Ancient history

Battle of Somosierra Pass 1809

Several harsh and steep mountain ranges - the sierras - almost parallel, culminating at 2,500 meters, rise as a barrier between the north and the south of the peninsula; they separate Old Castile from New. At their feet lie bare, windswept highlands carved out with narrow valleys. To go from Aranda to Madrid, it is the Sierra de Guadarrama that must be crossed. Only one passage in this chain:the Somosierra pass, at an altitude of 1,438 m. Not really a pass, a defile, two kilometers long, only thirty meters wide, in some places, winding, winding, surrounded by rocks and scree.

Since the arrival of Napoleon in Spain, the intelligence service has worked better. The Emperor knows that after the disaster of the Spanish army north of Burgos, the government junta assembled in Madrid a corps of 28,000 men provided with 28 pieces of cannon.
The command was given to Benito San Juan, he is a fanatical Castilian. All Madrid residents are sure that he will prevent us from crossing the Guadarrama. November 29. Victor's body reaches the village of Bocaguillas, at the foot of the sierra. Napoleon bivouaced there and gave his instructions.
Ruffin's division will move forward, marching in three columns. The center column will go by the road that leads to the pass. The other two will flank her right and left, scaling the rocks and knocking down any resistance. November 30 at dawn, execution. Napoleon marches with Ruffin's division which goes in front. The fog favors the approach. But quickly the leaders of the columns launched to the right and to the left of the steep-sided road send pessimistic reports. The progression on the rocks is incredibly strenuous and slow.
As soon as our infantry come within range of enemy guns and rifles it will be a massacre. The center column will then advance unprotected.

It would be failure for sure, we have to find something else. In a few minutes, Napoleon made the decision. Only a lightning action can succeed. In other words, the cavalry must charge. Piré, colonel of the chasseurs of the Guard, goes to reconnoitre the procession. Two and a half kilometers to the pass and, on this journey, three bends at right angles. Each elbow is held by several hundred Spaniards and by four guns taking the road in a row. At the pass itself, a battery of sixteen guns; thousands of Spaniards are posted on the ridge. Piraeus concluded that the passage is impossible. Napoleon's response - Sir, I don't know that word!

The episode shot in images of Epinal to hundreds of thousands of copies will begin. The Polish light horses are there with the Emperor. Royal blue outfit with scarlet plastron and trousers, schapska top of their country; they took care of their outfit in the worst conditions; they look great. They are two hundred and fifty, they have never seen the fire. A horseman, tall, handsome, stands out from the Emperor's staff. It is General Montbrun, temporarily without command; “Following” as they say, from the military house, and that does not please him. He puts his hat down - Sire, let me lead this youth.
Napoleon nods in agreement. Another officer also asks to charge, it is Philippe de Ségur, orderly officer of the Emperor, future general. Ahead ! First at a trot, then at a gallop. “We charged belly to earth,” Ségur wrote. It's a cliché, and Ségur gladly dramatizes. All historians now know that the gallop of the horsemen of the Grande Armée was not that of the jockeys. But on this rather steep slope, it is a fact that the Polish squadron gallops.

Two minutes, and here is the first bend, with four Spanish guns. Their salvo mows down the whole leading platoon, the Polish commander Kozietluski is killed. Ahead ! The squad continues towards the second turn. Identical salvo, same result, fifty horsemen shot down. “Formidable cry of Vive l’Empereur, the momentum is irresistible. "I wasn't there. I do not know if these Poles in full charge were shouting Long live the Emperor or if they were “pushing their battle cry”, as we read in other accounts. I did not see, as has also been said, if they were holding their saber in one hand, their pistol in the other and between their teeth the reins of their horse, an awkward position to shout at the same time Long Live the emperor. I did not count the number of horsemen mowed down with each salvo. Many details differ in the accounts of witnesses and actors of the action of Somosierra. I think it should be remembered here that the momentum was really "irresistible", since a hundred riders arrived at the pass led by Montbrun and Lieutenant Niegolowski. Black smoke, the pass battery fired. Ségur and Niegolowski fall and with them another sixty Poles. Forty survivors remain, among them the wounded. The Spaniards must not be given time to reload their guns. Montbrun, still alive, still on horseback, brandished his sword. Forward!

Then occurs a phenomenon of collective terror - rare, but we have already seen that - the Spanish defenders of the pass do not understand. They do not understand why nothing - neither the two previous barrages nor their own salvo - could stop the onslaught of the enemy horsemen. These French are invulnerable demons. Run for your life ! Benito San Juan throws himself into the middle of the torrent of fugitives, insults, strikes with the flat of his sword; but nothing stops a torrent of panic, and it is the rifles of his own soldiers who bring down San Juan the fanatic. Around his corpse, the sabers of the light horses make the heads of Spaniards fly.
Long live the Emperor!

It is indeed Napoleon who arrives, at a gallop, with his staff, the Ruffin division following at a run. Napoleon dismounts, walks towards Lieutenant Niegolowski who is lying, surrounded by corpses, alive, but covered in blood. The Emperor removes his cross, the pin on the chest of the wounded, this gesture is already legendary. Ségur is in pretty bad shape, too, five injuries.
You are brave. It is you who will carry the flags taken here to Paris. That same evening, the Emperor slept at Buitrago, on the other side of the sierra. The next day, he ordered the surviving light horses to be rounded up, forty of whom a good third were wounded, red bands around their heads, arms in slings, a few on foot leaning on the shoulder of a Garde chasseur.
Napoleon advanced on horseback, took off his hat
You are all worthy of my Watch. I recognize you for my bravest cavalry.

“The Poles were crying with joy. And the road to Madrid was open.