CASTALLA 1812 Y 1813

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On July 21, the Spanish army of General Jose O'Donnell, confident and secure in their numerical superiority, was brutally beaten in the hoya Castalla near Alicante, by the troops of Marshal Suchet.

A year later, on April 13, 1813, a council of war would raise an army composed of English, Portuguese, Sicilian, and Spanish troops to turn the tide of war in the Spanish Levante. With King Joseph in Vitoria, the Second Battle of Castalla marked the beginning of the end of the French in Valencia, who were forced to leave.

Suchet could not retake the initiative and could only delay as long as possible the imperial debacle in Aragon and Catalonia, abandoned to their fate by King Joseph and the Emperor.

THE FIRST BATTLE OF CASTALLA, JULY 21, 1812: Reorganization and deployments; Plan of attack; Battle; Spanish Withdrawal.

THE SECOND BATTLE OF CASTALLA, APRIL 13, 1813: General situation; Yecla, Villena, and Biar; and the battle.