Battle of Truillas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Truillas |
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| Part of the War of the Pyrenees | |||||||
 The Battle of Truillas by Jean-Baptiste Réville |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Spain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Luc Siméon Dagobert |
Antonio Ricardos |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 22,000 | 17,000, 38 guns | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4,500, 10 guns | 2,000 | ||||||
The Battle of Truillas was a big fight that happened on September 22, 1793. It was part of the French Revolutionary War, a time when France was fighting against many other European countries. This battle was specifically part of the War of the Pyrenees, fought between France and Spain.
The French army, led by Luc Siméon Auguste Dagobert, tried to win another victory after their success at the Battle of Peyrestortes. But this time, the Spanish Army of Catalonia, led by Antonio Ricardos, won the battle. The fighting took place near the village of Trouillas in France, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) southwest of the city of Perpignan.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
Since April 1793, the Spanish army, led by General Ricardos, had been winning many battles in French Roussillon (a region in southern France). One important victory for Spain was the Siege of Bellegarde, where French soldiers had to give up on June 24, 1793.
After this, the Spanish army stayed close to Perpignan, which was an important city. In early September, Ricardos tried to cut off Perpignan. He sent two groups of soldiers around the west side of the city to block the road to Narbonne. At the same time, he attacked Perpignan with cannons from the south.
French generals Eustache Charles d'Aoust and Jacques Gilles Henri Goguet then attacked the Spanish forces. This led to the Battle of Peyrestortes on September 17, which was a big win for France. The Spanish army was very shaken and gathered their forces near Trouillas.
Right after the French victory at Peyrestortes, General Luc Siméon Auguste Dagobert became the new leader of the French army in this area. He wanted to use the recent French success to attack Ricardos and his army at Trouillas. A French government official named Claude Fabre also pushed Dagobert to attack.
The Battle of Truillas
The village of Trouillas is in a flat area, about 100 meters (328 feet) above sea level. A historic place called Mas Deu, built by the Knights Templar long ago, is about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) to the east. Another town, Thuir, is five kilometers (3 miles) to the northwest.
General Ricardos had about 17,000 soldiers and 38 cannons ready to defend these areas. Even though a new group of Spanish soldiers arrived, it wasn't enough to make up for the soldiers Spain lost at Peyrestortes. General Dagobert attacked with a larger French army of 22,000 soldiers. The French army included different groups of soldiers, like the 7th, 61st, 70th, and 79th Infantry Demi-Brigades (which are like large army units), and also National Guards from areas like Gers and Gard.
Dagobert wanted to go around the Spanish army from the west. But other generals and the official Fabre convinced him to attack straight on. So, he sent General Louis Antoine Goguet's group to attack the Spanish left side near Thuir. Another group of French soldiers tried to attack Thuir from the west. General d'Aoust's group was told to attack the Spanish right side near Mas Deu. Dagobert himself led his own group to try and break through the middle of the Spanish army.
Ricardos thought the main French attack would be at Thuir. So, he sent only 3,000 men to defend the Spanish right side. He moved more soldiers to Thuir to hold that area. Dagobert's attack in the middle pushed the Spanish back and even got into their main camp at Trouillas.
However, General Goguet faced many Spanish soldiers and cannons at Thuir and was defeated. Ricardos himself led a brave charge with his cavalry (soldiers on horseback) to stop the French group trying to go around the side. Then, he quickly returned to the main fight in the middle. General d'Aoust's group only had small fights near Mas Deu and didn't seriously threaten the Spanish right side. This allowed Ricardos to bring many of his cavalry soldiers to fight Dagobert's group.
After defeating Goguet, another Spanish general, de la Unión, marched to Trouillas. He attacked the French soldiers in the middle from behind. Three French army units were surrounded, and many soldiers were captured. After fighting all day, Dagobert's army had to retreat northeast to Canohès.
The Spanish won this battle partly because the French army was not well organized and had problems getting supplies.
What Happened After
General Dagobert said that only 1,500 French soldiers were hurt or killed. But historians, like Digby Smith, say that about 3,000 French soldiers were killed or wounded. Also, 1,500 French soldiers and 10 cannons were captured by the Spanish. The Spanish army lost about 2,000 soldiers in total (killed, wounded, or missing).
Because Dagobert lost the battle, the French officials Fabre and Raymond Gaston removed him from command on September 28. General d'Aoust took over temporarily. Dagobert then went to another area called the Cerdagne with his soldiers. On October 4, he attacked and robbed the Spanish town of Camprodon.
Even though Ricardos won at Trouillas, he soon decided it was better to move his army back to the Tech River. On October 3, Ricardos and 15,000 Spanish soldiers fought off d'Aoust and 16,000 French soldiers at Le Boulou near the Tech River. In that fight, 1,200 French soldiers were hurt or killed, while only 300 Spanish soldiers were.
Images for kids
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The Battle of Truillas by Jean-Baptiste Réville
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A map showing the War of the Pyrenees in the Eastern Pyrenees region.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de Truillás para niños
