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.
Read more about this topic: Siege Of Chaves