Battle of Perpignan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Perpignan (1793)
Part of the War of the Pyrenees
Plan of Perpignan fortress with south up.
Date 17 July 1793 Location Perpignan, Pyrénées Orientales, France Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Louis-Charles de Flers	Antonio Ricardos
Strength
12,000	15,000
Casualties and losses
800	1,000

The Battle of Perpignan, also known as the Battle of Niel, happened on July 17, 1793. It was a fight between the French army, led by Louis-Charles de Flers, and the Spanish army, led by Antonio Ricardos. The French successfully defended their position and made the Spanish retreat. Perpignan is a city in France. In 1793, it was the main city of the Roussillon area. This battle was part of the War of the Pyrenees, which was itself part of a bigger conflict called the War of the First Coalition.

What Led to the Battle

Before the Battle of Perpignan, the Spanish army, led by Captain General Ricardos, had some victories. They defeated the French in a small fight at Céret on April 20, 1793. Then, on May 19, the Spanish beat Louis-Charles de Flers and his French army at the Battle of Mas Deu.

After these wins, Ricardos decided to attack Fort de Bellegarde. The siege lasted from May 23 to June 24. The French soldiers inside the fort had to give up. During this time, the Spanish also captured other forts nearby. While the Spanish were busy with the siege, de Flers worked hard to train his new French soldiers. He also got skilled gunners to help with his cannons. He built many defenses around the area to protect against further Spanish attacks.

French Army Defenses

The French troops defending the area were made up of several regiments. These included:

• 19th Chasseurs à Cheval (Rosenthal) (a type of cavalry)
• 7th Line Infantry Regiment (Champagne)
• 20th Line Infantry Regiment (Cambrésis)
• 35th Line Infantry Regiment (Aquitaine)
• 36th Line Infantry Regiment (Anjou)
• 53rd Line Infantry Regiment (Alsace)
• 57th Line Infantry Regiment (Beauvoisis)
• 59th Line Infantry Regiment (Bourgogne)
• 70th Line Infantry Regiment (Médoc)
• 72nd Line Infantry Regiment (Vexin)
• 79th Line Infantry Regiment (Boulonnais)

The Battle Begins

Once the Spanish captured the fortress, Ricardos focused on de Flers' army, which was defending Perpignan. On July 17, 1793, the Spanish commander divided his 15,000 soldiers into five groups, called columns. His plan was for these groups to surround Perpignan from all sides.

• The first group was sent to capture Cabestany, southeast of Perpignan.
• The second group, led by Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, Marquis de las Amarillas, was to move through Canohès and Nyls to Orles, southwest of the city.
• The third group was to go from Thuir and Trouillas to take Pézilla-la-Rivière by the Têt River.
• The fourth and fifth groups were told to cross the Têt River at Millas. From there, the fourth group would go east to Saint-Estève.
• The fifth group, led by Luis Firmín de Carvajal, Conde de la Unión, would push northeast to capture a key bridge near Rivesaltes.

At first, all the Spanish groups made progress. The third group even captured some important hills near Orles. However, the Marquis de las Amarillas' group got delayed and could not support the third group.

De Flers, the French commander, saw this chance. He quickly attacked the isolated third Spanish group with many soldiers, forcing them to retreat. Conde de la Unión's group tried to help and managed to hold the line for a short time. But the French launched another strong attack, and the Spanish soldiers were defeated.

Result of the Battle

The French army had about 12,000 soldiers. They lost 800 men who were either killed or wounded. The Spanish managed to capture one French cannon. Even though the French won, two of their National Guard groups were disbanded because they tried to surrender. Also, 600 more French soldiers left the army.

In the fighting near Nyls, the Spanish lost 31 soldiers killed, 131 wounded, and three captured. Overall, it is thought that about 1,000 Spanish soldiers were hurt or killed during the entire battle. The Spanish army lost because their different groups were too far apart to help each other. This allowed de Flers to attack and defeat the isolated Spanish groups one by one.

Images for kids

• 

  Plan of Perpignan fortress with south up.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Perpiñán para niños