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Siege of Mequinenza

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Action of the Peninsular War

Siege of Mequinenza
Part of Peninsular War

Mequinenza lies on the Segre, overlooked by a castle on a mountain spur. The Ebro flows from the west, unseen in the photo, down the valley behind the spur.
Date15 May to 8 June 1810
LocationMequinenza, Aragon, Spain41°22′0″N 0°18′0″E / 41.36667°N 0.30000°E / 41.36667; 0.30000
Result French victory
Belligerents
France First French Empire Spain Kingdom of Spain
Commanders and leaders
France Louis Gabriel Suchet Spain Colonel Carbon
Units involved
France III Corps Spain Army of Aragon
Strength
6,000 1,800
Casualties and losses
100 1,800
Peninsular War
Aragon and northeast Spain 1809–1814
Peninsular War: Aragón Catalonia About OpenStreetMapsMaps: terms of use 200km
125miles 21Battle of Ordal at Ordal, on 13 September 1813 Castalla20Battle of Castalla (1812) at Castalla, on 21 July 1812 and on 13 April 1813 19Battle of Altafulla at Altafulla, on 29 January 1812 Valencia18Siege of Valencia (1812) at Valencia, from 26 December 1811 – 9 January 1812 Saguntum17Battle of Saguntum at Saguntum, on 25 October 1811 16Battle of Cervera (1811) at Cervera, from 4 to 14 October 1811 15Siege of Figueras (1811) at Figueras, from 4 April to 19 August 1811 14Battle of Montserrat at Montserrat, on 25 July 18117 13Siege of Tarragona (1811) from 5 May – 29 June 1811 Siege of Tarragona (1813) from 3 to 11 June 1813 12Battle of El Pla at El Pla, on 15 January 1811 11Siege of Tortosa (1810–11) at Tortosa, from 19 December 1810 to 2 January 1811 10Battle of La Bisbal at La Bisbal, on 14 September 1810 Mequinenza9 8Siege of Lérida at Lérida, on 23 April and 29 April to 14 May 1810 7Battle of Vic at Vic, on 20 February 1810 6Battle of Mollet at Mollet, on 21 January 1810 5Battle of Belchite (1809) at Belchite, on 18 June 1809 María4Battle of María at María de Huerva, on 15 June 1809 3Battle of Alcañiz at Alcañiz, on 23 May 1809 2Third siege of Girona at Girona, from 6 May to 12 December 1809 1Battle of Valls at Valls, on 25 February 1809    current battle

The siege of Mequinenza (15 May to 8 June 1810) saw a 16,000-man Imperial French corps commanded by Louis Gabriel Suchet invest a 1,000-strong Spanish garrison under Colonel Carbon. Mequinenza and its castle were captured by the French after an operation lasting about three weeks. The action occurred during the Peninsular War, which formed part of the Napoleonic Wars. Mequinenza is located at the confluence of the Ebro and Segre Rivers about 211 kilometres (131 mi) west of Barcelona.

Background

Mequinenza's town wall was old and weak, but its castle perched on a mountain spur above the town was a formidable position. It took Suchet's military engineers two weeks to construct a zig-zag road up the mountain. Once the road was ready, the French dragged their siege cannons to the top and opened fire on the castle. The town was successfully stormed on 5 June. After eight days of bombardment the castle was a ruin and Carbon surrendered. Since Mequinenza was at the head of navigation on the Ebro, Suchet was able to use the town as a supply base in his subsequent operations during the siege of Tortosa in the winter of 1810 and 1811.

Siege

During the second siege of Zaragoza, its Spanish defenders bitterly resisted the French for many months. The city finally fell on 20 February 1809 and its large garrison was killed or captured. With most of Aragon's defenders wiped out, the French III Corps under General of Division Jean-Andoche Junot and V Corps under Marshal Édouard Mortier rapidly conquered the Ebro River valley. The powerful fortress of Jaca meekly surrendered to Mortier on 21 March 1809 and the towns of Monzón and Fraga were soon occupied. However, the castle of Mequinenza declined to surrender when summoned by a French column. After Mortier in person appeared before the castle with a brigade of infantry, its commander again refused to capitulate. The French marshal withdrew, planning to return after conquering the remainder of eastern Aragon. However, Emperor Napoleon issued orders on 5 April for the V Corps to withdraw to Tudela. The War of the Fifth Coalition was about to start and the emperor knew he might need Mortier's troops to reinforce his army in Germany. This left the III Corps to hold Aragon with only 15,000 troops. At the same time the emperor replaced Junot with General of Division Louis Gabriel Suchet.

Notes

  1. ^ Bodart 1908, p. 417.
  2. Esdaile 2003, p. 294.
  3. Oman 1902b, pp. 406–411.

References

Further reading

  • Gates, David (2002). The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. London: Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-9730-6.
  • Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1902c). A History of the Peninsular War. Vol. III. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  • Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.
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