Chapter 42
The Battle of Vitoria
June 21st 1813
See
Battle Plan
Wellington
planned on the 20th to have the main frontal attack up
the Zadorra and up onto the heights of Puebla on the French
left, and against the French centre across the bridge
at Nanclare and Villodas with another attack from the
northwest over the Mount Arrata hills across the bridges
at Tres Puentes and Mendoza. Meanwhile
Graham with about 20,000 men was to advance down the Murgia
road and attack and turn the French right wing. By late
morning the frontal attack by Hill |
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was developing
and Graham was engaged on the left, forcing Sarrut’s
position with Longa’s Spanish, Pack’s Portuguese
and Anson’s Light Dragoons out in front. About midday
Graham ordered Pack and Longa to advance causing the French
to retreat across the Zadorra leaving
Pack and Longa in control of the ground up to the village
of Abechuco, Gamara
Mayor and Menor & Durana, which
he then attacked. Pack and Bradford's Portuguese attacking
Abechuco village and the 4th Cacadores took the hill above
Aringuis.
By mid afternoon the British were also across the bridges
at Villodas, Tres Puentas and Mendoza in force. The position
of the French started to look tenuous and they began to
retreat, outflanked as they were on their left from Mount
Puebla and on their right by Graham around Abechuco to
Durana. Some fierce fighting ensued and the British centre
was advancing on the new French position around Zuago.
Graham himself with 1st Division, Pack and Bradford’s
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Portuguese and the bulk of his cavalry were facing the
bridge of Arriaga and the village of Abechuca. The French
Army of Portugal had been ordered to hold the bridges
and hold back Graham until the rest of the French had
got off but the British columns were advancing up to the
bridge at Arriaga and threatening to surround the troops
who were holding it. Reille therefore decided to retreat.
Pack, Bradford and the first Brigade then advanced across
the abandoned bridges to Arriaga pursuing the French in
their retreat towards Salvatierra. Graham was criticised
by Oman for his lack of action and slow pursuit of inferior
French forces however Graham's orders issued by Wellington
before the battle were quite specific
'The movements of the two columns on the left viz. the
columns of Dalhousie and Sir Thomas Graham are to be regulated
from the right and although the columns are to make such
movements in advance as maybe evidently necessary to favour
the progress of the two columns of their right, they
are not however to descend into the low ground towards
Vitoria or the great road nor give up the advantage
of turning the enemy positions and the town of Vitoria
by a movement to their left - This part of the instruction
is more particularly applicable to the column under the
orders of Lt. Genl. Sir Thomas Graham.
Longa (under Graham’s command) had
crossed the bridge at Durana and effectively cut off the
possibility of a French retreat along the Bayonne road.
The British advance was inexorable and each time the French
took up a new defensive line |
at
Arinez, Gomecha, Zurago or finally
at Ali and Armentia it was broken and finally Joseph ordered
a general retreat down the Salvatierra road. As the French
who had been opposite the bridge at Arriaga began to retreat
abandoning their field guns, Packs Brigade followed by
the 1st Division and Bradford advanced on the village
of Arriaga and pursued the French towards Zerbano. The
huge number of carriages and wagons carrying civilians
and treasure which had been waiting in Vitoria quickly
clogged the single road that the retreat was along, and
made impossible the retreat of the French field artillery
most of which was abandoned. The ground was unfavourable
to cavalry and the chase was abandoned after five miles.
However, according to Oman: “the material captured
was such as no European army had ever laid hands on before
since Alexander’s Macedonians plundered the camp
of the Persian king after the battle of Issus”.
The military trophies alone included 151 guns, 415 caissons
and 100 artillery wagons.
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