Battle of Vic

{{Short description|1810 battle during the Peninsular War}}

{{Use shortened footnotes|date=May 2021}}

{{Infobox military conflict

|conflict=Battle of Vich

|image= Bataille de Vich.jpg

|image_size = 280

|caption=Drawing by Jean-Charles Langlois (Musée de l'Armée)

|partof=Peninsular War

|date=20 February 1810{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=416}}

|place=Vic, Catalonia, Spain

|coordinates={{coord|41|55|49|N|2|15|17|E}}

|result=French victory{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=416}}

|combatant1={{flagicon|France}} First French Empire

|combatant2={{flagicon|Spain|1785}} Kingdom of Spain

|commander1={{flagicon|France}} Joseph Souham{{WIA}}

|commander2={{flagicon|Spain|1785}} Henry O'Donnell
{{flagicon|Spain|1785}} Francesc Rovira
{{flagicon|Spain|1785}} Francisco Milans

|units1={{flagicon|France}} VII Corps

|units2={{flagicon|Spain|1785}} Army of Catalonia

|strength1=5,000{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=416}}

|strength2=12,000{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=416}}

|casualties1=800{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=416}}

|casualties2=3,000{{sfn|Bodart|1908|p=416}}

}}

{{Campaignbox Peninsular War (1809-1812)}}

{{OSM Location map

| coord = {{coord|40.5|-2.0}}

| zoom = 5

| float = right

| nolabels = 1

| width = 304

| height = 160

| title = Peninsular War: Aragón Catalonia

| caption = {{legend|black|current battle}}

| shapeD=n-circle

| shape-colorD=dark blue

| shape-outlineD=white

| label-colorD = dark blue

| label-sizeD = 12

| label-posD = left

| label-offset-xD =

| label-offset-yD =

| label1 =

| mark-coord1 = {{coord|41.28|1.25}}

| mark-title1 = Battle of Valls at Valls, on 25 February 1809

| label2 =

| mark-coord2 = {{coord|41.99|2.83}}

| mark-title2 = Third siege of Girona at Girona, from 6 May to 12 December 1809

| label3 =

| mark-coord3 = {{coord|41.05|0.13}}

| mark-title3 = Battle of Alcañiz at Alcañiz, on 23 May 1809

| label4 = María

| mark-coord4 = {{coord|41.55|-0.99}}

| mark-title4 = Battle of María at María de Huerva, on 15 June 1809

| label5 =

| mark-coord5 = {{coord|41.3|-0.75}}

| mark-title5 = Battle of Belchite (1809) at Belchite, on 18 June 1809

| label6 =

| mark-coord6 = {{coord|41.54|2.21}}

| mark-title6 = Battle of Mollet at Mollet, on 21 January 1810

| label7 = Vic

| mark-coord7 = {{coord|41.93|2.25}}

| mark-title7 = Battle of Vic at Vic, on 20 February 1810

| label-color7 = black

| shape-color7 = black

| label-pos7 = top

| label-offset-y7 = -10

| label8 =

| mark-coord8 = {{coord|41.61|0.63}}

| mark-title8 = Siege of Lérida at Lérida, on 23 April and 29 April to 14 May 1810

| label9 =

| mark-coord9 = {{coord|41.37|0.3}}

| mark-title9 = Siege of Mequinenza at Mequinenza, from 15 May to 8 June 1810

| label10 =

| mark-coord10 = {{coord|41.96|3.040556}}

| mark-title10 = Battle of La Bisbal at La Bisbal, on 14 September 1810

| label11 =

| mark-coord11 = {{coord|40.81|0.52}}

| mark-title11 = Siege of Tortosa (1810–11) at Tortosa, from 19 December 1810 to 2 January 1811

| label12 =

| mark-coord12 = {{coord|41.37|1.28}}

| mark-title12 = Battle of El Pla at El Pla, on 15 January 1811

| label13 =

| mark-coord13 = {{coord|41.12|1.25}}

| mark-title13 = Siege of Tarragona (1811) from 5 May – 29 June 1811
Siege of Tarragona (1813) from 3 to 11 June 1813

| label14 =

| mark-coord14 = {{coord|41.59|1.84}}

| mark-title14 = Battle of Montserrat at Montserrat, on 25 July 18117

| label15 =

| mark-coord15 = {{coord|42.27|2.97}}

| mark-title15 = Siege of Figueras (1811) at Figueras, from 4 April to 19 August 1811

| label16 =

| mark-coord16 = {{coord|41.67|1.27}}

| mark-title16 = Battle of Cervera (1811) at Cervera, from 4 to 14 October 1811

| label17 = Saguntum

| mark-coord17 = {{coord|39.68|-0.27}}

| mark-title17 = Battle of Saguntum at Saguntum, on 25 October 1811

| label-pos17 = top

| label18 = Valencia

| mark-coord18 = {{coord|39.47|-0.38}}

| mark-title18 = Siege of Valencia (1812) at Valencia, from 26 December 1811 – 9 January 1812

| label19 =

| mark-coord19 = {{coord|41.15|1.38}}

| mark-title19 = Battle of Altafulla at Altafulla, on 29 January 1812

| label20 = Castalla

| mark-coord20 = {{coord|38.6|-0.67}}

| mark-title20 = Battle of Castalla (1812) at Castalla, on 21 July 1812 and on 13 April 1813

| label21 =

| mark-coord21 = {{coord|41.40|1.85}}

| mark-title21 = Battle of Ordal at Ordal, on 13 September 1813

}}

The Battle of Vich or Battle of Vic on 20 February 1810 saw a Spanish force under Henry O'Donnell suddenly attack a 5,500-man Imperial French division led by Joseph Souham. After bitter fighting the French prevailed, forcing O'Donnell's men to retreat. The engagement occurred during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars. Vic is located {{convert|60|km|mi|0}} north of Barcelona in the province of Catalonia.{{sfn|Esdaile|2003|p=295}}

One month after his lieutenant Luis González Torres de Navarra, Marquess of Campoverde scored a victory in the Battle of Mollet, O'Donnell found that Souham's division was isolated at Vic. He assembled a small army of 7,000 regular infantry and 500 cavalry at Moià and arranged for the miquelets (Catalan militia) to join him in attacking Vic. On 19 February, 3,500 miquelets led by Francesc Rovira i Sala and Francisco Milans del Bosch began skirmishing with Souham's outposts. The next day, O'Donnell led his regulars to the assault from a different direction. While a French force in the town held off Rovira and Milans, the main forces battled in the plain. The contest hung in the balance until the 1,500-saber Imperial cavalry contingent overwhelmed O'Donnell's right wing. The French lost 600 casualties, including Souham badly wounded, while inflicting losses of 800 killed and wounded and capturing 1,000 more.