D.Guillermo Escrigas
Durante moito tempo o seu libro "Ferrol Heroico" foi a única referencia recente da batalla.
Cos beneficios do libro, fixose a escultura do baluarte de San Xoan, no porto, esquencida durante moito tempo, ate que se voltou a facer polo Club Montaña e a AA.VV de Brión unha ofrenda floral.
ESCOLMA DO QUE FOI A BATALLA
Durante moito tempo o seu libro "Ferrol Heroico" foi a única referencia recente da batalla.
Cos beneficios do libro, fixose a escultura do baluarte de San Xoan, no porto, esquencida durante moito tempo, ate que se voltou a facer polo Club Montaña e a AA.VV de Brión unha ofrenda floral.
ESCOLMA DO QUE FOI A BATALLA
O
25 de Agosto do ano 1800, unha flota inglesa con mais de 100 velas arrumbaba ás
costas ferroláns nunha acción sorpresiva, para facerlle un golpe moral ó expansionismo Napoleónico, e mais
unha baixa física á flota española, parte das súas naves atopábanse na nosa
ría.
O Vicealmirante John Warren viña
ó mando dun continxente de 7 navíos, 6 fragatas, 5 bergantíns, duas balandras e
unha goleta. Un total de 21 buques de guerra protexendo a 86 transportes que
contiñan 15.000 soldados principalmente de Infantería e Cabalería.
Na
nosa ría atopánbanse os navíos San Hermenegildo, Real Carlos, Argonauta,
Monarca, e San Agustín, as fragatas Mercedes, Asunción, Clara e La Paz, dous
bergantíns o Palomo e mais o Vivo, 6 cañoneiras e outras catro en Ares, que
viñeron rápidamente a defender Ferrol,
en total as tropas militares eran perto de 2.000 e xunto cos voluntarios non
sumaban mais de 3.000, e os refuerzos difíciles de achegarse.
A situación social, era realmente insostenible, pois os militares non
cobraban facía 5 meses, a fame e a pobreza estaban presentes na realidade da
cidade, e en xeral a nosa plaza estaba
desguarnecida. O frente dela estaba o conde de Donadío.
O día 25 era a festa do santo da Raíña Maria Luisa, polo que en Ferrol,
os oficiais estaban realizando un acto oficial. Foi pola mañá, cando o vixía de
Monteventoso deu a voz de alarma, ainda que en principio pensouse que era unha
flota que ía hacia o Mediterráneo.
Pronto enfilaron hacia a praia de Doniños e San Xorxe, polo que veuse
claramente que era unha invasión.
Rápidamente as naves locais tomaron posición frente toda a costa da
Cabana e da Graña, chegando dende a Malata ó Vispón. Mentres os ingleses
desembarcan en Doniños e uns poucos en San Xorxe. Os fortes de estas praias non
aguantaron nin os primeiros envites, retrocedendo os 60 homes de estas tropas a
xuntarse coas que viñan dende Ferrol.
Un primeiro grupo de militares e homes da bisbarra armados con
ferramentas de labranza, empezou a remontar dende a Graña hacia Balón, ó frente
estaba o capitán de navío Juan Bautista Topete, un dos grandes herois desta
xesta. Pola Malata e Serantes camiñou o reximiento de Ourense, gananado as
alturas da Cabana, e no medio destes dous grupos estaba o reximiento de
Guadalaxara. O chegar á cima, xa de noite, fixéronse unhas pequenas escaramuzas
contra os ingleses co fin de tantear ó inimigo, que era o núcleo da forza
invasora. Os ingleses sabían do pequena que era a forza Ferrolán, así que
escomenzou unha manobra envolvente, desplazándose hacia San Felipe, intentándo
coller a Topete de frente e pola esquerda.
Pero a súa vez Topete mandou correrse tamén hacia o castelo, así que os
ingleses seguían atopándolos de frente, ante gran sorpresa, porque parecían mais
dos que eran, ademais o terreno era abrupto e arbolado, con o que os defensores
levaban as de gañar, e os invasores escomanzaron a desfacerse en pequenos
grupos que eran fácilmente atacados, tendo que retroceder rápidamente, con unha
veitena de baixas e un primeiro golpe moral.
De noite fíxose a calma, e contan que os ferroláns prenderon moitos
lumes en todo o monte simulando moita mais cantidad de xente que a que eran. De
todos xeitos cando chegou o día a realidade amosou un exercito inglés pertrechado,
armado e vestido como nas películas.
