Battle of the Black Mountain

Battle of the Black Mountain
Part of the War of the Pyrenees
Death of General Dugommier at the Battle of the Black Mountain, painted by François Grenier de Saint-Martin between 1834 and 1837
Date 17–20 November 1794 Location Capmany, Catalonia, Spain Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Spain Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Jacques Dugommier † Dominique Pérignon	Luis de Carvajal † Jerónimo Moctezuma John Forbes
Strength
25,000[1]	50,000[1]
Casualties and losses
3,000 killed and wounded[1]	10,000 killed and wounded[1] 8,000 captured

The Battle of the Black Mountain (also Capmany or Sierra Negra or Del Roure or Montroig) was fought from 17 to 20 November 1794 between the army of the First French Republic and the allied armies of the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Portugal. The French, led by Jacques François Dugommier defeated the Allies, who were commanded by Luis Firmín de Carvajal, Conde de la Unión. Though the Spanish right wing held, its left flank was driven back on the first day's fighting. On the last day of the battle, the French overran a key position and put the Spanish army to rout.

The battle was remarkable in that both army commanders were slain. A Spanish artillery shell killed Dugommier early in the battle and Dominique Catherine de Pérignon assumed command of the French army. De la Union was shot dead while leading a cavalry charge on the last day of the fighting and was temporarily replaced by Jerónimo Girón-Moctezuma, Marquis de las Amarilas. The French victory led to the capture of Figueres and the Siege of Roses (Rosas), a port in Catalonia.