Battle of Nivelle
Part of the Peninsular War
Date November 10, 1813 Location River Nivelle Spain Result Allied victory
Combatants
French Empire	United Kingdom,  Spain, Portugal
Commanders
Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult	Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington
Strength
60,000	80,000
Casualties
4,351 dead or wounded	2,450 dead or wounded

The Battle of Nivelle (November 10, 1813) took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War (1808-1814). After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, the Wellington's 80,000 British and Spanish troops (20,000 of the Spaniards were untried in battle) were in hot pursuit of Marshal Soult who only had 60,000 men to place in a 20 mile perimeter. After the Light Division, the main British army was ordered to attack and the 3rd Division split Soult's army into two. By 2 o'clock, Soult was in retreat and the British in a strong offensive position. Soult had lost 4,351 men to Wellington's 2,450. 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. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1813 (MDCCCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Map of the First French Empire in 1811, with the Empire in dark blue and satellite states in light blue Capital Paris Language(s) French Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1804 - 1814/1815 Napoleon I  - 1814/1815 Napoleon II Legislature Parliament  - Upper house Senate  - Lower house Corps législatif Historical era Napoleonic... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixel Image in higher resolution (864 × 576 pixel, file size: 9 KB, MIME type: image/gif) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): New Spain First... 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. ... Combatants Britain Portugal France Commanders Duke of Wellington André Masséna Michel Ney Strength 25,000 British 25,000 Portuguese 65,000 Casualties 1,250 dead or wounded 4,500 dead or wounded The Battle of Buçaco (pron. ... 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 French Empire United Kingdom Spain Portugal Commanders Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, Joseph Bonaparte Marquess of Wellington Strength 58,000 80,000 Casualties ~5,000 dead or wounded, 3,000 captured[1] ~5,000 dead or wounded[1] In the Battle of Vitoria (June 21, 1813) Wellington and his Portuguese and... 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 French Empire Spain Commanders Nicolas Jean Dieu Soult Manuel Freire Strength 18,000–55,000[1] 16,000[2] Casualties 4,000 dead or wounded[3] 2,500 dead or wounded[3] At the Battle of San Marcial, August 31, 1813, the Spanish Army of Galicia under General Freire... Combatants French Empire United Kingdom Spain Portugal Commanders Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington Strength 62,000 64,000 Casualties 1,600 1,600 The Battle of the Nive (9-12 December 1813) was a battle towards 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. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1813 (MDCCCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... 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. ... Geography > Europe > Spain > Basque Country > Guipúzcoa San Sebastián with sailboats Statue of Jesus on Urgull Mountain San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque) is the capital city of the province of Guipúzcoa, in the Spanish autonomous community of Basque Country. ... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... 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. ... The Light Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for the current light infantry and rifles regiments. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ...

Background

After Marshal Soult failed in a final attempt to relieve the siege, the Allies took San Sebastian, and the French troops had to fall back. These 10 000 or so troops under Vandermaesen withdrew to Vera and attempted to cross the River Bidassoa. Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, marshal of France Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie (March 29, 1760 - November 26, 1851), marshal of France, was born at Saint-Arnans-la-Bastide (now in department of the Tarn), and was the son of a country notary at that place. ... Look up ally in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Geography > Europe > Spain > Basque Country > Guipúzcoa San Sebastián with sailboats Statue of Jesus on Urgull Mountain San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque) is the capital city of the province of Guipúzcoa, in the Spanish autonomous community of Basque Country. ...

A company of the 95th Rifles under Captain Daniel Cadoux held up the French division for almost a night and inflicted 231 casualties on the French and killed Vandermaesen. General Skerrett, acting commander of the Light Division, could have stopped Vandermaesen's division and forced it to surrender, but without support, the riflemen retreated, having lost 12 men including Cadoux, along with about 43 injured. In 1800 an Experimental Corps of Rifllemen were raised by Colonel Coote-Manningham and Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon William Stewart, drawn from officers and other ranks from drafts of a variety of British regiments. ... A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around 10,000 soldiers. ... The Light Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for the current light infantry and rifles regiments. ...

Wellington was keen to get far into France. At dawn on October 7th the British crossed the Bidasssoa (one of many rivers he would have to negotiate to get into the heart of France). Local shrimpmen having guided the army over the river's estuary which only reached the men's waists, the British took the French by surprise and engaged them in a large skirmish. Most of the French division retreated towards Soult but in a few places, the soldiers stayed to fight the British. The skirmish ended as a complete success for the British, having crossed the river, and suffering 1,200 Allied casualties against 1,700 French. Rio de la Plata estuary Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Estuaries An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. ... See also the town of Battle, East Sussex, England Generally, a battle is an instance of combat between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... See also the town of Battle, East Sussex, England Generally, a battle is an instance of combat between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... Casualties of war. ...

Disposition

Arrayed in front of the course of the River Nivelle, whose route was marked by a series of hills on which the French had built strong defensive positions or redoubts, was the French army under Marshal Soult. Soult's lines stretched from the shores of the Atlantic on the French right flank to the snow-covered pass of Roncesvalles on the left, a parameter of about 20 miles. With only 60 000 men, Soult was stretched to an almost impossible point. This also means that he could not hold troops back as reserves, something which may have turned the tide of the battle. As Soult moved back to his base at Bayonne, his position strengthened but he was not quick enough and Wellington caught him up. Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, marshal of France Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie (March 29, 1760 - November 26, 1851), marshal of France, was born at Saint-Arnans-la-Bastide (now in department of the Tarn), and was the son of a country notary at that place. ... Reserves are banks holding of deposits in accounts with their national bank (for instance, the Federal Reserve), plus currency that is physically held by banks (vault cash). ... 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. ...

