Battle of Truillas
Encyclopedia
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 of Peyrestortes
ended in a Spanish victory. Part of the War of the Pyrenees
, the battle was fought near the village of Trouillas
in the French department of Pyrénées Orientales, 12 km southwest of Perpignan
.
Ricardos and his Spanish army won a string of successes over the defending forces of the First French Republic. The Siege of Bellegarde
ended with a French capitulation on 24 June 1793. Since June, the Spanish army maintained itself a few kilometers south of Perpignan
, the department capital. In early September, Ricardos made a bird to isolate and capture the fortress of Perpignan by sending two divisions around its western side to cut the road to Narbonne
. Meanwhile he bombarded the city from the south. French troops under General of Division (MG) Eustache Charles d'Aoust
, MG Dagobert, and General of Brigade Louis Antoine Goguet attacked the positions of Spanish Lieutenant General
(LG) Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, Marquis de las Amarilas
and LG Juan de Courten. The resulting Battle of Peyrestortes
on 17 September was an important French victory. The badly shaken Spanish army regrouped near Trouillas.
The day after Peyrestortes
, Dagobert was appointed commander of the Army of the eastern Pyrenees. Desiring to take advantage of the recent victory and urged on by Representative-on-mission Claude Fabre, Dagobert decided to attack Ricardos in his camp at Trouillas.
in medieval times, is located 2.4 km to the east. Thuir
lies five km to the northwest. Ricardos defended these positions with a force of 17,000 soldiers and 38 cannons. The second battalion of the Barcelona Infantry Regiment arrived, but this reinforcement did not make up for the heavy Spanish losses suffered at Peyrestortes. Dagobert attacked the Spanish defenses with 22,000 soldiers. The French order of battle included the 7th, 61st, 70th, and 79th Infantry Demi-Brigade
s, as well as the National Guards
of Gers and Gard.
Dagobert preferred to envelop the Spanish position from the west, but Fabre and the other generals persuaded him to make a frontal attack. So he sent General of Brigade Louis Antoine Goguet's division to assault the Spanish left flank at Thuir while sending a flanking column to attack that town from the west. D'Aoust's division was ordered to attack the Spanish right flank at Mas Deu, while Dagobert led his own division in an attempt to pierce the Spanish center. Believing that Thuir was the focus of the main French effort, Ricardos posted General Crespo and only 3,000 men to defend the Spanish right. He shifted the troops of LG Pedro Téllez-Girón, 9th Duke of Osuna and LG Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union
to hold Thuir. Dagobert's attack pushed back the Spanish center and forced its way into the main camp at Trouillas. Meanwhile, Goguet ran into a concentration of Spanish infantry and artillery on the west flank at Thuir and was beaten. Ricardos personally led a cavalry charge to break up the flanking column, then he returned to the crisis of the battle in the center. D'Aoust merely skirmished with Crespo near Mas Deu and never mounted a serious threat to the Spanish right. This allowed Ricardos to mass his cavalry against Dagobert's division. After disposing of Goguet, de la Union marched to Trouillas to take the French center in reverse. Three French demi-brigades were surrounded and many prisoners taken. After an all-day battle Dagobert retreated northeast to Canohès
.
The Spanish victory was also helped by disorganization and poor logistical arrangements on the part of the French.
notes that the French actually suffered 3,000 killed and wounded, with 1,500 soldiers and 10 artillery pieces captured. The Spanish army lost a total of 2,000 killed, wounded, and missing. De Courten and General Diego Godoy also fought for the Spanish. Representatives Fabre and Raymond Gaston removed the unsuccessful Dagobert from command of the army on 28 September and temporarily replaced him with d'Aoust. Dagobert returned to the Cerdagne with his division and sacked the Spanish town of Camprodon
on 4 October. Though Ricardos gained the victory at Trouillas, he soon found it expedient to withdraw to the Tech River
. On 3 October, the Spanish commander and 15,000 troops repulsed d'Aoust and 16,000 Frenchmen at Le Boulou
on the Tech. In that action, 1,200 French soldiers became casualties against only 300 Spaniards.
Luc Siméon Auguste Dagobert
Luc Siméon Auguste Dagobert de Fontenille was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars.-Ancien Regime:...
and the Spanish Army of Catalonia under 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...
. This attempt by the French to exploit their success in 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...
ended in a Spanish victory. Part of 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...
, the battle was fought near the village of Trouillas
Trouillas
Trouillas is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
in the French department of Pyrénées Orientales, 12 km southwest of 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...
.
Background
Since invading French Rousillon on April 1793, 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...
