Battle of Alba de Tormes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Alba de Tormes
Part of Peninsular War
Date 28 November 1809 Location Alba de Tormes, Spain 40°50′N 5°30′W / 40.833°N 5.500°W / 40.833; -5.500 Result French victory
Belligerents
French Empire	Kingdom of Spain
Commanders and leaders
François Kellermann	Duke del Parque
Strength
12,000	18,000
Casualties and losses
600	4,000

The Battle of Alba de Tormes happened on November 28, 1809. It was a fight between the French army and the Spanish army near Alba de Tormes, Spain. This town is about 21 kilometers (13 miles) southeast of Salamanca.

The French army was led by General François Étienne de Kellermann. The Spanish army was commanded by Diego de Cañas y Portocarrero, Duke del Parque. The battle was part of the Peninsular War, which was itself a part of the bigger Napoleonic Wars.

The Spanish army was trying to cross the Tormes River. General Kellermann saw this and decided to attack right away. He didn't wait for his own foot soldiers to arrive. Instead, he led his French cavalry in a series of charges. These attacks quickly defeated the Spanish soldiers who were on the same side of the river.

The Spanish army suffered heavy losses. They had to escape into the mountains for the winter. This battle was a clear victory for the French.

Why did the Battle of Alba de Tormes happen?

In the fall of 1809, the Spanish government, called the Supreme Central and Governing Junta of the Kingdom, wanted to attack Madrid. They planned to send two armies to do this.

One of these armies was the Army of the Left, led by Duke del Parque. This army had some success against the French. But then, the Spanish general learned that the other Spanish army had been badly beaten at the Battle of Ocaña.

So, Duke del Parque decided to retreat quickly to the south. At the same time, the French general Marchand got more soldiers, including a group of dragoon cavalry led by Kellermann.

Kellermann took command and chased after the Spanish army. He caught up with them at Alba de Tormes.

What happened before the battle?

The Peninsular War had been going on for some time. By the summer of 1809, many Spanish people were unhappy with how the government was handling the war.

The government decided to plan a big attack to try and win back Madrid. Even though the British general Wellington didn't want to send his soldiers, the Spanish went ahead with their plan.

Duke del Parque gathered about 30,000 soldiers near Ciudad Rodrigo. Another Spanish general, Juan Carlos de Aréizaga, put together over 50,000 soldiers south of Madrid.

In October 1809, Duke del Parque's army moved from Ciudad Rodrigo. The French general Jean Gabriel Marchand was in charge of the French forces in the area. He thought the Spanish were not very good fighters.

Jean Gabriel Marchand was defeated at Tamames.

Marchand attacked the Spanish at Tamames, about 56 kilometers (35 miles) southwest of Salamanca. In the Battle of Tamames on October 18, 1809, the French lost badly. They had 1,400 soldiers killed or wounded. The Spanish only lost 700.

After this victory, Duke del Parque's army grew to 30,000 soldiers. They marched into Salamanca on October 25. Marchand had to retreat north.

General Kellermann then arrived with more French soldiers, including 3,000 cavalry. He took command of the French forces. Kellermann marched back towards Salamanca, and Duke del Parque retreated again.

Meanwhile, Spanish fighters called guerrillas became very active. Kellermann left some French soldiers in Salamanca and went to deal with the guerrillas.

On November 19, the Spanish army under Aréizaga was crushed at the Battle of Ocaña. When Duke del Parque heard this bad news, he knew his army was in danger. He quickly turned south, hoping to hide in the mountains.

Kellermann started chasing Duke del Parque's army on November 26. For two days, the French couldn't catch them. But on the afternoon of November 28, the French cavalry found the Spanish army camped at Alba de Tormes.

The Battle of Alba de Tormes

François de Kellermann led the French cavalry.

Duke del Parque thought he was safe from Kellermann. He made a mistake by letting his army camp in a bad spot, with parts of it on both sides of the Tormes River. His cavalry guards were too close to the camp and didn't give enough warning.

When Kellermann's light cavalry arrived, he decided to attack right away. He was worried that if he waited for his foot soldiers, the Spanish would set up strong defenses. This meant that the French cavalry would attack a much larger Spanish force of cavalry, infantry (foot soldiers), and artillery (cannons) all by themselves.

Kellermann had about 3,000 cavalry and 12 cannons ready to fight. The Spanish had about 18,000 to 21,300 foot soldiers, 1,500 cavalry, and 18 cannons.

Spanish soldiers from the Princesa Line Infantry (left) and Catalonia Light Infantry (right).

Kellermann quickly arranged his cavalry into four lines. The French horsemen charged forward, breaking through the Spanish cavalry. They crashed into the Spanish right and center. About 2,000 Spanish soldiers dropped their weapons and gave up. The rest ran away across the bridge. The French also captured some cannons.

Duke del Parque couldn't bring his other divisions to help because the bridge was full of panicked soldiers. He placed them along the river to protect the retreating soldiers.

Some Spanish soldiers managed to form into defensive squares. Kellermann tried to attack these squares again, but the Spanish held strong. Since his own foot soldiers were still far away, Kellermann kept launching smaller attacks to keep the Spanish stuck in place.

For two and a half hours, the French cavalry kept the Spanish pinned down. Finally, Marchand's infantry and artillery appeared. Knowing his men would be destroyed by a combined attack, the Spanish general ordered a full retreat.

The French cavalry chased them, causing more losses. But most of the Spanish soldiers managed to get away across the bridge as it got dark.

What were the results of the battle?

Duke del Parque ordered his army to retreat under the cover of night. During the retreat, some panicked horsemen caused a stampede. The Spanish divisions that had fought were badly scattered, and many soldiers deserted.

The Spanish lost about 3,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or captured. They also lost nine cannons, five flags, and most of their supplies. The French lost between 300 and 600 soldiers.

Duke del Parque set up his winter camp in the mountains. He had started with 32,000 men at Alba de Tormes. A month later, he could only gather 26,000 soldiers. This means about 3,000 men left the army after the battle.

Things got even worse. The area where the army was camped was desolate. The soldiers were starving and sometimes had to eat acorns. By mid-January, 9,000 soldiers had died or become too sick to fight because of hunger and illness.

The defeats at Ocaña and Alba de Tormes were very bad for the Spanish cause. With their armies weakened, the French could easily invade southern Spain. Wellington, the British general, became worried that the French might even invade Portugal.

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See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Alba de Tormes (1809) para niños