The French position was dominated by the Greater Rhune, a gorse-covered, craggy mountain nearly 3,000 feet high. Separated from the Greater Rhune by a ravine, roughly 700 yards below it, is the Lesser Rhune along the precipitous crest of which the French had constructed three defensive positions. If the French defences on La Rhune could be taken Soult's position would become very dangerous as it would open him to attack from all elements of the British three point pincer plan. La Rhune (Basque: Larrun - pastureland) is a mountain (892m) at the western end of the Pyrenees. ... La Rhune (Basque: Larrun - pastureland) is a mountain (892m) at the western end of the Pyrenees. ... Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, marshal of France Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie (March 29, 1760 - November 26, 1851), generalissimo of France, was born at Saint-Arnans-la-Bastide (now in department of the Tarn), and was the son of a country notary at that place. ...

Wellington's plan was to distribute troops along the whole of Soult's line but make his main attack in the centre. Any breakthrough in the centre or the French left flank would enable the British to cut off the French right Flank. So, Wellington ordered that the British left (attacking the French right) would be lead by Sir John Hope and would involve the 1st and 5th Divisions as well as Freire's Spaniards. Beresford would lead the main Allied attack against the French centre with the 3rd, 4th, 7th and Light Divisions, while on the British right (attacking the French left ) Hill would attack with the 2nd and 6th Divisions, supported by Morillo's Spaniards and Hamilton's Portuguese. Wellington decided to attack on the 10th of November. Flank is a word which might mean any of several different things: A flank is the side of either a horse or a military unit. ... The name John Hope can refer to: John Hope, American educator John Hope, American meteorologist and hurricane forecaster John Hope, British political leader This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Beresford is a city located in South Dakota. ... The panoramic view from Connors Hill, near Swifts Creek, Victoria A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain, in a limited area. ... Erick Morillo on the cover of the April 2000 issue of Mixer magazine. ... Hamilton may refer to: // Hamilton, New South Wales, Australia - suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales also see Hamilton railway station, New South Wales Hamilton, Queensland - suburb of Brisbane Hamilton, South Australia Hamilton, Tasmania, Australia Hamilton, Victoria, Australia Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia Hamilton, Bermuda Hamilton Parish, Bermuda Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and...

Battle

The battle started just before dawn as the Light Division headed towards the plateau on the summit of the Greater Rhune (the summit had been garrisoned by French troops but they had fled after the skirmish on the River Bidassoa, fearing to be cut off from their own army). The objective of the division was to sweep the three defensive forts the French had constructed out of the battle. They moved down into the ravine in front of the Lesser Rhune and were ordered to lie down and await the order to attack. After the signal from a battery of cannon, the offensive began. It started with the men of the 43rd, 52nd and 95th - with the 17th Portuguese Caçadores in support - storming the - redoubts on the crest of the Rhune. Despite this being a risky move and the men being almost exhausted, the surprise and boldness of the British sent the French fleeing towards other forts on other hills. The Light Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for the current light infantry and rifles regiments. ... Image:NONE Monte Roraima In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat rural area. ... See also the town of Battle, East Sussex, England Generally, a battle is an instance of combat between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around 10,000 soldiers. ... Remains of a battery of English cannon from Youghal, County Cork. ... Not to be confused with Canon. ... Two regiments of the British Army have been numbered the 43rd Regiment of Foot: 43rd Regiment of Foot, numbered as the 43rd Foot in 1747 and renumbered as the 42nd in 1749. ... Three regiments of the British Army have been numbered the 52nd Regiment of Foot: Sir Charles Powletts Regiment of Marines, numbered as 52nd Foot in 1747 52nd Regiment of Foot, raised in 1755 and renumbered as the 50th in 1756. ...

While the 43rd and 95th were dealing with the French on the Rhune, there still remained one very strong star-shaped fort below on the Mouiz plateau which reached out towards the coast. This was attacked by Colborne's 52nd Light Infantry, supported by riflemen from the 95th. Once again, the French were surprised and the British succeeded. They had, in the French eyes, appeared from the ground at which point, in danger of being cut off, the French soldiers quickly fled leaving Colborne in possession of the fort and other trenches without loss of a single fatal casualty. Image:NONE Monte Roraima In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat rural area. ... Colborne, Ontario can mean the following places: Colborne, Norfolk County, Ontario Colborne, Northumberland County, Ontario Category: ... Rifleman may refer to: A private infantry soldier whose primary weapon is a rifle. ... A Norwegian soldier (a Corporal, armed with an MP-5) A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment to defend that country or its interests. ... Colborne, Ontario can mean the following places: Colborne, Norfolk County, Ontario Colborne, Northumberland County, Ontario Category: ...

Shortly, the main British assault began with the nine divisions fanning out over a five mile front. When the 3rd division took the bridge at Amotz, all French resistance broke as any communication between the two halves of Soult's army was now impossible. The French resistance melted away and soon they were in full retreat (by 2 o'clock they were streaming across the Nivelle) having lost 4351 men to Wellington's 2450. Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, marshal of France Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie (March 29, 1760 - November 26, 1851), generalissimo of France, was born at Saint-Arnans-la-Bastide (now in department of the Tarn), and was the son of a country notary at that place. ...

Aftermath

Had Wellington pursued the French he might have completely cut off the right wing and force it to surrender. As it was, Wellington, a keen despiser of any night attack, called off the pursuit and his troops camped on the battlefield.

The British success against Soult allowed them to march deep inside France before they met any serious resistance. The French peasants acted kindly towards the British because they paid them for their food whereas the French raided their own towns and villages.^{[citation needed]} Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, marshal of France Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie (March 29, 1760 - November 26, 1851), generalissimo of France, was born at Saint-Arnans-la-Bastide (now in department of the Tarn), and was the son of a country notary at that place. ...