Siege of Chaves The Siege of Chaves refers to the French siege and capture of Chaves , Portugal from 10 to 12 March 1809 , and the subsequent siege and recapture of the town by Portuguese forces from 21 to 25 March 1809 , during the second invasion of Portugal in the Peninsular War . The French Invasions ( 1807 - 1811 ) . Portugal suffered three invasions by French forces during the turbulent period of the Peninsular War . The northern region of Trás - os - Montes , as all the country , had succumbed to the Napoleon ic regency of Junot . As soon as news came of the disembarkation of the British in Portuguese Estremadura , the rebellion broke out . Bragança , and soon after Chaves , proclaimed liberation . The militia s were formed to fight the invader . Napoleon , worried about what was happening in Spain and upset with the failure of the expedition of his forces , decided to come personally to the Peninsula in whose submission he had invested 300 , 000 men . The British , who had disembarked in 1807 in Galicia under the command of general John Moore , did not surpass 30 , 000 in number . With his customary mobility Napoleon multiplied himself , divided and destroyed the British and the Spanish in quick and precise blows . He ordered Soult to pursue the British in Galicia . Moore ' s army was defeated and hounded across the mountains of Lugo ; the British general himself was killed during the final combats carried out around the bay of Coruña , where the remnants of his forces re - embarked . Some months later the same Soult received orders to invade Portugal from the North and expel the British from Portuguese soil . The carrying out of the order was , however , strongly impeded by the winter , which had made the Minho River almost impassable , and by the resistance of Portuguese forces located between Cerveira and Valença . Then general Soult decided to go around the mountainous border of the Upper Minho and make his penetration across the dry border of Trás - os - Montes . His forces numbered around 23 , 000 men ( among them 4 , 000 on horse ) and 50 pieces of artillery . Some of these troops were experienced since they had participated in the battles of Friedland and Austerlitz . The border was crossed on 7 March 1809 . The attack on Chaves . The defence of the border of Trás - os - Montes was in the hands of brigadier Francisco Silveira , whose forces , numbering 2 , 800 regular troops , 2 , 500 militia and only 50 cavalry , were concentrated around the stronghold of Chaves . The fortifications , who were in bad conditions , were protected by 50 pieces of artillery , but with only a few of them fit for service , were commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Pizarro . After initial skirmishes near the border , the Portuguese forces retreated to Chaves , and then Silveira ordered the abandonment of the stronghold . This decision caused great unrest among the militias and the population . Prudently , the brigadier led his forces south avoiding any risk against the superior forces . But pressured by the people and the militias , lieutenant colonel Francisco Pizarro disobeyed orders and accepted the command of the popular forces , preparing to resist the invading forces with 500 troops ( 1st line ) , 2 , 000 militias ( 2nd line ) and 1 , 200 " ordenanças " ( 3d line ) . Silveira tried to change his mind , even calling a war council to discuss the problem , but he couldn ' t get a formal decision , especially since the French who arrived on 10 March were now preparing to attack the most northerly fort of São Neutel . Pizarro held his ground and the future count left with his officers to join his forces , who had occupied the highlands south of Chaves . Soult then summoned the stronghold of Chaves to surrender , but no answer was given . But soon it was obvious in the stronghold that defence was useless . Although fire from the artillery and muskets persisted since the French arrival , the defenders ultimately recognized that Silveira ’ s decision to retreat had been the most sensible one . Soult sent a second message calling for the surrender of the stronghold , and it was accepted on the 12 March . Chaves surrendered and the French troops marched into the town on 13 March . Soult , with so many prisoners on his hands , released the civilians of the militias and " ordenanças " , under oath of not taking up arms against the French , and tried to recruit 500 of the line troops , who soon deserted . These actions by Marshal Soult were strongly criticized by several of his officers , especially those who had participated in the first French invasion of Portugal of the previous year under Junot , as they preferred that the stronghold had been taken by assault and the garrison put to the sword . The Portuguese counterattack . Meanwhile the Portuguese forces had left their positions near Vidago and retreated farther south to a low pass between Vila Pouca and Vila Real . Soult , though , had decided to make his way south by way of the Barroso , due west instead of south . He left a small garrison of a few hundred men in Chaves under the command of Major Messeger , and the hospital he had transferred from Monterey , Galicia , with many wounded or sick . As soon as Silveira knew that the main French army has gone away , he decided to attack Chaves . For some days a French detachment had approached Vila Pouca in an attempt to force the entrenched Portuguese forces to retreat . But soon it was discovered that these forces had gone to Boticas to join up with the main French army which was already on its way west . Soult ' s army went on to win the First Battle of Porto . Once again Silveira went down into the Tâmega River valley and attacked the Chaves stronghold on 21 March . The small French garrison tried to resist , but the Portuguese knew the town well and were able to penetrate the walls through an opening called the " Opening of the Butchershops . " In the streets there was hand - to - hand combat , and the French , leaving almost 300 dead , retreated into the São Francisco Fort . 200 French fell prisoners into the hands of the Portuguese . The Portuguese , having no artillery , blockaded the French for four days . On the fifth day , when all was ready for the final assault to be carried out by escalating the fort , Silveira gave Messeger an ultimatum , under which he should surrender without conditions . Messeger then requested an hour of truce in order to take a decision . After the time given had ended , and still without a response , Silveira issued a final ultimatum , warning Messenger that if he did not surrender in five minutes he would give orders for the storming of the fort . The French commander immediately surrendered without conditions . 25 officers , 23 civilians and surgeons , and about 1 , 300 soldiers were captured and taken under escort to Vila Real . 114 Spanish who were left in Chaves as prisoners by Soult were restored to liberty . This skilful and valiant maneuver by Silveira seriously upset Soult ' s plans , obliging him to wait , for lack of supply lines , between the Douro and the Vouga . After the Second Battle of Porto , the French army was obliged by Wellesley to retreat quickly to its starting point , the city of Orense in Galicia , Spain . In the final phase of this retreat , Silveira was almost able to intercept the French troops near Montealegre . Some of his detachments were even able to see the rearguard crossing the border near the rugged mountains of Larouco . Beresford had come up to Chaves and let the opportunity to destroy the French slip away . Once the danger had passed , Beresford , under the insistence of Silveira , called a court martial for Francisco Pizarro . This War Council took place in Lisbon in 1809 and found the reckless lieutenant colonel innocent of the charges . This successful defeat of the French by the badly equipped Portuguese army gave the town of Chaves an important place in Portuguese history . It , together with the defeat of pro - Royalist forces in 1912 , gave Chaves the deserved title of the Heroic City of Chaves ( Cidade Heróica de Chaves ) , the name of many streets and avenues in Portugal .