The two Battles of the Bruch ''(

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: 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 Joseph Chabran (21 June 1763 in Cavaillon – February 1843 in Avignon), was a French military officer. He served as infantry commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Peninsular War. Chebran traveled over the Pacific Ocean thro ...

, 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 El Bruc (; es, Bruch) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Anoia in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the side of Montserrat, of which the north-western third is within the municipality. A local road connects the village with the main N- ...

, 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 nort ...

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

Background

The

Dos de Mayo Uprising On the 2 and 3 May 1808 the Dos de Mayo or Second of May Uprising of 1808 took place in Madrid, Spain. It was a rebellion by civilians alongside some military against the occupation of the city by French troops, provoking a heavy-hand repress ...

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 ...

François Xavier de Schwarz emerged from

on June 4, advancing in the direction of

Saragossa Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributar ...

– Lleida. 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 ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both in ...

volunteers (''sometent''), and Swiss 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, p ...

captured. The Spanish also captured a

French Imperial Eagle The French Imperial Eagle (''Aigle de drapeau'', lit. "flag eagle") refers to the figure of an eagle on a staff carried into battle as a standard by the ''Grande Armée'' of Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. Although they were presented with ...

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 co ...

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_(1808).html" ;"title="rd battalion - 789 men) ***56° Regiment line (4 Battalion - 833 men) ***93° Regiment line (3rd battalion - 792 men)

Spanish forces

*Commander Joan Baget, Commander in Chief **Four companies of volunteers (soldiers of Extremadura regiment and militia) **Wallon Guards **Swiss regiment Wimpffen (300 men) **300 militia (Antoni Franch) **100 militia (Captain José Viñas) **Sallen residents (Vicar Ramón Mas - 60 men) **Patriots (100 men) **5 guns

Aftermath

The Spanish conventional warfare proceeded with the Battle_of_Girona.

_See_also

*_Chronology_of_events_of_the_Peninsular_War.html" ;"title="Battle of Girona (1808)">Battle of Girona.

_See_also

*_Chronology_of_events_of_the_Peninsular_War *_Drummer_of_El_Bruc.html" ;"title="Chronology of events of the Peninsular War">Battle of Girona (1808)">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

Spanish forces

Aftermath

_See_also

See also

_See_also

See also

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links