Battle of Valmaseda
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Valmaseda took place on November 5, 1808, during Lieutenant-General Blake
's retreat from superior French armies in Cantabria
. Reinforced by veteran regular infantry from General La Romana's
Division of the North
, Blake suddenly turned on his pursuers to rescue a trapped detachment and defeated a division of General Victor
's army at Valmaseda (Biscay
).
's earlier failure to destroy the Spanish army at the Battle of Pancorbo
, where Blake had shaken off the premature French assault and escaped with his army intact. Further mistakes were made in the French pursuit, namely when Victor carelessly allowed his Army Corps to spread out in its search for an enemy he regarded as beaten.
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.
Blake's Army of Galicia contained five infantry divisions, a vanguard and a reserve. General Figueroa commanded the 1st Division, Gen Martinengo the 2nd Division (5,100), Gen Riquelme the 3rd Division, Gen Carbajal the 4th Division, Gen La Romana the 5th Division (5,300), Gen Mendizabal the Vanguard and Gen Mahy the Reserve. There were 1,000 gunners manning 38 cannon and only 300 cavalry.
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 November 8, a resurgent Victor recaptured Valmaseda, killing and wounding 150 and capturing 600 men from Blake's rearguard.
Upon learning of the battle, Napoleon
, shocked that his Grande Armée should suffer even a minor defeat by "an army of bandits led by monk
s," severely reprimanded Victor for his imprudence. Victor redeemed himself six days later when he finally defeated Blake at the Battle of Espinosa
.
Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Joaquín Blake y Joyes was a Spanish military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Peninsular wars.-Early military career:...
's retreat from superior French armies in Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
. Reinforced by veteran regular infantry from General La Romana's
Pedro Caro y Sureda, 3rd marqués de La Romana
Don Pedro Caro y Sureda, 3rd Marquis of la Romana was a Spanish general of the Peninsular War.-Biography:...
Division of the North
Division of the North
The Division of the North was a 19th century Spanish division.The division was composed of 15,000 men, and commanded by Pedro Caro y Sureda. Spain being an ally of France, the unit spent 1807 and 1808 performing garrison duties in Hamburg under Marshal Bernadotte...
, Blake suddenly turned on his pursuers to rescue a trapped detachment and defeated a division of General Victor
Claude Victor-Perrin, duc de Belluno
Claude Victor-Perrin, First Duc de Belluno was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
's army at Valmaseda (Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
).
Background
The French defeat had its roots in Marshal François LefebvreFrançois Joseph Lefebvre
François Joseph Lefebvre, First Duc de Dantzig was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon....
's earlier failure to destroy the Spanish army at the Battle of Pancorbo
Battle of Pancorbo
The Battle of Pancorbo was one of the opening engagements in Napoleon's invasion of Spain.- Background :On October 31, 1808, Marshal François Lefebvre bloodied the Army of Galicia under Lieutenant General Joaquín Blake but failed to encircle or destroy it, upsetting both the Emperor and the French...
, where Blake had shaken off the premature French assault and escaped with his army intact. Further mistakes were made in the French pursuit, namely when Victor carelessly allowed his Army Corps to spread out in its search for an enemy he regarded as beaten.
Forces
Major-General Eugene-Casimir VillatteEugene-Casimir Villatte
Eugène-Casimir Villatte, Comte d'Oultremont fought in the French army during the Wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to command a division at many of the important battles in the Peninsular War...
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.
Blake's Army of Galicia contained five infantry divisions, a vanguard and a reserve. General Figueroa commanded the 1st Division, Gen Martinengo the 2nd Division (5,100), Gen Riquelme the 3rd Division, Gen Carbajal the 4th Division, Gen La Romana the 5th Division (5,300), Gen Mendizabal the Vanguard and Gen Mahy the Reserve. There were 1,000 gunners manning 38 cannon and only 300 cavalry.
Battle
Victor tried to trap Gen 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 November 5, 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 November 8, a resurgent Victor recaptured Valmaseda, killing and wounding 150 and capturing 600 men from Blake's rearguard.
Upon learning of the battle, Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, shocked that his Grande Armée should suffer even a minor defeat by "an army of bandits led by monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s," severely reprimanded Victor for his imprudence. Victor redeemed himself six days later when he finally defeated Blake at the Battle of Espinosa
Battle of Espinosa
The Battle of Espinosa was a battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought on November 10 and November 11, 1808 at the township of Espinosa de los Monteros in the Cantabrian Mountains...
.