the Battle of Castalla on 13 April 1813. In that conflict, Suchet sent Louis-Benoit Robert's division to attack the left flank of John Murray, 8th Baronet's Anglo-Spanish army. Meanwhile, the marshal ordered Habert to contain Murray's center, Boussart to observe the enemy right flank, and Harispe to remain in reserve. When Robert's assault failed, Suchet directed Habert to withdraw and Harispe to cover the retreat. At the battle Habert commanded only 2,722 men in four battalions. These units were two battalions of the 14th Line Infantry Regiment and one battalion each of the 16th and 117th Line. At the time of the Siege of Tarragona in June 1813, Habert's 3rd Division numbered 4,120 men in six battalions. After the Battle of Vitoria on 21 June, Suchet was forced to evacuate Valencia and Aragon, while falling back to Catalonia. Habert led the 3rd Division at the Battle of Ordal on 13 September 1813. The 14th, 16th, and 117th Line each had two battalions in the fight. Suchet attacked the inadequately patrolled Anglo-Spanish positions in the night and administered a one-sided drubbing to his enemies. A late 1813 order of battle placed Habert in command of Suchet's 4th Division, counting 3,975 men in four battalions. As Napoleon drained Suchet's strength away in order to defend eastern France, the marshal was left with only 17,000 soldiers. Forced to abandon most of Catalonia, he installed Habert as governor of Barcelona. For his tenacious defense of that city in the face of a besieging army of 30,000 and a British naval squadron, Habert earned the sobriquet the Ajax of the Army of Catalonia. On 16 April 1814, Habert launched a sortie for the purpose of collecting food which resulted in 200 French casualties. When a spy reported news of Napoleon's abdication on 19 April, Habert made his soldiers swear allegiance to the now-deposed emperor. On 24 April, he refused to accept with the walls a French colonel bearing news of an armistice. The next day, when the Frenchman returned with a British naval officer to work out the details of the French evacuation of Barcelona, Habert raged against the colonel, calling him a "traitor", and had to be restrained by his staff. Habert only agreed to discuss terms of surrender on 27 April. Habert became a grand officer of the Légion d'Honneur on 29 July 1814 after King Louis XVIII of France restoration to power.