Battle of Espinosa
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| Peninsular War: Second French Invasion, 1808–1809 |
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| Pancorbo – Valmaceda – Burgos – Espinosa – Tudela – Somosierra – Saragossa – Ciudad-Real – Medellín – Alcañiz – Almonacid – Tamamés – Ocana |
On the first day of the battle, Victor, in search of an easy victory, launched a series of massed attacks that were repulsed with heavy losses by the Spaniards. By nightfall, Blake's positions still held. On the morning of November 11, a better-coordinated French attack pierced Blake's center and drove the Spaniards from the field.
Although not a decisive defeat in itself, the hopelessly confused state of the Spanish army (having neither a government nor a military command structure to coordinate it) meant that Blake's Army of Galicia ceased to exist after Espinosa. Blake conducted a heroic retreat west through the mountains, escaping, to Napoleon's disbelief, Soult's pursuit, but when he arrived at León on November 23, only 10,000 men remained under his flag.
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