Siege of Chaves facts for kids
The Siege of Chaves was a series of battles for the town of Chaves, Portugal during the Peninsular War. This war was part of the bigger Napoleonic Wars in Europe.
The French army attacked and captured Chaves from 10 to 12 March 1809. Later, Portuguese forces fought back. They besieged and recaptured the town from 21 to 25 March 1809.
Quick facts for kids Siege of Chaves |
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| Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
 Monument to commemorate the recapture of Chaves by the Portuguese forces. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Portugal |
 French Empire |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| First siege: Francisco Pizarro Second siege: Francisco Silveira |
First siege: Marshal Soult Second siege: Major Messeger |
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| Strength | |||||||
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First siege: 6,000 men |
First siege: 1,800 men 12 cannons |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| First siege: 3,500 men captured 50 cannons captured Second siege: 4 to 5 men killed |
First siege: No casualties Second siege: 300 dead 1,500 captured 12 cannons captured More than 1,000 rifles captured |
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Contents
French Invasions of Portugal (1807-1811)
Portugal faced three invasions by French armies during the Peninsular War. This was a big conflict in Europe. The northern part of Portugal, called Trás-os-Montes, was under French control. This happened because of Napoleon's rule.
When news arrived that British soldiers had landed in Portugal, people started to fight back. The towns of Bragança and Chaves quickly declared themselves free from French rule.
Napoleon was busy with events in Spain. He sent a large army of 300,000 men to control the area. The British, led by General John Moore, had about 30,000 soldiers. Napoleon's forces were very fast and strong. They defeated the British and Spanish armies in many battles.
Napoleon ordered General Jean-de-Dieu Soult to chase the British in Spain. General Moore's army was defeated. Moore himself was killed in a battle near Coruña, where his remaining soldiers sailed away.
Months later, General Soult was told to invade Portugal from the north. His goal was to remove the British from Portuguese land. But winter made the Minho River hard to cross. Also, Portuguese forces fought bravely near Cerveira and Valença.
So, General Soult decided to go around the mountains. He crossed into Portugal through Trás-os-Montes. His army had about 23,000 men, including 4,000 cavalry. They also had 50 cannons. Many of these soldiers were very experienced. They had fought in big battles like Friedland and Austerlitz. They crossed the border on March 7, 1809.
First Attack on Chaves
The Portuguese defense of Trás-os-Montes was led by Brigadier Francisco Silveira. His forces included 2,800 regular soldiers and 2,500 local militia. They had only 50 cavalry. These forces were gathered near the fort of Chaves.
The fort's defenses were not in good shape. It had 50 cannons, but only a few worked well. Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Pizarro was in charge of the fort. After some small fights near the border, the Portuguese soldiers went back to Chaves. Then, Brigadier Silveira ordered them to leave the fort.
This order made the local militia and people very upset. Brigadier Silveira wisely led his main forces south. He wanted to avoid a direct fight with the much stronger French army. But the people and militia pressured Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Pizarro. He decided to disobey orders. Pizarro took command of the local forces. He prepared to defend Chaves with about 500 regular troops, 2,000 militia, and 1,200 local volunteers.
Silveira tried to change Pizarro's mind. He even held a meeting to discuss it. But he couldn't get a clear decision. The French arrived on March 10. They started to prepare an attack on the fort of São Neutel nearby. Pizarro stood his ground. Silveira and his officers left to join their forces. They took positions in the hills south of Chaves.
Marshal Soult asked the Chaves fort to surrender. But there was no answer. Soon, it became clear that defending the fort was hopeless. The defenders kept firing cannons and muskets. But they finally realized that Silveira's earlier retreat order was the right choice. Soult sent a second message asking for surrender. This time, it was accepted on March 12. Chaves surrendered, and French troops entered the town on March 13.
Soult had many prisoners. He released the civilians and local volunteers. He made them promise not to fight against the French again. He also tried to get 500 of the regular soldiers to join his army. But these soldiers soon ran away.
Portuguese Counterattack
Meanwhile, the Portuguese forces had moved from Vidago. They went further south to a low pass between Vila Pouca and Vila Real. Soult decided to move his main army west, towards Barroso, instead of south. He left a small group of soldiers in Chaves. This group was led by Major Messenger. They also left a hospital with many wounded or sick soldiers.
As soon as Silveira learned that the main French army had left, he decided to attack Chaves. For a few days, a French group had approached Vila Pouca. They wanted to make the Portuguese forces retreat. But it was soon discovered that these French soldiers had gone to Boticas. They were joining the main French army, which was heading west. Soult's army then went on to win the First Battle of Porto.
Silveira's army returned to the Tâmega River valley. They attacked the Chaves fort on March 21. The small French group tried to fight back. But the Portuguese knew the town well. They managed to get inside the walls through a place called the "Opening of the Butchershops." There was fierce hand-to-hand fighting in the streets. The French lost almost 300 men. They retreated into the São Francisco Fort. About 200 French soldiers were captured by the Portuguese.
The Portuguese had no cannons. So, they surrounded the French for four days. On the fifth day, everything was ready for a final attack. Silveira sent a message to Major Messenger. He demanded that Messenger surrender without conditions. Messenger asked for an hour to decide. After the hour passed, there was still no answer. Silveira sent a final warning. He said if Messenger did not surrender in five minutes, he would order the fort to be stormed. The French commander immediately surrendered.
About 25 officers, 23 civilians, and 1,300 soldiers were captured. They were taken to Vila Real. The 114 Spanish prisoners left in Chaves by Soult were set free.
This clever move by Silveira messed up Soult's plans. Soult had to wait between the Douro and Vouga rivers because he lacked supplies. After the Second Battle of Porto, the French army had to quickly retreat. They were forced back by Wellesley. They went back to Ourense in Spain.
In the final part of this retreat, Silveira almost caught the French troops. This happened near Montealegre. Some of his groups even saw the French rear guard crossing the border. This was near the mountains of Larouco. Beresford had arrived at Chaves. But he missed the chance to completely defeat the French.
After the danger passed, Beresford, at Silveira's request, held a military trial for Francisco Pizarro. This trial happened in Lisbon in 1809. The court found Lieutenant Colonel Pizarro innocent of the charges.
This successful defeat of the French by the Portuguese army was very important. It gave Chaves a special place in Portuguese history. Because of this, and another event in 1912, Chaves earned the title of "Heroic City of Chaves" (Cidade Heróica de Chaves). Many streets and avenues in Portugal are named after this title.
See also
