HISTORIA

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

         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!"

                   (Pieces of information from the book of D.Guillermo Escrigas  "Ferrol Heroico". "        


Balas da batalla????