Casimir Villatte, Comte d'Oultremont fought in the French army during the Wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to command a division at many of the important battles in the Peninsular War...
's division, threatened by Lieutenant General Thomas Picton
Thomas Picton
Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB was a Welsh British Army officer who fought in a number of campaigns for Britain, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
's 3rd British Division, also backpedaled to the Bidouze.
Battle
Just east of Saint-Palais, Harispe found a defensible position at Garris (BasqueBasque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
Garrüze). He deployed his division on a long ridge and awaited the Allied onset. The only escape route was the single bridge over the Bidouze at Saint-Palais. Late in the afternoon, Major General William Pringle
William Henry Pringle
Lieutenant-General Sir William Henry Pringle GCB was a politician in the United Kingdom who served as a Member of Parliament for two constituencies in Cornwall. He was MP for St Germans from 1812 to 1818, and then for Liskeard from 1818 to 1832.-References:...
's brigade of Lieutenant General Sir William Stewart
William Stewart (1774-1827)
Lieutenant-General Sir William Stewart, GCB was a British military officer who was the first Commanding Officer of the Rifle Corps, a Division Commander in the Peninsula and a Scottish Member of Parliament in the British Parliament...
2nd British Division came up to the position, but merely skirmished with the French.
But Wellington was on hand and sent peremptory orders to attack. Pringle's two battalions formed into close column, attacked and soon reached the top of the ridge. The French defenders gamely counterattacked but failed to drive away the British. Meanwhile, Major General Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo y Morillo, Count of Cartagena and Marquess of La Puerta, aka El Pacificador was a Spanish general....
's Spanish division and Major General Carlos Lecor's
Carlos Frederico Lecor, Viscount of Laguna
Carlos Frederico Lecor was a Portuguese general and politician. He was the first Baron of Laguna, in Portugal, and later ascended to Viscount of Laguna, in Brazil....
Portuguese Division began to envelop the outnumbered French soldiers. Harispe ordered a withdrawal. With the Portuguese closing in on the bridge, the French retreat soon became a stampede to safety. Most made it across the bridge but the Allies captured some men on the east bank. The French lost 300 men killed and wounded and 200 prisoners. The Allies suffered 170 casualties, including 40 Portuguese. In a melee with the 81st Line, the 1/39th lost 43 men.
Result
The rout demoralized Harispe's division. The French general was unable to rally his soldiers in Saint-Palais and had to retreat further west. Consequently, the Anglo-Allied army breached the line of the Bidouze. Though the French engineers managed to set off demolition charges on the bridge, the work was done poorly and the Allies soon had the bridge back in operation. Soult recalled two of his divisions from north of the Adour and reformed his line on the Gave d'Oloron RiverGave d'Oloron
The Gave d'Oloron is a river of south-western France near the border with Spain. It takes its name from the city Oloron-Sainte-Marie, where it is formed from the rivers Gave d'Aspe and Gave d'Ossau.It joins the Gave de Pau in Peyrehorade...
with six divisions. The next major clash would be the Battle of Orthez
Battle of Orthez
The Battle of Orthez saw the Anglo-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington defeat a French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France near the end of the Peninsular War.-Preliminaries:...
.