Battle of Albuera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Albuera |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
 Marshal Beresford disarming a Polish lancer at the Battle of Albuera, by Thomas Sutherland |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 24,260 | 35,284 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 5,935–7,900 killed, wounded or captured | 5,916–7,000 killed or wounded 1,000 captured |
||||||
The Battle of Albuera happened on May 16, 1811. It was a major fight during the Peninsular War. This war was part of the bigger Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The battle took place near the small Spanish village of Albuera. This village is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Badajoz, a fortress town in Spain.
The battle involved soldiers from the British, Spanish, and Portuguese armies. They fought against parts of the French Army of the South. Both sides suffered many losses. The French army eventually pulled back on May 18. The Allied army was too tired to chase them.
Even though the French failed to relieve Badajoz, the battle did not change the war's overall outcome much. Just a month later, the Allies had to stop their siege of Badajoz. This happened because more French armies arrived.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
.jpg)
In late 1810, the French Army of Portugal was stuck in Portugal. They were facing Wellington's Allied forces. Wellington's troops were safe behind strong defenses called the Lines of Torres Vedras.
Emperor Napoleon ordered Marshal Soult to help. Soult was the commander of the French Army of the South. He led an expedition from southern Spain into Extremadura . His goal was to make the Allied forces leave their defenses.
However, Napoleon's information was old. Soult's help came too late. The French army in Portugal was already retreating because they were starving and weak. Soult did manage to capture the important fortress of Badajoz from the Spanish. But he had to go back to southern Spain after another French general was defeated.
Soult left a strong group of soldiers in Badajoz. In April, Wellington heard that the French had fully left Portugal. He sent a strong British and Portuguese force to take Badajoz back. This force was led by Sir William Beresford. The Allies pushed most of the French out of the area. Then, they started to surround Badajoz.
Armies Gather for Battle
.jpg)
Marshal Soult quickly gathered a new army. He combined his forces with the French troops who were retreating from Beresford. He then marched to help the soldiers stuck in Badajoz. Soult also heard that a Spanish army was coming. This army was led by General Joaquín Blake.
Soult planned to attack Beresford's side and get between the two Allied armies. But Soult's information was wrong again. He didn't know that the Spanish army had already joined Beresford's forces. So, Soult's 24,000 troops were about to face a combined Allied army of 35,000 soldiers.
Beresford learned about Soult's advance on May 12. He realized he wouldn't have time to finish taking Badajoz. So, he ordered his siege guns and supplies to be moved away. On May 13, Allied cavalry met the French. They pulled back as ordered, telling Beresford where Soult was.
On May 14, Beresford met with the Spanish generals Blake and Castaños. They decided that their larger army should fight Soult. They agreed to gather their forces at Albuera. Wellington had chosen this spot as the best place to stop any French attempt to help Badajoz.
By May 15, it was clear Soult was heading straight for Albuera. Beresford moved his troops to defend the village. The Allied army set up their positions. The Spanish divisions under Blake arrived around midnight on May 15-16, just in time for the battle.
Soult still thought Blake's army was days away. He decided to attack the Allies' southern side. He hoped to split Beresford's army and defeat them piece by piece.
The Battle Begins
Beresford placed his troops on the hidden sides of hills. This meant Soult couldn't see the Allied army. Soult still didn't know that Blake's Spanish soldiers had arrived. So, on the morning of May 16, Soult started his plan to attack the Allied right side.
First, Soult sent a fake attack towards Albuera village. French infantry and cavalry crossed a bridge towards the village. A Portuguese gun battery was there to stop them. This made the Allied commanders send more troops to defend the village. This was exactly what Soult wanted.
French Surprise Attack
While the Allies were getting ready for a front attack, Soult launched his real plan. Two French divisions, hidden by olive trees, swung around to the left. The Allies only knew they were there when four French cavalry regiments suddenly appeared. They scattered the Spanish cavalry on the right side of Beresford's lines.
Beresford quickly rode forward to see what was happening. When the French troops from the fake attack started moving towards the main French force, Soult's true plan became clear. He was trying to go around the Allied right side.
Beresford immediately gave new orders. He told Blake to move some of his troops to face the French coming from the south. Allied cavalry was sent to help the Spanish cavalry. Another British division was sent to support Blake.
