Bataille of the Gudiña — Wikipedia
| Date | May 7, 1709 |
|---|---|
| Place | La Gudiña |
| Issue | Spanish victory |
| 16,000 infantrymen and riders [ first ] | 18,000 infantrymen [ first ] 5 000 cavaliers [ first ] |
| 400 dead or injured [ first ] 100 horses |
1,700 dead or injured 2,300 prisoners [ first ] 17 guns [ first ] 15 flags |
Spanish Succession War
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The Bataille de la Gudiña is a military conflict in the Spanish War of Succession, which took place , in the plain of the Gudiña, near Campo Maior on the banks of the Caya River, and saw an Anglo-Portuguese army compete, which has been moving from Portugal to Madrid, to a Spanish army, which came out winner.
After the defeat at the Battle of Almansa, the British situation was bad. The British are only present in northeast Spain. Henri de Massué, count of Galway, Press London to send reinforcements, and England sends 25,000 new soldiers to Spain. Better quality troops are sent to Portugal, under the orders of the Count of Galway himself, and the rest in Catalonia.
In Portugal, Galway meets with the Dom António Luís de Sousa, 2 It is Marquis des Minas, in order to prepare the advance on Madrid. But for that, they must first capture the city of Badajoz. Lord Galway had already tried twice capturing the city in the past, without success. This time, he does not take any risks, and advances with a powerful army, more powerful than what the Spanish can oppose him. They are now fighting alone, because Louis XIV withdrew his troops to fight in France in view of the defeats he suffered on the continent.
The Anglo-Portuguese army crosses the border, with 20,000 Portuguese and 8,000 English, near the fortress of Campo Mayor, in the direction of Badajoz. While its huge supply train crosses the Caya river, near Campo Maior, the Anglo-Portuguese army comes into contact in the Gudiña plain with the avant-garde of the Spanish cavalry.
The Spanish who, despite their numerical inferiority, sought the battle, approached the plain, advancing their cavalry which occupied a position called the King’s Watchtower .
The Anglo-Portuguese, who had thrown nine bridges to cross the Caya river, deployed in front of the Spanish. In the center were deployed the troops of the Marquis de Fronteira, but its troops could not see the Spanish infantry, because it had not yet arrived on the battlefield, unlike the cavalry. On the left side, the first line was commanded by the Count of São João, and in the second line were positioned the English under the orders of Henri de Massué, with 3 British regiments. The Anglo-Portuguese stretched this wing, to take advantage of their numerical superiority, and overflow the Spanish opposing wing.
After several attacks intended to attract the Anglo-Portuguese forces, the Marquis du Bay ordered the Marquis of Aytona, who commanded the cavalry of the right flank, to attack the Portuguese of the first line. The attack saw the Spanish cavalry, well trained and very experienced. The Portuguese fled. The Count of São João tried to reorganize them, but failed and was captured. The Spanish cavalry also captured an enemy artillery battery.
Lord Galway then launched a counterattack in order to resume the battery with its 3 regiments. The Spanish dragons set foot on the ground, and hired the English, who were rugging with the abduction, while the Spanish cavalry had control of the field. The English tried to fall back on a building. Lord Galway then climbed a horse and fled. Lord Barrymore and General Pearce were captured. The 3 regiments were almost destroyed, their integrals died or prisoners. The Spanish cavalry also continued the fugitives of the Anglo-Portuguese left wing, killing 1,500 and capturing 1,000.
The first line of the Anglo-Portuguese right wing fled, as well as the second line.
The Allied center, which had no more cavalry, also fled, even before the Spanish infantry arrived on the ground. He left all the equipment on the ground, all the cannons and returned to the Caya river, without even destroying the bridges behind his passage, and only fled with Campo Maior.
The Portuguese and the British were severely defeated, with the loss of around 1,700 men killed or injured, around 2,300 prisoners, 17 cannons, 15 colors or standard, as well as tents and luggage. The Spanish having had around 400 men, and 100 horsepower, killed or injured. [ first ]
Of the 2,300 prisoners, the greatest number, around 1,500, were Queen Anne troops, and the rest, 800, were Portuguese. [ first ] The highest grades British officers taken prisoner were Major-General James Barry, 4th count of Barrymore, Nicholas Sankey; Brigadier-General Thomas Pearce; The 2nd colonel of the Galway regiment, with Major Thomas Gordon of this body; Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Meredith of the Colonel Thomas Stanwix regiment and Lord Henry Pawlet, Camp Aide de Galway; The latter nobleman, (unhappy here as in Almansa) after having a horse killed under him, only escaped with difficulty. [ 2 ]
The allies were therefore disappointed with the preparations they had made, by being able, by their numerical superiority, capture Badajoz, and had the additional mortification of seeing more than 30 leagues from the Portuguese territory used by the Marquis de Bay, who made Living your army at the expense of your opponents, at the end of this campaign. [ first ]
Their information from Portugal appeared so generally dishonorable for the British, that a contemporary London Annalist says: Conduct, it seems. The victory, which led to results so satisfactory for Philippe V of Spain, Brigadier Henry Crofton with his regiment of dragons of 4 squadrons, was in the 1st line of the right Spanish cavalry wing, whose impetuous load, On their Portuguese opponents, it is specified, that “the whole cavalry of the 2 enemy left lines was, in less than half an hour, broken, overturned and fled.” [ 2 ]
- O’Callaghan p.271
- O’Callaghan p.272
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