Battle of Vic

Overview

The Battle of Vic or Battle of Vich on 20 February 1810 saw a Spanish force under Henry O'Donnell suddenly attack a 5,500-man Imperial French division led by Joseph Souham. After bitter fighting the French prevailed, forcing O'Donnell's men to retreat. The engagement occurred during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars. Vic is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Barcelona in the province of Catalonia.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Vic formed part of the sustained French effort to consolidate control over Catalonia during the Peninsular War. A Spanish force under Henry O'Donnell, numbering roughly 12,000, launched a sudden attack on Joseph Souham's Imperial French division of approximately 5,500 men near Vic, some 60 kilometres north of Barcelona. Despite the numerical advantage held by the Spanish, bitter fighting ended in a French victory that forced O'Donnell's troops to retreat, at a cost of around 3,000 Spanish casualties. The outcome reinforced French operational dominance in the Catalan theatre and denied the Spanish command the ability to threaten French positions in the Barcelona hinterland, underscoring the difficulty the Spanish regular forces faced in translating numerical superiority into battlefield success against seasoned Imperial divisions.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)