The Battle of Alcolea Bridge was a minor battle that took place on 7 June 1808, during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

, at

Alcolea Alcolea is a municipality of Almería province, in Spain. Historically, there was a Jewish community that existed from 1320-1414. After the disputation of Tortosa, the community ceased to exist. Demographics See also *List of municipalities ...

, a small village 10 km from

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

, the city that would be invaded by French troops later that same afternoon.

Background

The

Dos de Mayo Uprising The ''Dos de Mayo'' or Second of May Uprising took place in Madrid, Spain, on 2–3 May 1808. The rebellion, mainly by civilians, with some isolated military action by junior officers, was against the occupation of the city by French troops, ...

had put Iberia in revolt against French rule.

Battle

It is significant in that it was the first staged battle against regular Spanish troops that General

Pierre Dupont de l'Étang Divisional-General Pierre-Antoine, comte Dupont de l'Étang (4 July 1765 – 9 March 1840) was a French army officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Life Revolutionary Wars Born in Chabanais, Charent ...

fought in

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

after having left

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

on 24 May, heading for Cádiz, with 18,000 troops. Although successive movements of French troops would be harried by Spanish guerrilleros fighting along the way, on both sides of the

Sierra Morena The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It stretches for 450 kilometres from east to west across the south of the Iberian Peninsula, forming the southern border of the ''Meseta Central'' plateau and providi ...

and in the steep gorge ( defile) of

Despeñaperros Despeñaperros (literally, '' liff wheredogs plunge'') is a gorge or canyon carved out by the Despeñaperros river. It is located in the municipality of Santa Elena in the northern portion of the province of Jaén, Spain. The area was declared ...

that separates Castile-La Mancha (including Madrid) and Andalusia, Dupont met with no resistance there. At Alcolea, some 3,000 regular troops, accompanied by some armed civilians, tried, unsuccessfully, to stop Dupont's vastly superior forces at the bridge over the

Guadalquivir The Guadalquivir (, also , , ) is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is the only major navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable from Seville ...

and were forced to retreat to Córdoba. Dupont went on to capture Córdoba that same day, his troops ransacking the city over four days. The seventy troops Dupont had left to protect the bridge were later massacred by guerrillas led by Juan de la Torre, the mayor of the town of

Montoro Montoro is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Córdoba, Andalusia. Housing lies on a bend of the river Guadalquivir, which envelopes from West, North, and East. Overview It is located about east-northeast of the capital of th ...

. One of the Spanish soldiers who fought at Alcolea was

Pedro Agustín Girón Pedro Agustín Girón y de Las Casas, 1st Duke of Ahumada, 4th Marquis of the Amarillas (1778–1842) was a Spanish military officer and politician. The son of a general, he fought against the French during the French Revolutionary Wars. Dur ...

, who would later become a minister of war, and who would also accuse General Echávarri of not having personally participated.

Aftermath

Iberia in revolt proceeded with the Capture of the Rosily Squadron.

Notes

References

* *

External links

* Commander in the Marins de la Garde Imperiale * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcolea Bridge 1808 Battles of the Peninsular War involving Spain Looting in the Napoleonic Wars Military history of Córdoba, Spain Military history of Andalusia Battles in 1808 1808 in Spain June 1808 Looting in Spain French war crimes in Spain