But Blake didn't follow Beresford's orders right away. He still thought the main French attack would come from the front. Beresford had to ride south to find Blake. By then, four Spanish battalions had moved to form a new line facing south. Other Spanish troops also came to help. But these soldiers didn't arrive in time for the first French attack. The four Spanish battalions had to face two entire French divisions by themselves.
Spanish Soldiers Hold the Line
While Beresford was moving his army, the French made a big move. Two brigades of French dragoons joined the main French cavalry on the left. Another French infantry division became the reserve. Soult had gathered almost all his infantry and cavalry to attack Blake's right side.
The two French divisions advanced against the Spanish position. French skirmishers (lightly armed soldiers) fought the Spanish line. They slowly pushed the Spanish back. But the Spanish soldiers held their ground. They exchanged fire with the French. They even pushed back the first French attack.
Even though they fought hard, the Spanish soldiers were slowly forced back. But they held on long enough for more Spanish troops to arrive. A British division also came to support them. The British soldiers opened fire, making the French turn to fight them.
A Brigade is Overrun
The fighting between the British and French was very intense. Both sides struggled. The French started to break, but their officers forced them to stay. The British tried to charge with bayonets, but it didn't work.
Then, a sudden hail and rain storm hit the battlefield. This made both sides' muskets useless. Hidden by the bad weather, French cavalry charged the British soldiers. The Polish Lancers and French Hussars almost completely destroyed three British regiments. Only one regiment, the 31st Regiment of Foot, managed to form squares for defense. The cavalry then attacked a British artillery battery and captured its guns.
The lancers rode past the 31st's square. They even scattered Beresford and his officers. Then, they attacked the back of the Spanish line. But the Spanish soldiers stood firm. They kept firing at the French infantry. When the rain cleared, the Allied cavalry saw the damage. They sent their own dragoons to push back the Polish lancers. The British 29th Regiment of Foot also fired at the scattered lancers. This fire accidentally hit some of the Spanish soldiers, but the Spanish still held their ground. Their bravery likely saved the Allied army.
Fierce Fighting Continues
The fighting on the Allied right side stopped for a moment. Both sides tried to regroup. The French division had suffered many losses. The British actions, even though they ended badly, had caused many French casualties. The French brought up a new division to take its place. This new division became very crowded with soldiers from the first division. This made them lose their order. But it also gave the Allies time to fix their lines.
The battle then started again, even more fiercely. A British brigade faced the main French attack. This brigade, even with the survivors of the earlier attack, had only 1,900 men. They faced a much larger French force. The British soldiers suffered huge losses. Their commander, Brigadier Hoghton, was killed.
The French were supported by artillery. They brought their cannons very close to the British line. This allowed them to fire grapeshot and canister shot, which caused terrible damage. One British officer, Colonel William Inglis, was wounded but refused to leave. He kept shouting "Die hard 57th, die hard!" His regiment, the 57th Foot, earned their nickname "The Die-Hards" from this battle.
Under this heavy attack, the British brigade lost two-thirds of its soldiers. But the French were also in bad shape. British gunfire had caused many losses. The French tried to spread out their troops to fire more, but the intense British fire stopped them. The 57th Regiment was especially brave, holding their ground without moving.
French Retreat
_map.jpg)
Even though the French attacks were being held, the battle was still not decided. Soult had more troops and cavalry he hadn't used. But he saw a fresh British division ready to fight. This seemed to make Soult decide not to use his cavalry. He later said he had just learned that Blake had joined Beresford. This meant he faced a much larger Allied force than he expected. Soult, who had tried to outsmart the Allies, now became defensive.
On the Allied side, Beresford was also hesitant. He tried to bring up more Spanish troops, but they wouldn't move close enough to the French. He also called for a Portuguese division, but they were far away. With his right side under heavy pressure, Beresford finally ordered his German troops to move south. But the French took Albuera village before the Spanish could arrive, opening another side of the Allied army to attack.
At this important moment, a British general named Cole made a key move. He had been waiting, but decided to advance against the French left side. He was worried about moving his soldiers in the open against French cavalry. But an officer convinced him to attack. Cole began to move his division into a long line. He put some troops in columns on the sides to protect against cavalry. The Allied cavalry and artillery supported them. This large force of 5,000 soldiers advanced towards the French.
