Army of The Eastern Pyrenees - History - 1794: French Victories

1794: French Victories

On 16 January 1794, the French government appointed MG Jacques François Dugommier to lead the army. The victor of the Siege of Toulon began a thorough reorganization of the ill-used Army of the Eastern Pyrenees. Dugommier established supply depots, hospitals, and arsenals, and constructed roads. After receiving reinforcements from the Toulon army, he counted a field army 28,000 strong, backed by 20,000 garrison troops and 9,000 untrained volunteers. Dugommier formed his troops into three infantry divisions under MG Dominique Pérignon, MG Pierre Augereau, and MG Pierre Sauret. He placed MG André de la Barre in charge of his 2,500 cavalry troopers. Both Pérignon and Augereau, as well their subordinates BG Claude Victor and Colonel Jean Lannes, later became Marshals of France under the First French Empire.

In March 1794, both Ricardos and his successor CG Alejandro O'Reilly died, leaving LG Luis Firmin de Carvajal, Conde de la Union in command of the Allied army. LG Don Juan Forbes led the Portuguese contingent. Dugommier launched an offensive, winning conclusively at the Battle of Boulou from 29 April to 1 May 1794. Within a month, the French recaptured Collioure and drove the Allied army south of the Pyrenees. Bellegarde proved to be a much tougher nut to crack and its 1,000 surviving defenders only capitulated on 17 September. During the siege, Pérignon fought the Spanish at La Junquera on 7 June, in an action that saw the death of La Barre. De la Union's attempt to relieve Bellegarde failed at the Battle of San-Lorenzo de la Muga on 13 August. In a decisive French victory at the Battle of the Black Mountain (Capmany) on 17–20 November, both Dugommier and de la Union were killed in action. Pérignon took command of the army and continued the invasion of Catalonia. He quickly secured the surrender of Figueres and its powerful San Fernando (Sant Ferran) fortress with 9,000 Spanish prisoners.