Peninsular War

The Peninsular War (1808–1814) (known as War of Independence in Spain and as French Invasions in Portugal) was a major conflict during the Napoleonic Wars, fought in the Iberian Peninsula with Spanish, Portuguese, and the British forces fighting against Napoleonic French.

Engagements during the war

Major battles and sieges

• Battle of Bailén 19 July 1808. French forces of 23,000 men under the overall command of General Dupont had been trapped by 30,000 Spaniards led by Castaños in Bailén in Jaén province (Andalusia). After five unsuccessful sorties the French surrendered.
• Battle of Roliça (formerly spelt as Roleia in English) 17 August 1808. Wellesley had landed at Mondego Bay with 15,000 British troops and was heading south towards Lisbon. A French force under General Henri Delaborde tried to delay Wellesley's advance while awaiting reinforcements. A premature assault by the 29^th Regiment forced Wellesley to order a general attack which succeeded and caused the French to withdraw. Though a small action in itself, it was the first British engagement in the Peninsular war and the first time that Col Henry Shrapnel's Spherical bullets were used.
• Battle of Vimeiro 21 August 1808. Four days after Roliça, Wellesley's force, now comprising 17,000 Anglo-Portuguese troops, was attacked by General Junot and his Army. The attack was repulsed with the French taking 2,000 casualties, and Junot retreated to the nearby Torres Vedras.
• Battle of Corunna 16 January 1809.
• Battle of Talavera de la Reina 27 July-28 July 1809. Wellesley's 55,000 Anglo-Spanish troops were opposed by the 46,000 French of King Joseph Bonaparte, Marshal Jourdan and Marshal Victor near Talavera de la Reina, a town 110 km (70 miles) southwest of Madrid. Despite being handicapped by the fact that his forces consisted of 35,000 Spaniards led by the uncooperative General Cuesta, Wellesley succeeded in winning the battle. Casualties amounted to 5,500 British, 1,000 Spaniards and 7,200 French.
• Battle of Buçaco 27 September 1810 The Allied Amr of 26,000 Portuguese and 26,000 British defeated a 45,000 Army of MAsséna. Casulaties were 626 Portuguese and 626 British ( a stunning coincidence) and around 4,500 French
• Defence of the Lines of Torres Vedras (winter of 1810?1811). A non-clausewitz victory because no battle took place, except fopr a minor skirmish at Sobral October, 14, 1810, when "the Napoleonic tide ebbed"
• Battle of Fuentes de Onoro 3 May ? 5 May 1811.
• Battle of Albuera 16 May 1811. An Allied force of 35,000 under Sir William Beresford had moved south from Badajoz to block Marshall Soult's attempt to relieve the siege with 24,000 French. The French attack eventually failed. All troops fought bravely; General Joachim Blake's division repelled the French; the British Fusillier brigades covered themselves with glory like the 3rd Bufs and "The Die-Hards". Portuguese 11/23 Brigade led the infantry charge againt the French that " changed the face of battle".
• Battle of Badajoz 6 April 1812. The fortress at Badajoz with 5,000 French under General Phillipon, had been under siege by Wellesley's 30,000 Anglo-Portuguese troops since 16 March. On the night of 6^th April a series of assaults succeeded in breaching the defenses and the French surrendered. Losses amounted to 1,500 French and 5,000 Anglo-Portguese.
• Battle of Salamanca (also known as Arapiles) 22 July 1812. While retreating towards Portugal, Wellesley's Anglo-Portuguese force of 48,000 men was attacked near Salamanca by 50,000 French under Marshal Marmont. The British had almost won the battle in less than an hour when General Bertrand Clausel stabilised the situation for the French and launched an assault. Wellington and Beresford lead the counter-attack which routed the French with the Portuguese 3/15 Brigade. The failure of a Spanish force to block an escape route, prevented French entire force from being captured. Nevertheless, the French had lost 7,000 casualties with a further 7,000 men captured.
• Battle of Vitoria 21 June 1813.

Other engagements

Besides the major battles and sieges listed above, there were numerous smaller engagements during the course of the war. While the majority of these were of little strategic significance, many of them were interesting episodes.

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• Battle of Somosierra 30 November 1808. During his advance on Madrid, Napoleon was blocked by 9,000 Spaniards under General San Juan in the valley of Somosierra in the Sierra de Guadarrama. Because the Spanish forces could not easily be outflanked, and impatient to proceed, Napoleon ordered his Polish light cavalry escort of some 87 troops, led by Jan Kozietulski, to charge the Spaniards. Despite losing two thirds of their numbers, the Poles succeeded in forcing the defenders to abandon their position.
• Battle of Fuengirola 15 October 1810. The mediæval fortress of Fuengirola near Málaga was defended by 200 Polish soldiers of the Duchy of Warsaw against approximately 2,500 British and 500 Spaniards under Lord Blayney. Although the British broke through the following morning, an attack by 200 fresh Polish troops from another garrison supported by 30 French cavalry led to the capture of Blayney and the retreat of his troops to their ships.