The two Battles of the Bruch ''( Spanish: Batallas del Bruch;

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

: Batalles del Bruc)'' were engagements fought successively between French columns commanded by Brigadier General François de Schwarz and General of Division Joseph Chabran, and a body of

volunteers and mercenaries led by General Antoni Franch i Estalella and Joan de la Creu Baiget, during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. The result of these battles and actions fought at El Bruc, near

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

, between 6–14 June 1808 was a Spanish victory.

Background

The Dos de Mayo Uprising had put Iberia in revolt against French rule. The Spanish conventional warfare started with the Battles of El Bruch.

June 6

The French detachment of 3,800 soldiers under

General of Brigade Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

François Xavier de Schwarz François Xavier de Schwarz or François-Xavier-Nicolas Schwartz (8 January 1762 – 9 October 1826) was born in Baden but joined the French army in 1776. He became a cavalry officer during the French Revolutionary Wars, fighting with the 2nd Huss ...

emerged from

on June 4, advancing in the direction of Saragossa–

Lleida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...

. A rainstorm that day slowed their march considerably; the delay gave time for local Spanish forces, composed of militia from the neighboring villages,

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...

volunteers (''sometent''), and

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

and Walloon soldiers from the Barcelona garrison (2,000 men), to mobilize for action. The Spaniards were led by General Antoni Franch i Estalella and deployed along Bruc Pass. The resulting stand was a success, and the French under General Schwarz were turned back to Barcelona with the loss of 360 dead, 800 wounded, 60 prisoners, and one

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

captured. The Spanish also captured a French Imperial Eagle.

French army

*Schwartz Column - Brigadier-General Francis Xavier Schwartz, Commander in Chief **1st Regiment Neapolitan line (2 battalions - 1940 men) **2 Line Regiment Switzerland (3rd battalion - 580 men) **2nd Regiment of the line (3rd battalion - 610 men) **1st Regiment of Chasseurs Neapolitan (2 squadrons - 160 men) **3rd Regiment Provisional cuirassiers (1 squadron - 100 men) **11° Italian artillery company (section 1 - 2 guns)

Spanish forces

*General Antoni Franch i Estalella, Commander in Chief ** 260 regulars and militia (Captain José Viñas) ** 200 regulars and militia (Francesc Riera Balaguer)

June 14

A second French sortie on June 14 led by

General of Division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corp ...

Joseph Chabran succeeded only in putting to the torch several buildings in El Bruc after being defeated and repelled by the Spanish forces led by Joan Baiget. On 15 June, the Spanish attacked the French in their painful withdrawal to

, causing to Chabran more than 500 dead and wounded.

French army

*First Division - General of Division Joseph Chabran, Commander in Chief **Brigade: Brig-General Goulas ***7º Regiment line (2 battalions - 1785 men) ***16° Régiment line (3rd battalion - 789 men) **Brigade: Brig-General Nicolas ***2nd Regiment of the line (3rd battalion - 610 men) ***37° Regiment line Spanish conventional warfare proceeded with the Battle of Girona.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruch, Battles of the Battles of the Peninsular War Battles in Catalonia Battles involving Spain Battles involving France Battles involving Italy Battles of the Napoleonic Wars Conflicts in 1808 1808 in Spain June 1808 events

Background

June 6

French army

Spanish forces

June 14

French army

See also

See also

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links