At war with the nations of the European coalition, France over-confidently declared war with Spain in March 1793. On the Catalan front this was a conflict the military were ill-prepared for. The Army of Pyrénées-Orientales was hastily thrown together with minimal consideration of how to supply its needs. The French Catalan people bore the brunt of military requisitions of food and other essential commodities. Volunteers were often left to fend for themselves to find food and shelter as the French army behaved like an invading force, alienating swathes of the local population. Local revolutionary leaders had their suspicions about the allegiances of the people and communities in the borderlands. In April 1793 Spanish forces launched an invasion of the Pyrénées-Orientales. The poorly lead, ramshackle French army crumbled, allowing the Spanish to advance rapidly, supported by the collaboration of many northern Catalan communities. By August 1793, two-thirds of the département was in Spanish hands and Perpignan was in grave danger of falling with dire consequences for the region and the security of the Midi. In September the French army finally found its fighting spirit and defeated the Spanish at Peyrestortes. Perpignan was saved and the Spanish forced to retreat.