| Battle of Valmaseda | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of thePeninsular War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Empire |  Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Eugene-Casimir Villatte | Joaquín Blake | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 13,000 | 24,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 300 killed or wounded 300 captured baggage train captured | 50 killed or wounded | ||||||
TheBattle of Valmaseda (orBalmaseda) took place on 5 November 1808, duringLieutenant-GeneralBlake's retreat from superior French armies in northern Spain. Reinforced by veteran regular infantry from GeneralLa Romana'sDivision of the North (Spanish:Division del Norte), Blake's force suddenly turned on its pursuers and ambushed MarshalVictor's errantvanguard underGénéral de divisionVillatte.
Napoleon's invasion of Spain had started with theBattle of Zornoza, whereMarshal François Lefebvre's failed to destroy the Spanish army, as Blake had shaken off the premature French assault and escaped with his army intact.[1] Further mistakes were made in the French pursuit, namely when Victor carelessly allowed hisArmy Corps to spread out in its search for an enemy he regarded as beaten.[2]
Major-GeneralEugene-Casimir Villatte commanded the 3rd Division of Lefebvre's IV Corps. This oversized unit included three battalions each of the 27th Light, 63rd, 94th and 95th Line Infantry Regiments, plus two foot artillery batteries.[3]
Blake'sArmy of Galicia was made up of five infantry divisions, a vanguard and a reserve:
GeneralFigueroa: commanded the 1st Division [Hibernia, Santiago, Mallorca, Mandoñedo, Rey].
GeneralMartinengo: the 2nd Division [Segovia, Victoria, Voluntarios de Navarra, Pontevedra] (5,100) (seven battalions).
GeneralRiquelme: the 3rd Division [Compostela, Gerona, Sevilla, 6th Marina] (seven battalions).
GeneralCarbajal: the 4th Division [Granaderos] (10 battalions, one present).
GeneralLa Romana: the 5th Division [Barcelona, 1st Cataluña, 1st & 2nd Zamora, Princesa] (5,300) (seven battalions).
GeneralMendizabal: the vanguard [Aragon, 2nd Cataluña, Leon, Navos] (five battalions)
GeneralMahy: the reserve [Granaderos, Battalion de General, Corona, Galica, Guardas Nacionales de Galica] (five battalions).
GeneralAcevedo: Asturian Division [Conges de Tineo, Salas, Siero, Villivicioa, Lena, Oviedo, Castropol] (ten battalions).
There were 1,000 gunners manning 38 cannon and only 300 cavalry.[4]
Victor tried to trap General Acevedo's Asturian Division, which had separated from Blake's army. Instead, Blake was able to draw the French into a trap of his own, and on 5 November Villatte's division, operating ahead of the other French formations, blundered into a brusque attack. This attack drove the French out of Valmaseda.
But while their leaders had erred badly, the iron discipline of the French soldiers did not fail them. Villatte, refusing to surrender, formed his troops into squares and managed to claw his way out of the Spanish encirclement. Even so, the Spaniards captured 300 men and one gun.
During the French retreat, Acevedo's errant division bumped into Villatte's baggage train and captured most of it. On 8 November a resurgent Victor recaptured Valmaseda, killing and wounding 150 and capturing 600 men from Blake's rearguard.[5]
Upon learning of the battle,Napoleon, shocked that hisGrande Armée should suffer even a minor defeat by "an army of bandits led bymonks," severely reprimanded Victor for his imprudence. Victor redeemed himself two weeks later when he finally defeated Blake at theBattle of Espinosa.
Napoleon's invasion of Spain proceeded with theSiege of Roses.
Media related toBattle of Valmaseda at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Battle of Zornoza | Napoleonic Wars Battle of Valmaseda | Succeeded by Battle of Burgos |
