14th April 1814
The sortie from Bayonne
was an unnecessary and costly postscript to the Peninsular war. During
the few hours of fighting, (0300hrs - 0800hrs), the Allies lost 838
casualties whilst the French lost 905 men and all this at a time when
the war had officially ended. The commander in charge at the Citadel was
Governor Thouvenot who refused to believe the news of the fall of Paris
and that Napoleon had abdicated on the 9th of April. Thouvenot assembled
half of his Garrison to make the assault (around 6000 men, mainly from
Abbe’s division). At 3am the French began to move out from the Citadel
in three columns, it was a very dark night and the allies were
completely surprised.
The right hand column
stormed St Etienne and overran the pickets of the 5th division. The
allied commander General Hay was in charge this night and he was killed
at an early stage whilst trying to hold onto the village church. The
only points where the British could maintain themselves were one
fortified house defended by a party of the 38th, and the walled Jewish
cemetery on the Bordeaux road.
The left hand column,
who were advancing to the west of the cross-roads, had similar success
whilst the rear column was set to invest any opportunity that the
leading columns may present them. Sir John Hope was wounded and captured
together with his two A.D.C’s and the second brigade guards commander,
Maj - General Stopford, was also wounded. A counter- attack was mounted
by Hinuber’s German troops in the east and Maitland’s 1st guards in the
west and order was finally re-gained around 0800hrs. Abbe’s troops fell
back to the Citadel unaware that, for a short time, the allied line had
been cut in half. Hope was apparently captured by a party of the 82nd
(Fletcher - gentlemen’s sons). Oman states that the highest casualties
on the French side were suffered by the 94th ligne.
The Portsmouth Napoleonic Society
