The Battle of Zornoza fought on 31 October 1808, was one of the opening engagements in Napoleon's invasion of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The battle was intended to encircle and crush the left wing of the Spanish front. The Spanish infantry was swiftly thrown back but escaped in good order.

Background

The

Dos de Mayo Uprising On the 2 and 3 May 1808 the Dos de Mayo or Second of May Uprising of 1808 took place in Madrid, Spain. It was a rebellion by civilians alongside some military against the occupation of the city by French troops, provoking a heavy-hand repress ...

had put Iberia in revolt against French rule. The Spanish conventional warfare had started at El Bruch. The British intervention had started Roliça.

Napoleon's invasion of Spain The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain, ...

started with the engagement of Joaquín Blake's forces at Zornoza. Under his guidance, the French had made meticulous preparations to defeat Blake's position and thereby beat the left wing of the Spanish front that stretched from

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to the

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. Owing to friction with the Spanish authorities and a lack of coordination by the Central Junta, Blake, for his part, had no confidence in the Spanish deployment and could do little but conduct a cautious advance in the direction of

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Forces

Lefebvre's IV Corps included three infantry divisions and 36 cannon. Major-General Horace Sébastiani's 1st Division contained the 28th Light and 75th Line (3 battalions) and the 32nd and 58th Line (2 bns.). Maj-Gen Leval's 2nd Division was made up of the Dutch brigade and 2 bns. each of the 2nd Nassau, 4th Baden and Hesse-Darmstadt ''Gross-und-Erbprinz'' Regiments, and the Paris National Guard and Frankfurt battalions. Maj-Gen Eugene-Casimir Villatte's 3rd Division included 3 bns. each of the 27th Light, 63rd, 94th and 95th Line. Blake's Army of Galicia contained three infantry divisions, a vanguard and a reserve. General Figueroa commanded the 1st Division (4,000), Gen Riquelme the 3rd Division (4,800), Gen Carbajal the 4th Division (3,500), Gen Mendizabal (2,900) the Vanguard and Gen Mahy the Reserve (3,000). Only six of Blake's guns came into action.

Battle

On October 31, 1808, Marshal François Lefebvre bloodied the Army of Galicia under

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Joaquín Blake Joaquín Blake y Joyes (Vélez-Málaga, 19 August 1759 – 27 April 1827) was a Spanish military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Peninsular wars. Early military career Partially of Irish descent his mother ...

but failed to encircle or destroy it, upsetting both the

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and the French strategic situation. Lefebvre had disobeyed Napoleon's orders and launched his IV Corps into a premature attack against Blake. Blake was deeply disturbed by the appearance of French forces and took immediate measures to withdraw his troops and guns. The Spanish infantry, fighting without

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

support, was swiftly thrown back but escaped in good order.

Casualties

Lefebvre lost 200 casualties and Blake 600. Although the French had managed something of a tactical victory, the battle was a definite strategic blunder: Blake escaped the French trap and conducted a crafty withdrawal, checked his pursuers at Battle of Valmaseda, Valmaseda, and was not caught until November 10. Ultimately, however, the overwhelming strength of Napoleon's Grande Armée allowed the French to sweep past the tottering Spanish defences and capture Madrid by year's end.

Aftermath

proceeded with the Battle of Valmaseda.

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zornoza Battles of the Peninsular War Battles of the Napoleonic Wars Battles involving France Battles involving Spain Battles in the Basque Country (autonomous community) Conflicts in 1808, Battle of Zornoza 1808 in Spain, Battle of Zornoza October 1808 events