Chapter 43
The French Retreat
June 22nd 1813
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Wellington,
although he had just won a massive victory over the French
was angry at the indiscipline of the troops in looting
and drunkenness after the battle, when he famously described
his soldiers as the “scum of the earth”. The
day after the battle on 22nd he pursued the French towards
Pamplona, but decided to dispatch Graham with the 1st
Division, Pack and Bradford’s Portuguese and Anson’s
Cavalry to go northward on a mountain road which goes
from Salvatierra to Villafranca (now called Ordisia) on
the Bayonne Chausée and cut off Maucunes convoy
which had left Vitoria before the battle started. The
orders were late being delivered to Graham and Pack had
to countermarch back to Salvatierra on 23rd June. |
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This
delay resulted in Graham not arriving at Villafranca (Odizia)
in force until the afternoon of 24th when the majority
of the French column had already passed. However at dawn
on the 24th, Pack’s Portuguese and Anson’s
Cavalry who were ahead of the rest attacked Maucune’s
force left at Villafranca covering
Foy’s advance from the west. The Grenadier and Light
companies of Packs Brigade made for Beazain on the left,
whilst Bradford attacked the village of Olaberria on the
right. By 3pm in the afternoon Maucune was forced to continue
his retreat up the Tolosa road.
After the combat of the morning, Graham moved forward
a few miles as far as Ichasondo and neighbouring villages
on the Tolosa road. At this stage there were approximately
16,000 in each army on the Tolosa road. On the 25th Graham
brought the whole allied force up to Alegria half way
to Tolosa. Foy, thinking that Joseph’s army might
be making for Tolosa, determined to make a stand there
and |
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up a long and extensive position on each side of Tolosa.
It lies in a narrow gorge through which the Oria river
and the great chausée pass, and was one of the
main halting places between Bayonne and Madrid and therefore
was well defended with walls, blockhouses and mounted
guns. In the centre of Graham’s attack was the 1st
Division followed by Pack’s Brigade and Giron’s
Galicians advancing up the chausée on the |
left
bank of the river Oria, with 3 companies of Packs Portuguese
and the Grenadiers of the 1st Regiment dislodged the French
from an advantageous hill in front of the town. The French
cannonaded the causeway, until Graham brought up his guns
and burst open one of the gates to make passage for the
troops.
The French eventually made good their escape in the darkness
with a loss of 400 killed & wounded. These combats
were very severe and the Anglo Portuguese army lost 400
killed and wounded in the two days operations, and Graham
himself was injured.
The French retreated first to San Sebastian
and then on 30th June all French troops south of the lower
Bidassoa were ordered to retire into France, leaving just
the Garrison of 2,000 or so at San Sebastian. On the 1st
July Graham’s 1st Division and Pack & Bradford’s
Portuguese halted near San Sebastian. The storming of
San Sebastian had to await the arrival of Siege guns being
brought by the Navy from |
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Corruna.
On July 10th John Gomersall was put in Command of the
2nd Portuguese Regiment which was part of De Costa’s
brigade, which in turn was part of Silveira's Portuguese
Division within Hill’s Corp which was located up
in the Pyrenees near the Maya Pass. King Joseph had retreated
after the battle of Vitoria to Pamplona and leaving a
garrison there had marched his army over the Maya Pass
and towards the end of June set up his HQ at St Jean de
Luz in the Bastan |
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Valley. Wellington had
left a force (3rd, 4th & 6th Division) to lay siege
to Pamplona, and whilst Graham was chasing Reille and
Foy out of Spain up the Oria valley, he sent Hill’s
Company after Joseph. Hill’s force comprised four
Divisions (2nd, Light, 7th and Silveira’s Portuguese)
and they were sent to clear the French from the Bastan
in early July.
By July 5th Hill was crossing the Col de Velate, and a
day’s march behind him was Silveira’s Division
which comprised Da Costa’s and Campbell’s
Brigades.
So when John Gomersall joined the 2nd Portuguese Regiment
on 10th July they were positioned high up in the Pyrenees
on the Berderis pass and other minor passes south of the
Ispegui pass, which lie between the Valley of Alduides
and the Bastan Valley. (Incidentally Pack had been put
in command of the 6th Division and was in reserve at Santersteban.) |
Maps
Photos
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