Taxdirt
Morocco, September
20, 1909
For a an overall look at the 1909 Melilla Campaign see my post from last month:
https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2025/07/2nd-melilla-campaign-1909.html
Painting of the Taxdirt Charge by Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau Nieto
By
September the army managed to gather 44,000 men in Melilla and it was
decided to build a lighthouse to guide ships at Cape Tres Forcas
(north of Melilla).
Among
those troops sent to Melilla was the 2nd Cazadores Brigade (from
Campo de Gibraltar), to which was added an expeditionary Squadron
of the Alfonso XII Cavalry Regiment, formed around 4th Squadron
(Captain Don José Álvarez Moreno) and filled out with volunteer
personnel from the remaining three squadrons all under the command of
Lieutenant Colonel Don José Cavalcanti de Alburquerque y Padierna.
At that time the Regiment was in garrison in Jerez de la
Frontera (Andalusia). The Squadron arrived in Melilla on July
30, and began preparing for action which was planned to begin around
September 20.
The
Commander of the area, General Marina decided
the best thing was to take the entire region by force. This way he
could keep the population under control and avoid revolts and, in
addition, isolate Mount Gurugú held by the Kabyle of Beni Sicar. The
action plan was simple. Two columns would be formed that should take
the territory north of Melilla. Other units were sent further south
towards Zocco del Arbaa and the Rio de Oro in the hope of drawing off
enemy forces.
The
first group would travel through the region from south to north
through an area occupied by peaceful tribes. This first column (made
up of 4,020 soldiers, eighty horses and eight cannons) was
commanded by General Alfau and its troops were the following:
infantry battalions from Barbastro, Figueras, Amposta and Las
Navas; Lusitania squadron (cavalry); two Mountain artillery
batteries; a company of Sappers, a communication company
(Telegraphic); an Ambulance company plus the supply train.
The
second group, would cross the area from east to west; its
main aim
was
Taxdirt
(sometimes
referred to as Taxdir) west
of Melilla. The
column, (made
up of 3,479 soldiers, eighty horses and eight cannons) formed
around the Cazadores Division and under the command of General
Morales and General Tovar, began its march in the early hours of 20
September, the squadron of Alfonso XII, minus one section, in
the vanguard along with a battalion of Cazadores de Catalonia, a
Company of engineers, a mountain battery and a machine gun
section. The bulk of
the column was
made up of the division headquarters and the second brigade:
battalion of Cazadores de Tarifa, a mountain battery, a battalion of
Cazadores de Talavera and the rest of 4th
squadron`s cavalry, a
telegraph
Company, an Ambulance company
and
the
supply train.
General Tovar, Lt. Col. Cavalcanti and Captain Tovar
Telegraph wagons
On
20 September Morales` column found itself near Tamisunt Hill where
the vanguard was suddenly embroiled in a major action with a large
body of Riffi numbering 1,500 or more! The Catalonia battalion and
the engineers supported by the mountain battery managed to take the
hill, but the enemy responded and counter-attacked with great
determination. General Tovar sent the Tarifa battalion commanded by
57 year old Lieutenant
Colonel Don Eloy Moreira y Espinosa de los Monteros
up the hill to support them. The fighting escalated (as did the
casualties) to a point that by noon (after nearly four hours of
combat) Gen. Tovar ordered Tarifa to relieve the Catalonia Battalion
and the engineers on the crest; he also ordered three companies from
the Talavera Battalion to replace Tarifa in the firing line.
Unfortunately, the Riffi saw that
the relief was taking place, they launched themselves against the
Spanish! Taking advantage of the confusion, they threw themselves
into the gap between Tarifa and Catalonia to cut off the advance of
the former and the retreat of the latter. The movement was
excellently timed; firstly, because they prevented the Tarifa
battalion, exposed to Moroccan fire, from advancing and completing
the relief. Secondly, because their attack also cut off the retreat
of the last Catalonia company; a unit that already lacked
ammunition and was more than exhausted.
The General ordered Lieutenant Colonel Cavalcanti to take his squadron to
support Tarifa in a desperate charge. The objective was to get the
soldiers to complete the relief before both they and the Catalonia battalion were destroyed!
The
squadron which only numbered 65 men did just that, Cavalcanti moved
his command to the enemies left climbing the hill until in a
favourable position, then he ordered that sabres be drawn and his men
to charge, in fact they made three charges in all, regrouping
after each, then charging again
(the last with only 20 riders). After
the
last, what few men remained still
under
Cavalcanti`s
command
retreated back to the cane field, where
they had left their wounded. They dismounted and formed a firing line cordon to defend their comrades
against the enemy, now eager for revenge.
Period postcard of the battle at Taxdirt
Seeing
the brave cavalrymen in dire need of help Lieutenant Colonel Moreira
(who
you will remember is in command
of
the Tarifa Battalion) ordered
his 2nd company forward to
support the horsemen. The lieutenant colonel leading his men with
great bravery riding his horse up and down the firing line, he
himself was seriously wounded to
his face early
in the advance but refused to withdraw and continued to urge his men
on despite the fact the wound had damaged his mouth and tongue and he
was
unable to give
verbal orders and to losing a lot of blood, he
used arm and hand signals to direct his men. His men formed a
defensive cordon allowing stretcher bearers to come forward and
evacuate the wounded cavalrymen.
With
direct support of mountain batteries, the advancing Talavera
battalion secured the hill and finally
the Moors morale cracked and they broke off the action and withdrew.
This allowed General Morales to establish a solid
defensive
position at Taxdirt.
The
Squadron suffered 25 killed and
a
number of wounded including, Lieutenant Colonel Cavalcanti who was
promoted to full Colonel and awarded, the Laureate Cross of San
Fernando for his brave leadership.
On
June 27, 1910, the Squadron returned to Jerez, and was awarded the
Cross of San Fernando (collective) by order of the King. Presented
by King Alfonso XIII in Sevilla, at
the Prado de San Sebastián on November 23, 1910.
King Alfonzo XIII presenting the Collective award to the Regiment
A later version of the Regiments flag bearing the Cruze de Fernando
For
his own
heroism
during
the battle Lieutenant-Colonal
Moreira was promoted to full colonel and was awarded the Cross of San
Fernando (2nd
class). His
wound was a serious one
and would force him to stay in hospital for more than a year.
A rather grainy image of Col. Moreira (best I could dig up)
