Battle of Brihuega

The battles of Brihuega took place the December 8th 1710 during the War of succession of Spain. The British rear-guard under the command of James Stanhope was attacked there by the duke of Vendôme on the road of Barcelona.

Stanhope had to go and was made prisoner. Only a small British detachment arrived to Barcelona; alliance with the Habsbourg in Spain, already weakened by the defeats, has starts consequently with émietter.

Be a prelude to

After the victories with the Battle of Almenara (the July 27th), and with the Battle of Saragossa (the August 20th), the allies supporting the archduke Charles conquer Madrid for the second time. the September 21st the archduke enters Madrid.

The invasion of 1710 is a repetition of the invasion of 1706. The imperial army, which with lost 2.000 men, out of the 23.000 that it counted at the beginning, in the actions with Almenara and Saragossa, in the frequent skirmishes with the guerillas, or by disease, is absolutely unable to occupy both Castille. The Portuguese are not of any help.

The Spanish army reorganized by the duke of Vendôme, put at the service of Philippe V by his grandfather, Louis XIV, is joined by soldiers of the Irish Brigade, and by some French who put themselves or were put at the service of Spain.

The position of Combined with Madrid, city abandoned of all except poorest of its inhabitants, became insupportable. The November 9th, they evacuate the city, and start to be folded up in Catalogne. The archduke left with Barcelona 2.000 riders, and hurries to evacuate the city. For lack of provisions, the remainder of the army separated in two detachments. The principal body, composed of 12.000 men carried out by the general Guido Starhemberg, has one day in advance out of the 5.000 men of the British detachment ordered by Lord Stanhope. This detachment, isolated, thus constitutes a prey too trying for a general as aguerri as the duke of Vendôme.

Battle

In such a situation, Vendôme gives itself very. It leaves Talavera with its troops, and continues the allies in retirement, with an unimaginable speed in this season, and in this area. It goes night and day, with the head of its cavalry, and in a few days, catches up with Stanhope which arrived at Brihuega with the left wing of the allied army.

Stanhope has just time to send a messenger to large army, which is with a few miles of Brihuega, before Vendôme does not base on him in the evening of the December 8th.

The next morning, the city is attacked on all sides. The walls are cut down with blows of gun. A mine explodes under one of the doors. The English maintain a fire terrible until exhaustion of their ammunition. They fight then with the bayonet, with the energy of despair, managing to set fire to houses taken by the attackers. But it is without hope. The British general realizes that resistance led from now on to an useless carnage. He and its valiant its small army capitulates, with the honors.

Consequences

Hardly the signed capitulation, Vendôme learns that Staremberg arrives at the help of Stanhope. The December 10th a bloody battle is held with Villaviciosa.

The British troops do not remain a long time captive, they are exchanged and returned to England in October 1711.

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