Battle of El Bruc
| Battles of El Bruc | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Combatants | |||||||
First French Empire |
.svg)
Kingdom of Spain |
||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| General Schwartz | General Franch | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,800 regulars | 2,000 regulars and militia | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| 360 dead, 60 captured |
Unknown | ||||||
|
Peninsular War
Invasion by Stealth, 1808 |
|---|
| Dos de Mayo – El Bruc – Cabezón – 1st Gerona – 2nd Gerona – Saragossa – Rio Seco – Valencia – Bailén – Roliça – Vimeiro |
The two Battles of El Bruc (English: the Bruch) were engagements fought successively between a French column and a body of Spanish volunteers and mercenaries on June 4, 1808 in the Peninsular War.
The French detachment under General Schwartz emerged from Barcelona on June 4, advancing in the direction of Zaragoza–Lérida. A rainstorm that day slowed their march considerably; the delay gave time for local Spanish forces, composed of militia from the neighboring villages, Catalan volunteers (somatén), and Swiss and Walloon soldiers from the Barcelona garrison, to mobilize for action. The Spaniards were led by General Franch and deployed along Bruch Pass.
The resulting stand was a success,[1] and the French under General Schwartz were turned back to Barcelona with the loss of 300 dead and one gun captured.
A second French sortie on June 14 succeeded only in putting to the torch several buildings in El Bruc.
Notes
- ^ Gates, p. 59
References
- Gates, David. The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. Da Capo Press 2001. ISBN 0-306-81083-2
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
