Battle of Talavera de la Reina
Encyclopedia : B : BA : BAT : Battle of Talavera de la Reina
| Peninsular War |
|---|
| Bailén – Roliça – Vimeiro – Corunna – Talavera – Buçaco – Fuengirola – Torres Vedras – Barrosa – Fuentes de Onoro – Albuera – Badajoz – Salamanca – Vitoria - Sorauren |
The Battle of Talavera was a battle of the Peninsular War. It took place on July 27 – July 28 1809, when having driven Marshal Soult's French army from Portugal, General Sir Arthur Wellesley's 20,000 British troops joined forces with 33,000 Spanish troops under General Cuesta and marched up the river Tagus valley to Talavera de la Reina, 70 miles south-west of Madrid. Lieutenant General Wellington was not elevated to 1st Duke of Wellington until 1814
Here they encountered 50,000 French under Marshals Victor and Sebastiani, with the French king of Spain, Joseph Bonaparte, in nominal command. Owing to poor cooperation with General Cuesta the British bore most of the weight of this hard-fought set-piece battle, for which the Spaniards were untrained, and withstood the French attacks at a cost of 5,500 killed or wounded. The Spaniards lost about 1,000 and the French 7,390 killed or wounded. Many of the wounded on both sides were burnt to death when the dry grass caught fire. To avoid an immediate conflict with Marshal Soult's advancing army, Wellesley reatreated into Portugal again. After this battle he was created Viscount Wellington.
Detail
The French crossed the Alberche at 15:00 on July 27. The whole of the Spanish army had already retreated after hearing the sound of their own shots. At 17:00, the French attacked the right of the Spaniards and the British left. One hill was taken, lost and retaken until held firmly by the British. At daybreak on July 28, the French attacked the British left again to retake the hill and were repulsed. A cannonade took place until noon when an armistice of two hours took place. At 14:00, a very heavy cannonade started ahead of various infantry and cavalry skirmishes. At about 17:30-18:00, a major engagement resulted in the French being held off. A cannonade continued until dark. At daylight the next day, the French had retired, leaving their wounded and two brigades of artillery in the field.Reference
- Some Remarks concerning the Royal Artillery at the Battle of Talavera by Major John H. Leslie, R.A. in the Journal of the Royal Artillery (Vol XXXIV No. 11 Feb 1908)
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