When Soult saw Cole's division coming, he knew he had to stop them. He sent four regiments of dragoons to charge the Portuguese part of Cole's line. He expected them to destroy it, just like they had done earlier. But the Portuguese soldiers stood firm. They drove away the cavalry without even forming squares. The dragoons did not attack Cole's division again. The Allied line kept marching forward.
The British Fusilier brigade and Portuguese soldiers soon met a large French brigade. The French outnumbered them two to one. But the French were in columns, so they couldn't fire as many muskets as the Allies. After about 20-30 minutes of fierce fighting, the French finally broke and ran. The Fusiliers had lost more than half their men, mostly to artillery fire. The French brigade also suffered many losses.
Meanwhile, another British brigade charged the French. The French soldiers fled. The Allied troops chased them. Soult brought up his last reserve troops to cover the retreat. These soldiers and the cavalry made sure there was little more fighting. After some delay, Beresford pushed the French back further. But Soult had gathered his artillery, so Beresford did not attack more.
Finally, the German troops returned to Albuera and drove out the remaining French. After six or seven hours of very hard fighting, the battle ended.
What Happened After
On the morning of May 17, both armies lined up again. Beresford was ready to retreat if Soult attacked. Soult held his ground all day. He used this time to arrange for his wounded soldiers to be taken away. Beresford didn't realize that Soult was unlikely to fight again. Beresford had more fresh troops ready. Soult, on the other hand, had only a few units ready to fight. News that Wellington was bringing more divisions made Soult decide to retreat. It also convinced Beresford not to attack Soult's stronger artillery and cavalry.
Soult marched away before dawn on May 18. He left hundreds of wounded soldiers for the Allies to care for. Beresford, even with more soldiers and a day's rest, could not chase him. So many soldiers were hurt that two days later, British wounded were still waiting to be picked up from the field. The chapel in Albuera was full of wounded Frenchmen. Dead soldiers were still scattered across the ground. For the number of soldiers involved, the Battle of Albuera was one of the bloodiest of the entire Peninsular War.
Both sides suffered terrible losses. The Allies lost 5,916 soldiers: 4,159 British, 389 Portuguese, and 1,368 Spanish. French losses were between 5,935 and 7,900.
Wellington was not happy with Beresford's report about the battle. He told an officer to "Write me down a victory." The report was changed. But Wellington privately said that another battle like this would destroy his army. Soult also claimed victory because the Allies had more losses. He praised the Allied soldiers, saying, "There is no beating these troops, in spite of their generals. I always thought they were bad soldiers, now I am sure of it. I had turned their right, pierced their centre and everywhere victory was mine—but they did not know how to run!" The British Parliament also thanked the Spanish troops for their bravery.
What the Battle Meant
Even though Soult failed to end the siege of Badajoz, his campaign did stop it for a while. On May 12, Beresford learned Soult was coming. He ordered the siege to be stopped. By May 13, the siege equipment and supplies were moved away or burned. The French commander in Badajoz used this chance to come out and destroy the Allied trenches.
On May 18, Beresford sent some troops back to Badajoz. They pretended to continue the siege the next day. But Soult knew Beresford couldn't really hurt Badajoz anymore. Wellington's main army joined Beresford's forces in June 1811. But time was running out. The French Army of Portugal had joined Soult's army. Wellington had to pull his 44,000 men back across the border. On June 20, the combined French force, with over 60,000 soldiers, ended the siege of Badajoz.
The Battle of Albuera did not change the overall war much. But it did show that British and Spanish soldiers could fight well together. However, relations between Britain and Spain became difficult after the battle. Wellington blamed Blake for many of the losses. And a report read in Spain suggested that the British had only a small role in the battle, even though they had many more losses.
Remembering the Battle
The name "Albuhera" is a special honor for some British army regiments. These regiments are the successors to the ones that fought bravely in the battle. For example, the 57th Regiment earned the nickname "The Die-Hards" from Colonel Inglis's cry during the battle: "Die Hard, 57th, Die Hard!"
May 16 is known as 'Middlesex Day' in England. This is to remember the actions of the 57th, the West Middlesex Regiment, at Albuera.
There is also a tradition called "The Silent Toast" on May 16. This tradition is carried on by the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. It remembers the soldiers who died in the Battle of Albuera in 1811.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla de La Albuera (1811) para niños
