Battle of Arlabán (1811)

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Battle of Arlabán (1811)
Part of the Peninsular War
Date25 May 1811
Location
Mountain pass between Álava and Guipúzcoa, Spain
42°58′38″N 2°34′17″W / 42.97722°N 2.57139°W / 42.97722; -2.57139
Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
First French Empire French Empire Spain
Commanders and leaders
First French Empire Colonel Laffitte (POW) Francisco Espoz y Mina
Strength
1,600[1] 3,000–4,500[1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown
Peninsular War
Castile 1811–13
Map
200km
125miles
20
Battle of Tordesillas (1812) at Tordesillas, from 25 to 29 October 1812
19
Battle of Venta del Pozo at Villodrigo, on 23 October 1812
Burgos
18
Siege of Burgos at Burgos, from 19 September to 21 October 1812
17
Battle of Majadahonda at Majadahonda, on 11 August 1812
16
Battle of García Hernández at Garcihernández, on 23 July 1812
Salamanca
15
Battle of Salamanca at Salamanca, on 22 July 1812
Astorga
14
Siege of Astorga (1812) at Astorga, from 29 June to 19 August 1812
13
Battle of Maguilla at Maguilla, on 11 June 1812
12
Battle of Almaraz at Almaraz, from 18 to 19 May 1812
11
Battle of Villagarcia at Villagarcia, on 11 April 1812
Ciudad Rodrigo
10
Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812) at Ciudad Rodrigo, from 7 to 20 January 1812
9
Battle of Navas de Membrillo at Navas de Membrillo, on 29 December 1811
8
Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos at Arroyo dos Molinos, on 28 October 1811
7
Battle of Cogorderos at Cogorderos, on 23 June 1811
Arlabán
6
Battle of Arlabán (1811) on 25 May 1811 Battle of Arlabán (1812) on 9 April 1812
5
Battle of Usagre at Usagre, on 25 May 1811
Albuera
4
Battle of Albuera at Albuera, on 16 May 1811
Campo Maior
3
Battle of Campo Maior at Campo Maior, on 25 March 1811
2
Battle of the Gebora at Gebora, on 19 February 1811
Badajoz
1
First siege of Badajoz (1811) from 26 January 1811 to 11 March 1811 Second siege of Badajoz (1811) from 22 April to 12 May 1811 from 19 May to 10 June 1811 Siege of Badajoz (1812) from 16 March to 6 April 1812
  current battle

The Battle of Arlabán, also known as the First Surprise of Arlabán, took place at the heights of Arlabán, the mountain pass that separates the Basque provinces of Guipúzcoa and Álava, on 25 May 1811, during the Peninsular War.

Battle[edit]

At eight o'clock in the morning, a Spanish guerrilla force numbering between 3,000 and 4,500 men, led by Francisco Espoz y Mina, ambushed and captured the central part of a convoy made up of 150 wagons and 1,050 prisoners, escorted by 1,600 French troops led by Colonel Laffitte and spread out over 5 km.[2] Seven hours later, the French finally surrendered. The Spanish captured a variety of supplies and weapons (the convoy was valued at 4 million reales), and 1,042 British, Portuguese and Spanish prisoners were released. The convoy became known as the convoy de los Ingleses because most of the prisoners were British.[3]

Aided by local guerrilla groups that knew the terrain well, Espoz y Mina had positioned his guerrilleros on both sides of the pass, on the route to France, some 20 km north of Vitoria, at four o'clock in the morning.[1]

Aftermath[edit]

This was the last action that Espoz y Mina led as a guerrilla leader in Navarre. On 5 June, his forces, the División de Navarra, were integrated into the regular Army of Spain, but he would continue to lead his troops into battle against the French, including at the Second Surprise of Arlabán, on 9 April 1812.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c elcorreo 2013.
  2. ^ noticiasdegipuzkoa 2013.
  3. ^ euskomedia 2013.

References[edit]

  • euskomedia (2013). "Francisco Espoz e Ilundain". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  • elcorreo (2013). "La sorpresa de Arlabán" (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  • noticiasdegipuzkoa (2013). "La sorpresa de Arlabán: Noticias de Gipuzkoa" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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