O continxente británico facía un frente con centro en Balón
extendendose en angulo obtuso hacia San Felipe e hacia Serantes, mentras que os
Ferroláns eran una aguda cuña, estirados en fila de a ùn pero sin fondo.
Intentándo frenar a baixada hacia Ferrol pola Malata. Hacia O Castillo, non
había cobertura defensiva dada a escasez
de tropas.
A medida que chegaban reforzos a Ferrol, de Betanzos, Coruña, etc. eran
embarcados, en calquera cousa que flotara hacia a Graña e a Cabana co fin de
reforzar o frente de batalla.
A iniciativa foi dos ferroláns, e se lanzaron sorpresivante ó ataque,
frente o cal os ingleses empezaron a retroceder. A intención posterior foi de
novo envolver ás débiles pero orgullosas tropas locais, que ante aquel
retroceso se envalentonaron, pero cando se observou que había movementos
envolventes, de inmediato se fixo unha retirada, xunto no momento en que
chegaba o Batallón Inmemorial e as Milicias Reales, o cal foi un valioso apoio
para a retirada hacia a Graña.
Mentras, o ala dereita, en Serantes, lograra deter o avance por este
lugar, sendo reforzados polos Cazadores de Xubia, con o que os ingleses
atoparon un segundo frente de batalla na zona. Mentras o campesiños e lugareños
de toda a comarca íanse unindo ás forzas defensoras xogando un importante papel
que fixo retroceder ás forzas inglesas, cortando o paso a Ferrol,e o apoio o
grueso dos invasores centrados na zona de Balón e Brión.
Todo esto desconcertou, de xeito definito ós ingleses, xirándo hacia a
Cabana donde o fogo do bergantín o Vivo os puso no seu sitio.
A loita na Cabana, Vispón e San
Felipe, fíxose corpo a corpo, e un ferrolán se apostaba detras de cada recoveco
convertíndose nunha guerra de guerrillas. Os reforzos seguían chegando de
Coruña, Ares, Betanzos, etc e atravesando hacia a Graña, a situación facíase
cada vez mais angustiosa para os ingleses, que dende o alto, veían un trasiego
continuo de continxentes dende Ferrol. A cabalería inglesa foi desfeita entre a
espesura do bosque.
San Felipe foi sitiado por tres veces, centrando o enemigo a acción alí
con catro mil homes, pero a artillería fixo mella nos invasores, e os
vencedores dende arriba, colleron entre dos fogos ós asaltantes. Retrocedendo
por fin desordenadamente. O mencer do 27 os ingleses empezaban a chegar a
Doniños e reembarcar cada un como podía.
A media mañá os sobreviventes poñían rumbo as costas británicas,
mentras que na noite do 26 Ferrol engalanse e se convirte nunha apoteósica
celebración da victoria.
Contan que mentras en Paris Napoleón brindaba: "polos valentes
ferroláns". E como nos dixo un vello de Brión, como si o
vivira:"neniño, e como chegaron a Doniños...".
(Datos do libro de D.Guillermo Escrigas "Ferrol Heróico")
"A BRIEF OF WHAT THE BATTLE WAS
On the 25th of August 1800, an English Fleet with over one
hundred sails heading the coast of Ferrol in a sudden striking action, against
the Napoleonic expansion, and further a physical damage to the Spanish Armada;
part of its ships were in our Ria.
Vice-Admiral John Warren was in charge of a naval force of
seven ships, six frigates, five brigs, two slops and one schooner. In all
twenty one warships giving protection to 86 transports containing 15.000
soldiers mainly infantry and cavalry.
Moored in our bay, at that moment, were the ships "San
hermenegildo", "Real Carlos", "Argonauta",
"Monarca" and "San Agustín", the frigates
"Mercedes", "Asunción", "Clara" and "La
Paz", two brigs, "Palomo" and "Vivo", six gunboats and
another four in the Ria of Ares, which immediately sailed to defend Ferrol, in
all the military amounted round 2.000 men, and with the volunteers wouldn`t
make more than 3.000; for the reinforcements it was difficult to get close.
The social situation, was really unbearable, it was for six
months that the military didn't get there wages, famine and the poverty were
present in the real situation of the city and generally our village was
unprotected; leading at that time was the Count of Donadio.
