Battle of Alba de Tormes
Encyclopedia
In the Battle of Alba de Tormes, fought on November 26, 1809, a French army commanded by Major General Jean Marchand
routed Lieutenant-General Duke del Parque's retreating Spanish army during the Peninsular War
.
's absence. In October, a Spanish army under Duke Del Parque had inflicted a humiliating defeat on Marchand at the Battle of Tamamés
, 56 km southwest of Salamanca. On November 20, Del Parque occupied the city of Salamanca as part of a grand plan to attack Madrid from the northwest and south. But, the day before, the Spanish army forming the southern pincer had suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Ocaña
. When Del Parque received the news on November 24, he abandoned Salamanca and headed southeast, intending to shelter in the mountains of central Spain.
However, Del Parque carelessly failed to provide a rear guard. Marchand followed rapidly, pouncing on the retreating Spanish at Alba de Tormes, 21 km southeast of Salamanca. The 3,000-man French cavalry vanguard under François Kellermann (the younger)
caught Del Parque's army as it crossed the River Tormes
and routed it. By the time Marchand's infantry came up, the battle was over except for the mopping up.
Del Parque's army consisted of Maj-Gen Martin de la Carrera's Vanguard, Maj-Gen Francisco Xavier Losada's 1st Division, Maj-Gen Conde de Belvedere's 2nd Division and Maj-Gen the Prince of Anglona's Cavalry Division. Altogether there were about 21,300 infantry, 1,500 cavalry and 18 artillery pieces.
The Duke of Wellington
wrote in disgust, "I declare that if they had preserved their two armies, or even one of them, the cause was safe. But no! Nothing will answer excepting to fight great battles in plains, in which their defeat is as certain as the commencement of the battle."
The twin defeats of Ocaña and Alba de Tormes were followed in late 1809 and early 1810 by a series of sieges as the cities of Girona
, Astorga, Lleida
and Ciudad Rodrigo
fell into the hands of the French armies.
Jean Gabriel Marchand
Jean Gabriel Marchand, 1st Count Marchand went from being an attorney to a company commander in the army of the First French Republic in 1791. He fought almost exclusively in Italy throughout the French Revolutionary Wars and served on the staffs of a number of generals...
routed Lieutenant-General Duke del Parque's retreating Spanish army during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
.
Strategic situation
Marchand assumed command of the VI Corps in Marshal Michel NeyMichel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
's absence. In October, a Spanish army under Duke Del Parque had inflicted a humiliating defeat on Marchand at the Battle of Tamamés
Battle of Tamamés
The Battle of Tamames was a sharp reversal suffered by part of Marshal Michel Ney's French army under Major-General Jean Marchand in the Peninsular War. The French, advancing out of Salamanca, were met and defeated in battle by a Spanish army on October 18, 1809.-Course of battle:The Spanish drew...
, 56 km southwest of Salamanca. On November 20, Del Parque occupied the city of Salamanca as part of a grand plan to attack Madrid from the northwest and south. But, the day before, the Spanish army forming the southern pincer had suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Ocaña
Battle of Ocana
The Battle of Ocana or Battle of Ocaña was fought on 19 November 1809 between French forces under Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult and King Joseph Bonaparte and the Spanish army under Juan Carlos de Aréizaga, which suffered its greatest single defeat in the Peninsular War...
. When Del Parque received the news on November 24, he abandoned Salamanca and headed southeast, intending to shelter in the mountains of central Spain.
Battle
François Étienne de Kellermann
Francois Étienne de Kellermann, 2nd Duc de Valmy was a French cavalry general noted for his daring and skillful exploits during the Napoleonic Wars...
caught Del Parque's army as it crossed the River Tormes
River Tormes
The Tormes is a Spanish river, that starts in the Prado Tormejón, the Mountain range of Gredos, Navarredonda de Gredos, province of Ávila. It crosses the provinces of Avila and Salamanca, ending at the Duero river, the municipal term of Villarino of Airs , at the zone denominated locally as...
and routed it. By the time Marchand's infantry came up, the battle was over except for the mopping up.
Forces
Marchand's reinforced VI Corps included his own 1st Division (3 battalions each of 6th Light, 39th, 69th and 76th Line), Maj-Gen Maurice Mathieu's 2nd Division (3 bns. each of 25th Light, 27th and 59th Line, and 1 bn. 50th Line), Brig-Gen Jean Lorcet's corps cavalry brigade (3rd Hussars, 15th Chasseurs) and Maj-Gen Kellermann's dragoon division (3rd, 10th, 15th and 25th Dragoons). There were about 10,000 infantry, 3,000 cavalry and 30 cannon.Del Parque's army consisted of Maj-Gen Martin de la Carrera's Vanguard, Maj-Gen Francisco Xavier Losada's 1st Division, Maj-Gen Conde de Belvedere's 2nd Division and Maj-Gen the Prince of Anglona's Cavalry Division. Altogether there were about 21,300 infantry, 1,500 cavalry and 18 artillery pieces.
Consequences
The Spanish lost 2,000 killed or wounded and 1,000 captured, plus 9 cannon and most of their baggage train. The French suffered between 300 and 600 killed or wounded in the action.The Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
wrote in disgust, "I declare that if they had preserved their two armies, or even one of them, the cause was safe. But no! Nothing will answer excepting to fight great battles in plains, in which their defeat is as certain as the commencement of the battle."
The twin defeats of Ocaña and Alba de Tormes were followed in late 1809 and early 1810 by a series of sieges as the cities of Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
, Astorga, Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
and Ciudad Rodrigo
Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1810)
In the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, the French Marshal Michel Ney took the fortified city from Field Marshal Don Andrés Perez de Herrasti on 9 July 1810 after a siege that began on 26 April...
fell into the hands of the French armies.