page_title: Second Battle of Boulou
section_title: French attack
hierarchical_section_title: Second Battle of Boulou / Battle / French attack
caption_attribution_description: English: Battle of Boulou 1794 Map
context_page_description: The Second Battle of Boulou was a battle in the War of the Pyrenees, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. This battle saw the French Army of the Eastern Pyrenees led by Jacques François Dugommier attacking the joint Spanish-Portuguese Army of Catalonia under Luis Firmín de Carvajal, Conde de la Unión. Dugommier's decisive victory resulted in the French regaining nearly all the land they lost to the Kingdom of Spain in 1793. Le Boulou is on the modern A9 highway, 20 kilometres south of the department capital at Perpignan and 7 kilometres north of Le Perthus on the France-Spain border.
  The spring of 1794 found the Spanish army holding a slice of French territory south of the Tech River and north of the Pyrenees. The Spanish right wing on the Mediterranean coast was separated from the center and left wing by a mountainous gap. First, Dugommier mounted a successful feint with his right wing that drew Spanish troops away from the center. Then he launched powerful French forces into the gap. These forces circled behind the Spanish center and forced their adversaries to retreat across a difficult mountain pass.
context_section_description: In the early hours of 30 April, Pérignon's division crossed the Tech at the Brouilla ford, planning to climb the mountains behind the Spanish camps in order to take the defences in the rear. Martin's left flank brigade marched past Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines and began ascending Saint Christopher Peak. His men reached the hermitage where they emplaced six cannon and 13 howitzers to fire on the Spanish positions from the rear. Then part of his brigade advanced west to cut the road to Bellegarde. Chabert's brigade advanced on Villelongue-dels-Monts while Point's right flank brigade began attacking the fortified camp at Montesquieu-des-Albères, defended by Colonel Francisco Javier Venegas. La Barre supported Point's troops, while Victor with a reserve brigade occupied Saint-Génis to keep Navarro's division sending help to the Spanish center. Two more reserve brigades under Lemoine attacked Trompettes. While these battles were being fought in the centre, Augereau retook Oms from Mendinueta on the French right flank and Sauret captured Argelès-sur-Mer from Navarro on the left. In order to give an impression of French superiority, Dugommier arrayed a large body of poorly trained volunteers near his headquarters at Banyuls-dels-Aspres.
  De la Unión sent Montforte with 2,800 infantry and 800 cavalry to reinforce the Camp of Trompettes and Del Puerto with 2,000 more to help Venegas. But neither of these forces were able to halt the concentrated French offensive.
  On 1 May, seeing his defences fatally compromised, de la Unión made preparations to retreat. Montforte abandoned Trompettes and withdrew to the south bank across a ford near Le Boulou. That day, the French assault overran the camp at Montesquieu-des-Albères and the Spanish retreated, taking the badly wounded Venegas with them. La Barre sent Quesnel with some cavalry along the south bank to cut off the Spanish retreat, but this effort failed. On the western flank, Augereau sent troops under Guieu and Mirabel to push Mendinueta's cavalry back to Céret.
  Chased by Quesnel's cavalry, Montforte retreated south on the road to Bellegarde. But at Les Cluses he ran into an ambush set by Martin's brigade. In a scene of chaos, a part of the Spanish wagon and artillery trains were wrecked or abandoned. The bulk of the Spanish army headed for Maureillas-las-Illas before climbing the steep road to the Col du Porteille. After covering the withdrawal at Céret, de Vives pulled out of the town and Augereau crossed the bridge to harass the Spanish retreat. The Portuguese division withdrew across a pass farther west.
caption: Battle of Boulou 1794 map
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