| Battle of Roncesvalles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Empire |
 United Kingdom Portugal | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| General Reille | Major-General Cole | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 40,000 men and 8 guns | 11,000 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 200 dead or wounded | 450 dead or wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Roncesvalles (French: Roncevaux) (25 July 1813) was a battle between French and Anglo-Portuguese forces during the Peninsular War (1808-1814).
After Wellington's decisive defeat of King Joseph at Vitoria, he advanced to capture San Sebastián and Pamplona, the last French outposts on Spanish soil.
While Wellington concentrated his efforts on capturing the strategically important port of San Sebastián, he sent 11,000 men under the Irish-Spanish General O'Donnell to blockade Pamplona. To prevent a French counter-attack over the Pyrenees Wellington positioned General Hill's Corps over a 50 mile (80 km) front, to cover the coastal road and the main passes over the mountains.
Having rapidly rebuilt and reorganised his forces after their defeat, the French under Marshal Soult launched an attack towards Pamplona through the passes of Maya and Roncesvalles.
The French force at Roncesvalles consisted of 40,000 men and 8 mountain guns under General Rielle. The pass was defended by the British 4th Division commanded by Major-General Galbraith Lowry Cole.
The French attacked from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port advancing in two columns either side of the pass. At around 06:00 the two armies met. The British were badly outnumbered, but fought steadfastly. Byng's brigade on the eastern side held Clausel's division at bay for three hours before being forced back.
By 14:00 Cole brought up three more brigades as reinforcements. However around 17:00 a dense fog descended over the battlefield, just as a Portuguese brigade had further strengthened the Allied position. Cole, despite orders to the contrary, ordered his troops to retreat towards Pamplona.
The Allied forces regrouped and made a stand near the village of Sorauren (see Battle of Sorauren).
Later Wellington admitted that splitting his forces in order to besiege both San Sebastián and Pamplona simultaneously was "one of the greatest faults he ever committed in war".