In the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro (May 3 - 5, 1811) the British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley checked an attempt by French troops under Marshall André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida. Combatants Spain United Kingdom Portugal French Empire The Peninsular War was a major conflict during the Napoleonic Wars, fought on the Iberian Peninsula by an alliance of Spain, Portugal, and Britain against the Napoleonic French Empire. ... Battle of Fuengirola was one of the battles of the Peninsular War. ... The Battle of Barrosa took place on March 5, 1811 between Anglo-Spanish and French forces as part of the Peninsular war. ... Combatants Spain Portugal Britain France Duchy of Warsaw Commanders William Beresford Joaquin Blake Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult Strength 10,000 British 10,000 Portuguese 13,000 Spanish 38 guns 23,000 infantry 4,000 cavalry 40 guns Casualties 5,916 dead or wounded[2] 5,936 dead or wounded... Combatants United Kingdom, Portugal First French Empire Commanders Lord Wellington General Philippon Strength 25,000 regulars 5,000 regulars Casualties 5,000 dead or wounded 1,500 dead or wounded The Battle of Badajoz lasted between March 16 and April 6, 1812. ... The Battle of Salamanca was fought among the Arapiles hills near Salamanca in Spain on July 22, 1812, and resulted in an Anglo-Portuguese tactical victory under Lord Wellington against the French under marshal Marmont. ... Combatants France Britain Spain Portugal Commanders Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Joseph Bonaparte Arthur Wellesley Strength 58,000 78,000 Casualties 8,000 dead or wounded 2,000 captured 4,500 dead or wounded The Battle of Vitoria was fought on June 21, 1813 during the Peninsular War, between 78,000 British... The Battle of Sorauren was fought in late July of 1813 between French forces and the combined forces of Great Britain and Portugal. ... Combatants France Britain, Spain, Portugal Commanders Marshal Soult Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington Strength 60,000 80,000 Casualties 4,351 2,450 The Battle of Nivelle (November 10, 1813) took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War (1808-1814). ... The Battle of Orthez was fought on February 27, 1814, between the First French Empire and the forces of the Allies. ... The battle of Toulouse, fought on April 10, 1814, was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, although its official classification is disputed as the battle occurred four days after Napoleons surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769–14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, widely considered one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. ... André Masséna, Marshal of France André Masséna (May 6, 1758, Nice – April 4, 1817), Duke of Rivoli, Prince of Essling, was a French soldier in the armies of Napoleon and a Marshal of France. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Centro  - Subregion Beira Interior Norte  - District or A.R. Guarda Mayor António Ribeiro  - Party PSD Area 518. ...

Background

Massena had followed the British back to Lisbon the previous year, until arriving before the Lines of Torres Vedras. He determinied against storming this extensive double line of interlocking fortifications. After starving outside Lisbon through a miserable winter, the French withdrew to the Spanish border with the British following them. Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisboa  - Subregion Grande Lisboa  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues  - Party PSD Area 84. ... The Lines of Torres Vedras The Lines of Torres Vedras were a line of forts in Portugal built in secrecy between November 1809 and September 1810 during the Peninsular War. ...

Having secured Portugal, Wellington set about re-taking the fortified frontier cities of Almeida, Badajoz and Ciudad Rodrigo. Whilst Wellington besieged Almeida, Massena had reformed his battered army and marched to relieve the French garrison in the city. Wellington chose to check the relief attempt at the small village of Fuentes De Onoro. Wellington left his line of retreat exposed to cover all routes to Almeida: he felt this risk was justified because the French would not have more than a few days supplies whereas he had more than that. The British, Portuguese and Spanish army had 35,000 infantry, 1,500 cavalry, and 48 guns. The French had 43,000 infantry, 4,500 cavalry and 46 guns. Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Centro  - Subregion Beira Interior Norte  - District or A.R. Guarda Mayor António Ribeiro  - Party PSD Area 518. ... Badajoz (formerly Badajos), the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, is situated close to the Portuguese frontier, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid-Lisbon railway. ... Ciudad Rodrigo is a small town in Salamanca province in western Spain Its position as a fortified town on the main road from Portugal to Salamanca made it militarily important in the middle years of the Peninsular War. ...

Battle

On the 3rd of May, Massena launched a frontal assault against the British regiments holding the barricaded village, while subjecting the British on the heights east of the village to a heavy artillery bombardment. The village was the centre of the fighting for the whole day, with French Grenadiers and elite Guardsmen clashing with the British redcoats and the Riflemen of Craufurd's Light Division. Though the French drove the British back under immense pressure, a charge by men of the 51st Light Infantry reclaimed the streets and buildings lost earlier in the day. As the sun sank, the French withdrew and the village remained in British hands, though at a terrible price in manpower. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army. ...

The 4th saw little combat. Both sides recovered from the ferocity of the previous day of fighting and reconsidered their options and battle plans.

Action began again at dawn on the 5th of May. Wellington had, by oversight or error, left an infantry division exposed on his right flank. Massena launched an attack on the British right flank, led by General Junot's Corps and supported by most of Massena's Chasseurs and lancers. This compelled Wellington to send reinforcements to save the division from annihilation, which was only narrowly achieved by the efforts of the Light Division and cavalry of the King's German Legion. Massena, however, still aimed primarily at securing the actual village, sending forward massed columns of infantry. The village, filled with low stone walls, provided excellent cover for the British line infantry and skirmishers and the French cavalry were severely restricted in the little streets, unable to charge down on the British soldiers. Facing endless musket volleys and unable to press home their impetus, the cavalry and infantry became jammed and were shot down in their hundreds. Worse still, the French began to run out of ammunition and began to resort to the bayonet in a futile attempt to drive the British back. Facing murderous volleys, the French halted and turned, being shot at as they withdrew, leaving thousands of casualties behind. Jean-Andoche Junot (October 23, 1771 - July 29, 1813) was a French general under Napoleon Bonaparte. ... A Chasseur (a French term for hunter) is a soldier, especially one of certain French light infantry or cavalry troops, trained for rapid action. ... Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. ...

Meanwhile, equally devastating volleys from the redcoats on the right, helped along with attacks by British and Portuguese Hussars had Junot's columns reeling and they also suffered appalling casualties. By sunset, French morale had plummeted and many companies were down to 40% strength. Polish Hussar Hussar (original Hungarian spelling: huszár, plural huszárok) refers to a number of types of cavalry used throughout Europe since the 15th century. ...

After spending the next three days parading before the British position, Massena withdrew back to Spain.

Consequences

Wellington had repelled the Army of Portugal, inflicted 4,500 casualties for the loss of just 1,500, and was able to continue his siege of Almeida. Wellington however acknowledged how dangerous the situation had been, saying later, "If Boney had been there, I would have lost." He did not list the battle among his victories.

On reaching Ciudad Rodrigo, Massena was recalled to Paris by a furious Napoleon to explain his actions (although Napoleon had issued the order to return prior to the battle). He was replaced by Marshal Auguste Marmont. Massena set off for France with a vast sum of gold, stolen from Portugal and Spain. City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Floating not submerging) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, Marshal of France. ...

Two nights after Massena's withdrawal, most of the French garrison of Almeida slipped through the British lines during the night. They eventually reached French lines. Wellington was furious at two negligent British commanders.

Links

• Brief account of the battle including orders of battle
• More detailed account with analysis