Battle of the Bidassoa

Battle of the Bidassoa (1813)
Part of War of the Sixth Coalition
Color print showing soldiers under British flags in the foreground attacking French troops with a backdrop of mountains.
Battle of the Bidassoa, 9 October 1813.
Date7 October 1813
Location43°20′16″N 1°43′7″W / 43.33778°N 1.71861°W / 43.33778; -1.71861 (Mont Calvaire)
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
First French Empire French Empire United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom
Kingdom of Portugal Portugal
Spain Spain
Commanders and leaders
First French Empire Nicolas Soult United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Duke of Wellington
Strength
62,000[1] 89,000[2]
Casualties and losses
1,676[3]
17 cannons[4]
825[5]–1,600[6]
Battle of the Bidassoa is located in Europe
Battle of the Bidassoa
Location within Europe
  current battle

In the Battle of the Bidasoa (or the Battle of Larrun) on 7 October 1813 the Allied army of Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington wrested a foothold on French soil from Nicolas Soult's French army. The Allied troops overran the French lines behind the Bidassoa River on the coast and along the Pyrenees crest between the Bidasoa and La Rhune (Larrun). The nearest towns to the fighting are Irun on the lower Bidassoa and Bera on the middle Bidasoa. The battle occurred during the Peninsular War, part of the wider Napoleonic Wars.

Wellington aimed his main assault at the lower Bidasoa, while sending additional troops to attack Soult's centre. Believing his coastal sector secure, Soult held the right flank with a relatively weak force while concentrating most of his strength on his left flank in the mountains. However, the British general obtained local intelligence that indicated that water levels on the lower river were much lower than the French suspected. After careful planning, Wellington launched a surprise assault which easily overran the French left flank defences. In the centre, his army also won through the French defenses, though his Spanish allies were repulsed in one attack. At the beginning of the fighting, Soult realised that his left flank was in no danger, but it was too late to reinforce his positions on the right. Some French generals were shocked at how poorly their soldiers fought.

  1. ^ Glover's text states 61,000, but his order of battle footnote adds up to 62,170 (Glover 2001, p. 281).
  2. ^ Glover 2001, p. 283.
  3. ^ Oman 1930, p. 536.
  4. ^ Smith 1998, pp. 459–460.
  5. ^ Oman 1930, p. 535.
  6. ^ Bodart 1908, p. 460.