| By February 1814, Wellington had invested the French city of Bayonne and was pressing into the French interior with two goals in mind: driving the French army away from the important port city of Bordeaux, and bringing Soult's army to bay. Soult's Army of the Pyrenees, outnumbered and outclassed by Wellington's veteran forces, fell back towards the east, defending a series of river lines. Wellington's troops, showing excellent coordination between their maneuvering wings, were able to turn Soult out of these strong defensive positions one by one, all the while driving toward the inland city of Toulouse.
On February 26, Wellington's lead elements were able to exploit a gap in the French cavalry screen and began crossing the Gave de Pau River unopposed, moving in the direction of Orthez. Soult chose not to fall back, and arrayed his six divisions in excellent defensive positions on the high ground north and west of the town. On February 27, he would be attacked by Wellington's eight divisions. |
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