Draft:Battle of Almoster

Battle of Almoster
Part of Liberal Wars
Date 18 February 1843 Location Almoster, Santarém Result Liberal victory
Belligerents
Liberals	Miguelites
Commanders and leaders
Marshal Saldanha	José António de Azevedo Lemos
Strength
<4 500	4 500 to 5 000
Casualties and losses
about 400 killed	>1 000 killed or captured

The Battle of Almoster, fought on 18 February 1834, was a military conflict between the Liberals, commanded by the Marshal Saldanha, against the Miguelists, commanded by José António de Azevedo Lemos, the battle ended in a Liberal victory.

History

Santarém was the focal point of the civil war, but the dominance of the Miguelite faction was not limited to this city. Indeed, despite several liberal victories, in the North, the provinces of Trás-os-Montes, Minho, and Beira Alta were still under the control of Dom Miguel, who also had a vast number of militias loyal to him in the south of the country.

It was then that Marshal Saldanha, commander of the liberal forces, devised a plan to, without abandoning the siege of Santarém, attack the cities of Leiria and Coimbra with part of his troops, which would effectively isolate the Miguelites resisting in the Ribatejo capital. Saldanha's troops joined forces in Rio Maior with those he had ordered from Lisbon, and on January 16, 1834, a two-pronged attack on Leiria was launched. Facing the imminent threat of being cut off, the Miguelites hastily abandoned the Castle of Leiria and attempted to take refuge in Coimbra. Subsequently, in early February, General Póvoas, commander of the Miguelite troops, executed a plan to attack the liberals occupying Pernes and those besieging Santarém.

Anticipating such an attempt, Saldanha took the necessary precautions to ensure the plan's success. Póvoas then devised a new plan based on an attack on Ponte de Asseca, controlled by the liberals, to open a path to Lisbon, where a Miguelite revolution was supposed to erupt. On February 18, the Miguelites divided into two groups and marched about 4,000 troops under General Póvoas towards Ponte de Asseca, though without launching a large-scale attack to secure positions. Their objective was to create a diversion, so that General Lemos, advancing with 4,500 to 5,000 men towards Almoster and Santa Maria, could break through the liberal lines. This forced the liberals to extend their defensive front, weakening it. However, Saldanha's forces had the advantage of occupying extremely difficult terrain to conquer, as it formed a narrow canyon between the hills covered in dense brush.

Although Saldanha later gained the reputation of having immediately understood Lemos's intentions, allegedly setting a trap for the Miguelites by deliberately allowing them to climb the canyon after crossing the Santa Maria bridge, such a theory lacks foundation considering the battle accounts by Luz Soriano and other contemporary chronicles, such as that of Baron of Saint Pardoux (The Civil War in Portugal 1833-1834). According to a clear reading of Luz Soriano (op. cit., vol. V, pp. 219-23), the liberals merely followed the movements of the Miguelites, responding swiftly when they decided to advance, with Saldanha showing great indecision even at that moment.

First attacking in open field and, after crossing the bridge, climbing the canyon (always under enemy fire), the Miguelite infantry bravely gained ground but at the cost of heavy casualties. Thus, General Santa Clara died while leading his troops against the enemy, and Brigadier Brassaget, who promptly replaced him at the vanguard upon seeing him fall, also perished. The outcome of the battle remained uncertain until, "on his own initiative," according to Luz Soriano (op. cit., vol. V, p. 221), Colonel Queirós saw an opportunity to flank the Miguelites and, leading the 2nd and 12th battalions of chasseurs, cut off their retreat to the Santa Maria bridge, while Brigadier Brito launched a fierce bayonet charge with the 3rd and 6th infantry regiments, keeping the 1st regiment in reserve. As for Saldanha, he personally commanded the Infantry No. 1, and remained always at the rear.

Only at that moment did the soldiers of Dom Miguel realize the dire situation they were in. Seeing his infantry at risk of being decimated, General Lemos advanced the cavalry, but Brigadier Bacon, at the head of the experienced Queen's Lancers (which, like the rest of the liberal army, included a significant number of veteran foreign mercenaries), thwarted this attempt by the Miguelites. Their defeat was severe, with losses exceeding a thousand men. However, the manner of their retreat was militarily impeccable, preventing even greater casualties. On the liberal side, there were also significant losses, particularly felt with the death of Colonel Miranda (Luz Soriano, op. cit., vol. V, p. 223).

The Battle of Almoster was seen by many as the collapse of Dom Miguel's hopes of recapturing Lisbon and possibly winning the war.

References

Category:Battles of the Liberal Wars Category:1843 in Portugal Category:Conflicts in 1843 Category:February 1834 events

References

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Categories:

• Battles of the Liberal Wars
• 1843 in Portugal
• Conflicts in 1843
• February 1834 events