Battles & Campaigns · 1813
Battle of Ordal
Ordal, Catalonia, Spain
What happened
Suchet marched from Molins de Rei and attacked the Allied position at the Ordal pass at night. The Allies had posted no sentries and had not guarded the bridge, so the French crossed unopposed and pushed uphill. After a hard fight they broke the Allied right.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The page calls it one of the last French victories in Spain. By then Wellington's victory at Vitoria had made the French position in eastern Spain untenable.
What came next
Bentinck fell back to Tarragona and resigned. Suchet's troops were gradually withdrawn to defend France.
Did you know?
Suchet was reportedly astonished that the Allies had posted no sentries at all.
Timeline
- 1813 CEWellington wins at Vitoria.
- 13 September 1813Battle of Ordal.
- 7 October 1813Allies cross the Bidassoa into France.