August 25th was María Luisa's (the Queen) birthday, that is
the reason why the officers in Ferrol were celebrating an oficial event. It was
in the breaking morning when the watchman at Monteventoso cried out the warning
news, although, at first, it was thought that it was just a fleet on her way to
the Mediterranean Sea .
Soon they beared Doniños
Beach and San Jorge, thus
checking that was an invasion.
All of a sudden the local men of war took positions opposite
to and all along the coast of A Cabana and A
Graña, coming to A Malata and O Vispón. Meanwhile, the English soldiers were
landing in Doniños and a few of them in San Jorge.
The forts of these beaches couldn't even withstand the first
struggles, the 60 men of this garrison drawing back to join those other coming
from Ferrol.
The first group of military and peasants, only armed with
farm tools, began climbing up the hill from A Graña to Balón.
Commanding was Captain Juan Bautista Topete, one of the
great heroes of this heroic deed. The Regiment of Ourense trod along A Malata
and Serantes, reaching the top of A Cabana; The Regiment of Guadalajara was among these two groups.
When at night they reached the top of the hill, some
skirmishes against the English troops were tempted, with the target of
reckoning the enemy, and so they started an enveloping strategy against San
Felipe, trying to catch Topete opposite and by the left.
But at the same time Topete ordered to override the castle
too, and so the English Troops continued
finding themselves abreast, to their great surprise, since they apeared to be
more in number than they really were. Besides, the battle ground was rough and
wooddy; with this the defenders were in a better position, and invaders started
to shatter in little groups that could
be easily attacked; thet had to reteat quickly with twenty casualties and the
first moral blow.
At night calm came, and it is said that the Ferrol people
lit lots of fires all around the mountain, simulating a larger amount of people
that they actually were. Anyway, when dawn came the truth was that British
troops came well provided, armed, dressed up and with fresh outfit, as in a
film.
The British forces formed a battle front with its center in
Balon, extending in an obtuse angle towards San Felipe and Serantes while the
Ferrol fighting men formed a pointing wedge, stretching in one after the other
column yet with no end. Trying to stop the descent to Ferrol along A Malata. At
the castle, there was no defense coverage for the lack of troops. The moment
reinforcements entered Ferrol, no metter they were from Betanzos, Coruña, or
anywhere else, they embarked on anything that could float, heading to A Graña
and A Cabana with the aim of reinforcing and supporting the battle front.
The initiative came from the people of Ferrol; they casted
an attack by surprise, upon which the English started to retreat. The next
intention was to surround again the weak though proud local troops who, seeing
that British troops were withdrawing, became prouder and bolder; yet when it
seemed that there were encircling movements, a sudden return took place, just
at the moment when the Immemorial Battalion and the Royal Troops arrived,
becomingan invaluable support for the withdrawal to A Graña.
Meanwhile, the right flank in Serantes, managed to stop the
British troops advance in that direction, being supported by the Xubia's
Hunters, with whom the invaders encountered a second battle front in the area.
At the same time peasants and villagers of all the country were joining the
defending forces playing a major role that made the British troops retreat,
thus cutting the way to Ferrol, and the support to the main corps of the
attackers concentrated in the area of Balon and Brion.
All this definitively put the British invaders in disorder,
turning towards A Cabana, where fire balls from the guns of the brig O Vivo put them where they should be.
The fight in A Cabana, Vispón and San Felipe, was close
fighting, hand-to-hand a Ferrol fighter could be found hiding round each corner
thus becoming a war of guerrillas. The reinforcements continued coming from
Coruña, Ares, Betanzos and so on, and crossing to A Graña. The situation became
more and more discouraging and distressed for the British invaders, who, from
the top, saw a continuous movement of battle troops from Ferrol; the English
cavalry had been defeated in the deep of the forest.
San Felipe had been besieged thrice, the enemy having
centered the acción there with four thousand men, but the artillery had been
weakening in the raiders, and the victorious, from the top, caught the invaders
in cross fires.
They finally retreated in
a disorderly manner. At dawn on the 27th
of August, the British Army began to reach Doniños; everybody reembarking as
they possibly could.
In the middle of the morning, the surviving troops set sail
to the British coast, while the night of August 26th 1800, Ferrol looked
beautiful after a glorious celebration of the victory.
It is said that meanwhile, in Paris , Napoleón toasted to "the brave
men of Ferrol". And, as an old man in Brión said, as if he had really
lived this event: "God, the way they came to Doniños!"
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