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Lt. Col. John Gomersall's Napoleonic War

Chapter 44

Soult counter attacks in the Bastan
July 1813

After the battle of Vitoria, Napoleon immediately wrote to his brother Joseph thus:

“I have decided it would be proper to nominate Marshal Soult as my Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief of all my armies in Spain and in the Pyrenees. You will hand over command to him. You will put your guard and the armed Spaniards under the Marshal’s orders. It is my wish that you do not interfere with the affairs of my armies.”

 

Ispegui Pass
Thus on 12th July Soult took over as Commander in Chief of the French armies. Soult set about re-organising the defeated and demoralised French army and decided that he would attack Wellington’s right wing in an attempt to relieve Pamplona. His men were given 4 days rations as they were unlikely to be able to live off the land. On the 25th July, news reached Wellington that Hill was being attacked in the Maya pass and that Cole was retreating in the face of overwhelming numbers in the Roncesville pass, on the far east of Wellington’s Line.
Soult had in fact sent two thirds of his troops up the Roncesville pass and the rest against the Maya. This attack caused General Cole to retreat towards Sorauren and General Hill after fierce fighting at the Maya pass was also forced to retreat to Irurita on the 26th where he was joined by Da Costa and the 2nd Regt. On the 27th they marched in terrible weather to support Wellington at Sorauren, but only made it as far as Lizaso. However, they were engaged in the
combat at Buenza before the French were forced to retreat to their former positions and by 3rd August Hill was back in the Bastan Valley where he had started from on 25th July, with Da Costa’s Brigade back in the passes of Ispegui and Barberis between the Alduides and Bastan valleys.
In early August Wellington had decided not to invade France until he had control of San Sebastian and Pamplona and that he was confident that developments in the rest of Europe would favour the move. Soult had concentrated his army on the Nivelle and would eventually be in a position to attack. In order to counter this possibility Wellington constructed 3 successive lines of earthworks between the Bidassoa and Oyargeur rivers. The 1st Division was in position on the lower
Bidassoa. The depleted 2nd Division was moved to the far right of the front at Roncesvalles, where no attacks were expected and was replaced at the Maya pass by the 6th Division while close behind at Elizondo were Picton and the 3rd Division.
Wellington waited until new siege guns arrived from England and eventually at the end of August he was ready to order San Sebastion to be stormed. At the same time in an attempt to relieve the fort Soult attacked Wellington at San Murcial on August 31st across the Bidassoa river. However, this attempt was unsuccessful in part because Wellington demonstrated with the 7th Division against the French left wing at Ainhoue. The weather was appalling and Vandermaesson’s Division was trapped unable to cross the river and had to march through the night to Lesaca, and in the action that followed Vandermaesson was killed. The storming of San Sebastian eventually succeeded on the 8th September. Wellington's army was strung out on the French
The maya Pass
border with his left at the mouth of the Bidassoa and his right on the mountain passes around Roncesvalle.

Maps

  1 Portugal, Spain and Southern France
  2 Central Portugal
  25 Movements of the 2nd Portuguese Regiment - July to Dec 1813

Photos

Back Alduides St. Etienne de Baigorry St. Etienne de Baigorry
Back Bastan The Bastan Valley
Back Eratzu Eratzu Eratzu
Back Ispegui Ispegui pass Ispegui pass Ispegui pass Ispegui pass Ispegui pass Ispegui pass Ispegui pass Ispegui pass St. Etienne de Baigorry St. Etienne de Baigorry
Back Maya Chemin des Anglais Maya Village From the Maya Pass From Maya to Bastan

 

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