Battle of Venta de Echavarri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Venta de Echavarri |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of First Carlist War | |||||||
 Map of Navarre and the Provinces of Alava, Guipuzcoa and Bizcaya |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Carlists supporting |
Liberals (Isabelinos or Cristinos) supporting Isabella II of Spain and her regent mother Maria Christina |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Tomás de Zumalacárregui Manuel Iturralde |
Joaquín de Osma | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000 | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 500 dead, 450 captured | |||||||
The Battle of Venta de Echavarri (which means Battle of the Inn of Echavarri) was an important fight during the First Carlist War in Spain. It happened on October 28, 1834. This battle took place near Álava in the Basque Country. It was a big victory for the Carlists, happening just one day after the Battle of Alegría de Álava.
Contents
What led to the Battle of Venta de Echavarri?
After the Battle of Alegría de Álava on October 27, the Carlists searched for Liberal soldiers. Many Liberal troops had survived the previous battle. They were hiding in the forests nearby. The Carlists captured two cannons and a flag from the Liberal army.
Some Liberal soldiers and their officers managed to stay together. They marched to a town called Arrieta, about 3 kilometers away. There, they found safety in the church. They fought against the Carlists who followed them all night.
News of these trapped soldiers reached General Osma, the Liberal commander. He decided to send help to the troops in Arrieta the next morning. This decision led directly to the Battle of Venta de Echavarri.
Understanding the Battleground
The Carlist general, Zumalacárregui, knew the area very well. He used this knowledge to trick his enemies. He wanted to lead the Liberals to places where his Carlist guerrilla tactics would work best. These places were not good for the regular army maneuvers of the Liberals.
The battle took place on a plain near Vitoria. This plain was about 12 kilometers long. It had hills on both sides. The Zadorra River flowed nearby. The land gently sloped upwards towards the east.
At the end of this plain was a hill called Quilchano. From the east, other hills called Dallo met it. This cut the plain into two parts. The land on the left sloped towards the Zadorra River. On the right, there was a deep dip in the ground, about 60 meters deep.
The southern side of the Dallo hills was rocky and had no plants. It dropped sharply into the deep dip. The main road ran along this steep southern slope. At the bottom of the slope, there was a small opening in the Dallo hills. A creek flowed through this opening, leading to the Zadorra River.
There was a bridge over this creek. On the other side of the bridge was a place called la venta de Echavarri. This was an inn where travelers would stop. Near the inn, about 1.5 kilometers away, was Echavarri-Urtupiña. Further east, about 2.5 kilometers away, was Arrieta, where the Liberal troops were trapped.
Who Fought in the Battle?
Liberal Forces (Isabelinos)
General Osma's Liberal troops included:
- The 2nd Queen's Regiment
- The First and Second Regiments of Carabiniers
- The Battalion of Bujalance
- The Battalion of San Fernando
- Two cannons
- About 100 horsemen
Carlist Forces
The Carlists had:
- The Guías de Navarra (Guides of Navarre)
- The First, Third, Fourth, and Sixth Battalions of Navarre
- The Second Battalion of Guipúzcoa
- The Third Battalion of Álava
- A group of Navarre lancers (soldiers with spears)
How the Battle Unfolded
General Osma's Liberal troops reached the Quilchano hills. From there, they saw the Carlists waiting in the dip near Arrieta. It was two in the afternoon. Zumalacárregui knew Osma wanted to free the trapped Liberal soldiers in Arrieta. He prepared his men, who shouted, "At'em! At'em!"
Osma moved his troops forward. Two battalions of carabineers, their cavalry, and a company from the Bujalance Battalion went down into the valley. After crossing the bridge, some Liberal troops climbed the Dallo hills. This formed the Liberal left side. The rest of the carabineers and cavalry stayed in the valley, forming the Liberal right side.
On a peak above the inn, half of the Queen's Second Battalion was placed. At the entrance to an opening, 50 cavalrymen were stationed. The rest of the Queen's Second Battalion and other troops were kept as a reserve. Two cannons were placed on the slope near the bridge.
The Liberal army was set up to defend, not to attack. Osma thought Zumalacárregui would attack them head-on. The Liberal plan was to let the Carlists attack, then blast them with cannons. After that, the Liberals in the valley would chase the Carlists all the way to Arrieta.
Zumalacárregui understood the Liberal plan. He also knew the terrain better. He moved his troops across the valley. But before they were close enough for the Liberal cannons to hit them, he quickly sent most of his soldiers north. They went up the Dallo hills.
Once at the top, the Carlists could move fast because the northern slopes were gentle. They quickly reached the Liberal troops on the hilltop. Osma had placed few soldiers there. He seemed to think the northern side of the hills was as steep as the southern side. He believed his troops could easily defend themselves.
But the Liberals on the hilltops could not stop the Carlist attack. They had to leave their positions and go down towards the bridge. The Carlists took over the hilltops. They kept moving along the northern slopes and reached the opening near the bridge.
Osma, from his position, could not clearly see what was happening on his left side. But when he saw his troops coming down from the hills, he sent his reserve troops to reinforce the bridge. However, Carlist troops were also arriving at the same spot using the main road.
With the Guías de Navarra leading the way, the Carlists crossed the bridge. They attacked the hilltop above the Inn of Echavarri. This spot was defended by half of the Queen's Second Battalion.
The Liberal troops on the right side also joined the fight. But the Liberal left side was surrounded by Carlists and began to break apart. The Carlists kept advancing, even under enemy fire. They crossed a bridge and outflanked the Liberals.
The Liberal right side also started to break formation and scatter. They fled out of the dip in the ground. Many were hurt by the Carlists. It looked like it would be a huge defeat, similar to the previous day's battle. But Zumalacárregui ordered his troops to spare those who surrendered.
The battle lasted barely an hour. The Carlists took control of the hill. After the battle, the Carlists chased the fleeing Liberals. The Liberals ran in complete disorder all the way to the gates of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The Carlists captured 3,000 muskets (rifles) as spoils of war.
What happened after the battle?
General Osma wrote a report to Queen Isabel II. He blamed his own troops for the defeat. He said they abandoned their positions without fighting. He felt that all honor was lost.
However, one of Osma's officers, Iriarte, later criticized Osma's actions. Some believed Osma should have occupied the town of Echavarri-Urtupiña. He could have turned it into a small fort with his cannons. This would have helped the Liberal troops trapped in Arrieta escape safely.
Meanwhile, the Liberal troops trapped in Arrieta had watched the whole battle from the church tower. A fog covered the town at midnight. They used their bayonets (knives on rifles) to fight off the few Carlists trying to stop them. They managed to reach Maetzu, where there was another Liberal force. On November 1, 1834, they safely arrived in Vitoria.
The Liberal Army was in a mess after these battles. The Liberal troops in Pamplona even struggled to get firewood for cooking. The two Liberal divisions in Navarre moved back to a safer line. This gave Zumalacárregui a great chance to attack rich areas of Navarre.
The Carlist general moved through several towns, gathering supplies, clothes, money, and new soldiers. The Carlists' spirits were very high. They decided to fight the Liberal troops in a formal battle, not just with guerrilla tactics. This next big battle happened on December 14, 1834, at the Battle of Mendaza. However, that battle ended in a Carlist defeat.
Images for kids
-
Map of Navarre and the Provinces of Alava, Guipuzcoa and Bizcaya
See also
In Spanish: Acción de la Venta de Echavarri para niños
