21 June 1813, evening
The rout
The French fall back to the ridge of Zuazo in front of Vitoria, covered by their numerous guns, and the ridge falls when Gazan refuses to cooperate with d’Erlon. The armies of Gazan and d’Erlon break and flee, the gunners leave their guns and ride off on the draught horses, and the road behind them is jammed with wagons and carriages. Reille’s two divisions hold off Graham long enough for tens of thousands of French to escape by the road to Salvatierra.
British soldiers auction loot taken at Vitoria, painting by William Barnes Wollen, 1895Wikimedia Commons, William Barnes Wollen, Public domain (Auction after Vitoria.jpg)
The allies lose about 5,100 men, 3,675 British, 921 Portuguese and 562 Spanish. The French lose 756 killed, 4,414 wounded and 2,800 captured, with 151 guns, and leave behind the wagon train with Joseph’s baggage. Many British soldiers stop to plunder it, more than £1 million in booty, and Wellington writes that the army has “the scum of the earth as common soldiers”.
Sources
- Ian Fletcher, Vittoria 1813: Wellington Sweeps the French from Spain (2005).
- Michael Glover, The Peninsular War 1807–1814 (2001).
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