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Battle of Cogorderos

The Battle of Cogorderos took place at Cogorderos, in the Province of León, Castile-León, on 23 June 1811, between a French force under Brigadier General Jean-André Valletaux and a Spanish force commanded by General Francisco Taboada y Gil during the Peninsular War.[3] After seven hours of battle, the French were defeated and retreated to León. Despite the victory, Taboada, threatened by the bulk of General Jean Pierre François Bonet's army, retired to Astorga.[3] However, Bonet and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières decided against sending more troops to Extremadura, which favored the advance of Wellington in the south.[3]

Battle of Cogorderos
Part of the Peninsular War
Date23 June 1811
Location
Near Benavides, Spain
42°32′N 5°56′W / 42.533°N 5.933°W / 42.533; -5.933
Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
First French Empire French Empire Spain
Commanders and leaders
 Francisco Taboada
Strength
3,000[1] 6,000–7,300[1]
Casualties and losses
500 killed, wounded or captured[1]
Hundreds of prisoners[1][2]		 17 killed
83 wounded[1]
Peninsular War
Castile 1811–13
Map
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200km
125miles
20
Battle of Tordesillas (1812) at Tordesillas, from 25 to 29 October 1812
19
Battle of Venta del Pozo at Villodrigo, on 23 October 1812
Burgos
18
Siege of Burgos at Burgos, from 19 September to 21 October 1812
17
Battle of Majadahonda at Majadahonda, on 11 August 1812
16
Battle of García Hernández at Garcihernández, on 23 July 1812
Salamanca
15
Battle of Salamanca at Salamanca, on 22 July 1812
14
Siege of Astorga (1812) at Astorga, from 29 June to 19 August 1812
13
Battle of Maguilla at Maguilla, on 11 June 1812
12
Battle of Almaraz at Almaraz, from 18 to 19 May 1812
11
Battle of Villagarcia at Villagarcia, on 11 April 1812
Ciudad Rodrigo
10
Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812) at Ciudad Rodrigo, from 7 to 20 January 1812
9
Battle of Navas de Membrillo at Navas de Membrillo, on 29 December 1811
8
Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos at Arroyo dos Molinos, on 28 October 1811
Cogorderos
7
Arlabán
6
Battle of Arlabán (1811) on 25 May 1811 Battle of Arlabán (1812) on 9 April 1812
5
Battle of Usagre at Usagre, on 25 May 1811
Albuera
4
Battle of Albuera at Albuera, on 16 May 1811
Campo Maior
3
Battle of Campo Maior at Campo Maior, on 25 March 1811
2
Battle of the Gebora at Gebora, on 19 February 1811
Badajoz
1
First siege of Badajoz (1811) from 26 January 1811 to 11 March 1811 Second siege of Badajoz (1811) from 22 April to 12 May 1811 from 19 May to 10 June 1811 Siege of Badajoz (1812) from 16 March to 6 April 1812
  current battle

Background

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Brig-General Jean-André Valletaux

In June 1811, the French occupied the Páramo Leonés. In response, Spanish troops under the command of Field Marshal José María Santocildes launched a strong attack against the French garrison at León, and forced the French to evacuate the city. The garrison commander of León, Brigadier General Jean-Baptiste Jeanin, destroyed several sections of the wall of the city, and on 19 June, retreated to Benavente. On 22 June, Santocildes and his forces entered in León, after 14 months of French occupation; the imminent arrival of French reinforcements, however, forced them to withdraw a short time later.[3]

Meanwhile, General Jean Pierre François Bonet moved from Asturias to León, concentrating his troops on the right bank of the river Órbigo. On the morning of 23 June, Brigadier General Jean-André Valletaux with 5,000 men, relieved the French garrison in the town of Benavides. At heavy cost to themselves, the French forced the Spanish to retreat, who withdrew having suffered few casualties. The French general then decided to attack General Francisco Taboada y Gil's troops, located in the small town of Cogorderos.[3]

Battle

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Despite having little knowledge of Taboada's troops, and possessing a smaller force than his opponent, Valletaux went on the attack. The Spanish fought tenaciously for more than four hours, until Brigadier General Federico Castañón arrived with three battalions of the Oviedo Regiment, commanded by Colonel Pedro Méndez de Vigo. In concert with Taboada's cavalry, the newcomers attacked the French flank and turned the tide of the battle. The Spanish launched three charges, inflicting heavy losses on the French, and after seven hours of battle, the French finally retreated, leaving behind a large amount of weapons and equipment, and several hundred of prisoners, including 11 officers. Valletaux himself was killed in the fighting,[4] dying in the first Spanish charge. The Spanish captured three regimental eagles, and hunted down many of the French soldiers as they withdrew.[3] Total French casualties amounted to 500 dead or wounded, while the Spanish lost 17 dead and 83 wounded.[1]

Aftermath

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Field Marshal José María Santocildes

Despite the victory, Taboada, threatened by the bulk of the army of General Jean Pierre François Bonet, retired to Astorga. However, Bonet and Marshal Bessières suspended sending more troops to Extremadura, which favored Wellington's advance in the south. In July, the French army at León was reinforced with several thousand men under General Jean-Marie Dorsenne, who replaced Bessières.[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Maldonado 1833, pp. 107–108.
  2. ^ López 1994, pp. 20–22.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g León? 1811, pp. 81–144.
  4. ^ Oman, Charles (1911). A History of the Peninsular War, Vol. IV, p. 467. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 23 April 2023.

References

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  • Maldonado, José Muñoz (1833). Historia política y militar de la guerra de la independencia de España contra Napoleón Bonaparte desde 1808 á 1814 (in Spanish). Vol. III.
  • López, J. Priego (1994). La Guerra de la Independencia (in Spanish). Vol. VI. Madrid: SHM.
  • León? (1811). Operaciones en el Reino de León (in Spanish).

Further reading

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  • Esdaile, Charles J. (2003). The Peninsular War. Palgrave MacMillan. ISBN 9781403962317. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  • Esdaile, Charles J. (1988). The Spanish Army in the Peninsular War. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-2538-9.
  • Gates, David (1986). The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81083-2.
  • Sarramon, Jean (1965). Operaciones en el Reino de León (mayo a septiembre de 1811); Revista de Historia Militar (in Spanish). Vol. 19. Madrid: SHM.
  • Toreno, José María Queipo de Llano (1838). Historia del levantamiento, Guerra y Revolución de España (in Spanish). Vol. II. Madrid: SHM.
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