The Battle of Seville 10/3/1843-11/29/1843
British and Granadan Trenches around Seville
Just a day later 145 miles to the south General Lafayette and the French army of Iberia arrived at Seville to find a much different seane. The French found the British and Granadan dug in in a 40 mile long line of fortifications that had been built on the Ridge that makes a C shape to the west of the city. Lafayette would spend the next five days bombarding the defensive works and launching probing attacks to search for weaknesses in the defenses of the city. However on the southern side of the River the Defenses were very well built and the city defenders were able to drive off all of the French attack. It was not until October 20th when the Army of Aragon finally started to approach the city from the north that the British and Granadan forces realized that they had a problem and were forced to thin the lines to deploy more troops to the Northern side of the river. Lafayette took notice of this and on October 23,1843 launched a coordinated attack on the defenses of the city.
October 23rd would become known as the “Día de tres batallas” or Day of three battle in English. Lafayette would send 90,000 men to attack the Granadan forces in the south at Dos Hermanas, he would send 50,000 men to attack El Viso del Alcor in the Center of the line and lastly he would send 80,000 men to attack the Northern Flank at Guadajoz. Meanwhile the Aragonese would attack Las Pajanosas with their full strength of 48,000 men. The attacks would begin at dawn at all three locations; by noon the Duke of Norfolk realized that he was in trouble. The battle at El Viso del Alcor was going well the terrain in the center of the line meant that the five attacking divisions had struggled to make headway against the British musket and artillery fire indeed in just two more horse at 1400h Général de corps d'armée Pierre Gage would call off the attacks at El Visodel Alcor.
However, the battle on the Flanks would be another story. At Dos Hermanas and Guadajoz the terrain was flatter, negating some of the advantages that the defenders enjoyed. By 1500h the Grandans were in trouble as the French had managed to take two of the five forts in that part of the line and were close to taking a third. The Duke of Norfolk was forced to move two British Divisions form the Center to reinforce the Granadans at 1600h. In the North Things were worse the Terrain was even flatter than in the south with the extreme flank of the line being a flat floodplain. Here General Clarence Appleworth was and his Corps were struggling to hold back the French onslaught By 1700h he was in dire straits down to his last fort and rear line of earthworks and trenches. Appleworth sent repeated calls for Reinforcements to the Duke hoping stressing that if the French hit him again with fresh troops the Flank would not hold. At 1830h Norfolk took yet another division out of the center and sent it north; he was concerned now that his Center would not hold against the French if they renewed the assault, yet if the flanks fell then holding the Center would be pointless.
To the north of the City the battle was fought out in the open not in trenches, earthworks and forts. The defenders had not had time to construct any this far from the city. Instead 20,000 Granadan and 30,000 British under the command of Major General Sammuel Walden Kent went up against the 48,000 Aragonese troops under Lieutenant General Ramon Cabrera y Griñó. The Aragonese were fresh off their bloodless Victory at Cáceres, and were in really good spirits. The battle would begin at dawn like the rese and would see-saw back and forth all day however the Aragonese just didn’t have that one extra division they needed to drive the Allied Corps back. As the sun set on October 23,1843 the Northern battle was still deadlocked.
Across the field of battle in the French camp Général de corps d'armée Thibault Brodeur commanding the attack at Guadajoz could see victory ahead of him. He asked Lafayette for another division, stating that one more attack and I’m through their lines the British are on their last legs here. He begged for one more assault even though the sun was low on the horizon. Lafayette instead listened to his Aide de Camp Général de brigade Guarin Chaput who said if the British are that week now rest the troops and hit them hard again at first light tomorrow, its not like they can get reinforcements. Lafayette would give the order for all commands to rest for the night he would give orders for more divisions to reinforce both flank attacks and went to sleep assured that the Morning would bring Victory.
That evening as the fighting died down and night approached. The Duke of Norfolk and General Antonio Jesus Blázquez command of the Granadan Army held a council of war. It was almost certain that the Flanks would be broken come the morning Norfolk admitted that if the French had pushed hard one last time the Northern Flank would have broken this evening. The two decided to use the moonless night to pull their men back to the Inner defenses, even if this meant having to spike a good number of artillery pieces if they couldn’t be moved before dawn. As the heavy guns couldn’t be moved the Duke of Norfolk proposed something radical: a night bombardment by the heavies and some of the field gun batteries to cover the withdrawal. It was agreed and orders were sent out. That evening at 2000 hours the British and Granadan Artillery opened up in a night bombardment. An hour later the British and Granadan Troops started pulling out of their front line defenses. As dawn approached the last of the cannons that could not be moved were spiked.