Ricardos and his Spanish army won a string of successes over the defending forces of the First French Republic. 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...
ended with a French capitulation on 24 June 1793. Since June, the Spanish army maintained itself a few kilometers south of 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...
, the department capital. In early September, Ricardos made a bird to isolate and capture the fortress of Perpignan by sending two divisions around its western side to cut the road to Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Meanwhile he bombarded the city from the south. French troops under General of Division (MG) Eustache Charles d'Aoust
Eustache Charles d'Aoust
Eustache Charles Joseph d'Aoust was a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars....
, MG Dagobert, and General of Brigade Louis Antoine Goguet attacked the positions of Spanish 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...
and LG Juan de Courten. The resulting 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 was an important French victory. The badly shaken Spanish army regrouped near Trouillas.
The day after Peyrestortes
Peyrestortes
Peyrestortes is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-Battle:On 17 September 1793, French forces of the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees defeated two divisions of the Spanish Army of Catalonia at the Battle of Peyrestortes...
, Dagobert was appointed commander of the Army of the eastern Pyrenees. Desiring to take advantage of the recent victory and urged on by Representative-on-mission Claude Fabre, Dagobert decided to attack Ricardos in his camp at Trouillas.
Battle
Trouillas nestles in a plain on the Canterrane stream at an altitude of about 100 meters. Mas Deu, an establishment founded by the Knights TemplarKnights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
in medieval times, is located 2.4 km to the east. Thuir
Thuir
Thuir is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies not far from Perpignan. It is located in a plain between the natural zones of Els Aspres and El Riberal.-References:* -External links:*...
lies five km to the northwest. Ricardos defended these positions with a force of 17,000 soldiers and 38 cannons. The second battalion of the Barcelona Infantry Regiment arrived, but this reinforcement did not make up for the heavy Spanish losses suffered at Peyrestortes. Dagobert attacked the Spanish defenses with 22,000 soldiers. The French order of battle included the 7th, 61st, 70th, and 79th 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, as well as the National Guards
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...
of Gers and Gard.
Dagobert preferred to envelop the Spanish position from the west, but Fabre and the other generals persuaded him to make a frontal attack. So he sent General of Brigade Louis Antoine Goguet's division to assault the Spanish left flank at Thuir while sending a flanking column to attack that town from the west. D'Aoust's division was ordered to attack the Spanish right flank at Mas Deu, while Dagobert led his own division in an attempt to pierce the Spanish center. Believing that Thuir was the focus of the main French effort, Ricardos posted General Crespo and only 3,000 men to defend the Spanish right. He shifted the troops of LG Pedro Téllez-Girón, 9th Duke of Osuna and LG 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...
to hold Thuir. Dagobert's attack pushed back the Spanish center and forced its way into the main camp at Trouillas. Meanwhile, Goguet ran into a concentration of Spanish infantry and artillery on the west flank at Thuir and was beaten. Ricardos personally led a cavalry charge to break up the flanking column, then he returned to the crisis of the battle in the center. D'Aoust merely skirmished with Crespo near Mas Deu and never mounted a serious threat to the Spanish right. This allowed Ricardos to mass his cavalry against Dagobert's division. After disposing of Goguet, de la Union marched to Trouillas to take the French center in reverse. Three French demi-brigades were surrounded and many prisoners taken. After an all-day battle Dagobert retreated northeast to Canohès
Canohès
Canohès is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
.
The Spanish victory was also helped by disorganization and poor logistical arrangements on the part of the French.
Result
Though Dagobert admitted only 1,500 casualties, 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...
notes that the French actually suffered 3,000 killed and wounded, with 1,500 soldiers and 10 artillery pieces captured. The Spanish army lost a total of 2,000 killed, wounded, and missing. De Courten and General Diego Godoy also fought for the Spanish. Representatives Fabre and Raymond Gaston removed the unsuccessful Dagobert from command of the army on 28 September and temporarily replaced him with d'Aoust. Dagobert returned to the Cerdagne with his division and sacked the Spanish town of Camprodon
Camprodon
Camprodon is a small city in the comarca of Ripollès in Catalonia, Spain, located in the Pyrenees, near the French border.-History:The settlement of Camprodon was in 1118, when Ramon Berenguer III allowed the building of a market near the monastery of Sant Pere de Camprodon, which is located the...
on 4 October. Though Ricardos gained the victory at Trouillas, he soon found it expedient to withdraw to 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...
. On 3 October, the Spanish commander and 15,000 troops repulsed d'Aoust and 16,000 Frenchmen at Le Boulou
Le Boulou
Le Boulou is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
on the Tech. In that action, 1,200 French soldiers became casualties against only 300 Spaniards.
Printed materials
- 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