The Battle of the Nive (9-12 December 1813) was a battle towards the end of the Peninsular War (1808-1814). Wellington's Allied (Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish) army had successfully pushed the French army out of Spain, over the Pyrenees, and into south-west France. After his defeat at Nivelle Marshal Soult created a defensive line south of the town of Bayonne along the Adour and Nive rivers. Combatants Kingdom of Spain, United Kingdom, Kingdom of Portugal French Empire The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence (Guerra de la Independencia Española) was a war in the Iberian Peninsula. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... Year 1813 (MDCCCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... Map of the First French Empire in 1811, with the Empire in dark blue and sattelite states in light blue Capital Paris Language(s) French Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1804-1814/1815 Napoleon I Napoleon II Legislature Parliament  - Upper house Senate  - Lower house Corps législatif History  - French Consulate  - Established 18... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Spain1785. ... Image File history File links Flag_Portugal_(1707). ... Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie (March 29, 1769 – November 26, 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of France in 1804. ... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... Combatants Kingdom of Spain, United Kingdom, Kingdom of Portugal French Empire The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence (Guerra de la Independencia Española) was a war in the Iberian Peninsula. ... Battle of Fuengirola was one of the battles of the Peninsular War. ... The Battle of Barrosa took place on March 5, 1811 between Anglo-Spanish and French forces as part of the Peninsular war. ... // In the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro (May 3 - 5, 1811) the British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley checked an attempt by French troops under Marshall André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida. ... Combatants Spain Portugal Britain France Duchy of Warsaw Commanders William Beresford Joaquin Blake Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult Strength 10,000 British 10,000 Portuguese 13,000 Spanish 38 guns 23,000 infantry 4,000 cavalry 40 guns Casualties 5,916 dead or wounded[2] 5,936 dead or wounded... Combatants United Kingdom, Portugal First French Empire Commanders Earl of Wellington General Philippon Strength 25,000 regulars 5,000 regulars Casualties 5,000 dead or wounded 1,500 dead or wounded In the Battle of Badajoz (March 16-April 6, 1812) an Anglo-Portuguese army under Earl of Wellington, besieged... Combatants United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain French Empire Commanders Earl of Wellington Auguste Marmont Strength 51,949[1] 49,647[2] Casualties 5,914 dead or wounded 13,000 dead, wounded, or captured The Battle of Salamanca (July 22, 1812) was an important victory for an Anglo-Portuguese army under Earl... Combatants France Britain Spain Portugal Commanders Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Joseph Bonaparte Arthur Wellesley Strength 58,000 78,000 Casualties 8,000 dead or wounded 2,000 captured 4,500 dead or wounded The Battle of Vitoria was fought on June 21, 1813 during the Peninsular War, between 78,000 British... Combatants France Britain Portugal Commanders Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult Arthur Wellesley Strength 80,000 60,000 Casualties 1,300 dead and 8,600 wounded 2,700 captured 4,500 dead or wounded A large-scale offensive launched[1] on 25 July 1813 by Marshal Soult from the Pyrenees region... The Battle of Sorauren was fought in late July of 1813 between French forces and the combined forces of Great Britain and Portugal. ... Combatants France Britain, Spain, Portugal Commanders Marshal Soult Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington Strength 60,000 80,000 Casualties 4,351 2,450 The Battle of Nivelle (November 10, 1813) took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War (1808-1814). ... The Battle of Orthez was fought on February 27, 1814, between the First French Empire and the forces of the Allies. ... The battle of Toulouse, fought on April 10, 1814, was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, although its official classification is disputed as the battle occurred four days after Napoleons surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition. ... Combatants France Britain, Spain, Portugal Commanders Marshal Soult Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington Strength 60,000 80,000 Casualties 4,351 2,450 The Battle of Nivelle (November 10, 1813) took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War (1808-1814). ... Bayonne (French: Bayonne, pronounced ; Gascon Occitan and Basque: Baiona) is a city and commune of southwest France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... Map of the Adour River The Adour (Basque: Aturri) is a river in southwestern France, rising in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees) and flowing into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. ... The Nive (Errobi in Basque) is a French river that flows through the French Basque Country. ...

Unusually, for most of the battle, Wellington remained with the Reserve delegating command to his senior Generals Rowland Hill and John Hope. Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill (1772 - 1842) was a soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars as a subordinate to the Duke of Wellington. ...

Battle of the Nive

Despite poor weather Hill led five Anglo-Portuguese divisions on the British right across the Nive near Ustaritz on 9 December, while the reminder of the British force under Hope launched diversionary attacks towards Bayonne to the left and centre. Uztaritze is a small village in the province of Labourd, in the South part of France. ...

Soult launched a counter-attack with eight divisions against Hill the following day, and despite several fierce actions the British line held until reinforced by more troops coming up from Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Soult's army was somewhat weakened when three German battalions, having learned of the result of the Battle of Leipzig the previous month, went over in their entirety from the French to the Allies. Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Basque Donibane Lohitzun) is a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département in France. ... Combatants French Empire Duchy of Warsaw Confederation of the Rhine[1] Austria Prussia Russia Sweden Commanders Napoleon I Jozef Antoni Poniatowski† Frederick Augustus of Saxony Barclay De Tolly Count Benningsen Prince of Schwarzenberg Gebhard von Blücher Prince Charles John of Sweden Strength 191,000 330,000 Casualties 38,000...

Both sides lost around 1,600 troops before Soult called off the assault. Sporadic clashes occurred over the next two days though neither side were willing to initiate a full-scale attack.

Battle of St. Pierre

On the night of 12 December a temporary pontoon bridge over the Nive was washed away isolating Hill's 14,000 men and 10 guns east of the river, just as the French were reorganizing for an assault.

Seizing his opportunity Soult sent six divisions - some 62,000 men and 22 guns - to attack. Though delayed by congestion at the bridge over the Adour, Soult's attack against the British positions on the ridge around Saint-Pierre-d'Irube was successful enough for one British unit to flee the field believing the battle lost. However the arrival of reinforcements under Wellington led to the French troops refusing to continue the attack. This near-mutiny in the ranks forced Soult to reluctantly retreat to Bayonne, having lost 3,000 men against British losses of 1,750. Saint-Pierre-dIrube (Basque Hiriburu) is a small village in the traditional Basque province of Labourd, now a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of southern France. ...

It was on this day that General Hill was heard, for only the second time in the entire war, to use profanity. When Wellington heard about it he remarked that "if Hill has begun to swear, they all must mind what they are about". This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...

Aftermath

Storms and torrential rain precluded any further action for over a month, but eventually in February Wellington advanced around Bayonne leaving Hope to seal up the 17,000-strong French garrison, while Wellington pushed Soult and the rest of his army relentlessly further north, turning his flank at the rivers Joyeuse, Bidouse and Gave d'Oloron, before Soult and Wellington again fought a battle at Orthez. The Gave dOloron is a river of south-western France. ... The Battle of Orthez was fought on February 27, 1814, between the First French Empire and the forces of the Allies. ...

Nomenclature

The action of 9-12 December is called The Battle of the Nive, while Hill's defensive battle of 13 December is known as The Battle of St. Pierre, while the entire period is collectively referred to as The Battles of the Nive.

Sources

• Chandler, David, Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars, Wordsworth Editions, 1999. ISBN 1 84022 203 4
• Longford, Elizabeth, Wellington: The Years of the Sword, Panther Books Ltd., 1971. ISBN 586 03548 6