The move to the Inner Defenses was the beginning of the end for the British and Granadan Defenders. The French moved in digging shallow trenches across from the Defenses creating an early form of trench warfare. From October 24th to November 19th the two sides would batter each other in attacks and counter attacks, however as time went on British and Granadan counter attacks became less and less, as the manpower difference and lack of supplies started to take its toll on the defenders. By November 19th it was clear that the end was near, supplies of ammunition were down to just 25% of the original stores of supplies, and Food was not looking much better. As such King Gilberto I and Carlos Galiano the Premier of the Christian Republic of Granada began to talk about seeking terms of surrender from the French. To the Duke of Norfolk this was not an option; he would not just surrender his army without an attempt to break out. Grudgingly the King and Premier were convinced to allow the british to attempt a break out. At dawn on November 21st after major rearranging of the troops inside the defenses. The British launched an all out attack on the French southern flank. With a little over 6 divisions of Infantry and two divisions of cavalry it was everything that the British had to throw at the French, and after a full day of fighting it was not enough and the setting sun saw a french counter attack force the British back into the trenches that they began in; in eighteen hours of constant combat the British hand suffered massive casualties and achieved nothing in return. That night the Duke of Norfolk agreed to offer terms of surrender.
The morning of November 22nd was strange because it dawned quiet there was no artillery fire, as the Duke of Norfolk had ordered all Allied artillery to cease fire at midnight. At 1000h a single rider approached the French lines under a flag of truce, he was lead to Lafayette’s headquarters where he presented the French General with the Terms of Surrender that the Duke of Norfolk was offering.
1)The British and Granadan forces would cease resistance and surrender the City of Seville to the French forces encircling the city.
2) The Granadan Army would unconditionally surrender to the French
3) The British Army would surrender all Artillery to the french and evacuate their troops from the Territory of the Kingdom of Spain and the Christinan Republic of Granada. They would keep their long arms, Small Arms,Swords, Bayonets and Knives. The French could escort the British Army as it marched to Gibraltar.
4) King King Gilberto I would accompany the British back to Gibraltar for his safety.,
Lafayette read them and scribbled on the note Gilberto must stay. Otherwise I can accept these terms. He had every intention of being lenient with the surrender of Seville to make up for the horror that was the Sack of Valencia, and Paris had approved this intent as a way to earn some much needed good international P.R. Back in Seville the Duke of Norfolk was willing to keep fighting; he would not sacrifice Gilberto to the people who had murdered his uncle, niece, and father; however it was Gilberto who put an end to all of it. “The people of Spain have suffered enough. I will not have one more person suffer another day of this siege for my sake. I and the Governments of Spain and Granada agree to these terms if you don’t then I will expel your force after I surrender. It was done at 1300h on November 22nd the Siege of Seville ended. The next day at dawn the British army of Iberia would march out of the city heading south under the watchful eye of French Cavalry. Then at 1400h the Army of Granada would march out of the city and stack arms and surrender its colors; before being led away to a Prisoner of War Camp near Madrid, with the Army would go King Gilberto of Spain and the Executive Council of the Christian Republic of Granada.
Madrid December 21,1843
King Louis XVII had made the trip to Madrid to personally sign the Treaty that would end the war in Iberia. The Treaty of Madrid would end hostilities between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Spain and the Christian Republic of Granada. Under the treaty
- Both the Kingdom of Spain and the Christian Republic of Granada would accept annexation by the Protectorate of Aragon.
- The Protectorate of Aragon would be renamed the French Protectorate of Spain the Capital of the Protectorate would be moved to Madrid.
- Gilberto I would abdicate the Spanish Throne, and would agree to remain in French territory for the rest of his natural life. France would provide him with allowance housing to fit his status as a former King of Spain and a Member of the Italian Imperial Family.
- All Armed Forces of the Christian Republic of Granada and the Kingdom of Spain would be surrendered to French forces as soon as possible.
The Treaty would be signed that day. The War in Iberia was over However, the Second War of Spanish Succession would grind its way across Europe for another year before it finally ended.