Battle of the Baztan Valley
Encyclopedia
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 from their defenses, then followed the valley northward to the Atlantic coast. The Spanish forces holding the coastal defenses were compelled to surrender or flee.
(LG) José Urrutia y de las Cases attacked the Sans Culottes Camp, a fortified hilltop near Hendaye
. A French division led by MG Louis Dubouquet repelled the 13,000 Spanish infantry, and their 700 supporting cavalry and artillery. Spanish casualties numbered 335 while French losses were unknown.
(Col d'Ispeguy), 13.5 km airline km west of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
. The 1,000 defenders, including a battalion of the Spanish Zamora Infantry Regiment, three companies of the Aldudes Rifles, and the French Émigré
Légion Royal, lost 94 killed and wounded, plus 307 captured. Other Spanish defenses on Izpegi Ridge and the Maya Pass were also overrun that day. On 23 June, Captain General
Don Ventura Caro with 8,000 infantry and 500 cavalry and artillery unsuccessfully assailed Mount Calvari near Bera (Vera). The Spanish lost 500 killed and wounded, plus 34 captured. The French defenders lost 30 killed and 200 wounded.
Valley. Muller ordered the Spanish positions in the Baztan to be assaulted and assigned MG Moncey to carry out the operation. On 10 July, BG Antoine Digonet and 4,000 French troops attacked the Zamora Infantry and the Légion Royal on Monte Argintzo (Mont Arquinzu). The peak is located at 43°3′23"N 1°29′40"W, 10 km south of Elizondo
in the Baztan. The outnumbered defenders lost 314 casualties including LG Marquis of Saint-Simon badly wounded. After the battle, the republican French massacred 49 royalist French prisoners.
Beginning on 23 July, Moncey's divisions attacked the Spanish entrenchments in the Baztan. The valley includes the towns of Elizondo, where the Baztan river turns from southwest to west and Doneztebe
where the river turns north and becomes known as the Bidasoa
. By between 27 and 30 July, the Spanish defenses were overcome and Moncey turned his divisions northward to follow the Bidasoa to the Atlantic coast. The number of French and Spanish killed and wounded is unknown, but the French captured 200 Spaniards and four artillery pieces. Emerging from the mountains on 1 August, Moncey fell upon the Spanish coastal defenses from the flank and rear with 12,000 men, capturing the San Marcial heights southeast of Irun
and Hondarribia
(Fuenterrabia). Trapped by the French maneuver, LG Don Vicente de los Reyes surrendered with 2,000 Spanish soldiers, 300 cannon, and five colors. The French suffered 600 casualties.
(Pasajes) on 2 August. A bigger prize fell on 3 August when San Sebastián
surrendered to the French with 1,700 Spanish prisoners and 90 cannon. French losses were negligible. The town of Tolosa
fell to Moncey soon afterward.
Sans Culotte Camp
General of Division (MG) Jacques Léonard Muller was appointed commander of the French Army of the western Pyrenees on 5 October 1793. The year 1793 saw no major battles in the western Pyrenees, though a number of skirmishes occurred between French and Spanish forces. On 5 February 1794, Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant 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) José Urrutia y de las Cases attacked the Sans Culottes Camp, a fortified 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...
. A French division led by MG Louis Dubouquet repelled the 13,000 Spanish infantry, and their 700 supporting cavalry and artillery. Spanish casualties numbered 335 while French losses were unknown.
June operations
On 3 June, a 2,300-man French brigade led by General of Brigade (BG) Lavictoire stormed Casa Fuorte, a position at the Izpegi PassIzpegi 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 airline km west 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....
. The 1,000 defenders, including a battalion of the Spanish Zamora Infantry Regiment, three companies of the Aldudes Rifles, and the French Émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
Légion Royal, lost 94 killed and wounded, plus 307 captured. Other Spanish defenses on Izpegi Ridge and the Maya Pass were also overrun that day. On 23 June, Captain General
Captain 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...
Don Ventura Caro with 8,000 infantry and 500 cavalry and artillery unsuccessfully assailed Mount Calvari near Bera (Vera). The Spanish lost 500 killed and wounded, plus 34 captured. The French defenders lost 30 killed and 200 wounded.
Monte Argintzo
The June fighting gave the French army a foothold in the BaztanBaztan
Baztan is a municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. It is located from Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. It is the largest municipality in Navarre, with some 376.8 km2 and just over 8,000 inhabitants....
Valley. Muller ordered the Spanish positions in the Baztan to be assaulted and assigned MG Moncey to carry out the operation. On 10 July, BG Antoine Digonet and 4,000 French troops attacked the Zamora Infantry and the Légion Royal on Monte Argintzo (Mont Arquinzu). The peak is located at 43°3′23"N 1°29′40"W, 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...
in the Baztan. The outnumbered defenders lost 314 casualties including LG Marquis of Saint-Simon badly wounded. After the battle, the republican French massacred 49 royalist French prisoners.
Baztan
Moncey had his own and two other divisions under his supervision.- MG Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey
- 13 infantry battalions, 800 cavalry, 14 4-pdr cannons, 4 heavier cannons
- MG Henri DelabordeHenri DelabordeHenri 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...
- 9 infantry battalions
- MG Jean Henri Guy Nicolas de Frégeville
- 9 infantry battalions, 2 squadrons light cavalry
Beginning on 23 July, Moncey's divisions attacked the Spanish entrenchments in the Baztan. The valley includes the towns of Elizondo, where the Baztan river turns from southwest to west and Doneztebe
Doneztebe
Doneztebe-Santesteban is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
where the river turns north and becomes known as 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...
. By between 27 and 30 July, the Spanish defenses were overcome and Moncey turned his divisions northward to follow the Bidasoa to the Atlantic coast. The number of French and Spanish killed and wounded is unknown, but the French captured 200 Spaniards and four artillery pieces. Emerging from the mountains on 1 August, Moncey fell upon the Spanish coastal defenses from the flank and rear with 12,000 men, capturing the San Marcial heights southeast of Irun
Irun
Irun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain...
and 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). Trapped by the French maneuver, LG Don Vicente de los Reyes surrendered with 2,000 Spanish soldiers, 300 cannon, and five colors. The French suffered 600 casualties.
Result
Moncey's offensive completely unhinged the Spanish defensive position behind the Bidasoa River. The French went on to seize the port of PasaiaPasaia
Pasaia is a town and municipality located in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community of northern Spain. It is a fishing community, commercial port and the birth place of the fighting admiral Blas de Lezo. Pasaia lies approximately 5 km east of Donostia's centre, lying at the...
(Pasajes) on 2 August. A bigger prize fell on 3 August when 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...
surrendered to the French with 1,700 Spanish prisoners and 90 cannon. French losses were negligible. 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:...
fell to Moncey soon afterward.
Printed materials
- 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