Battle of Bornos (1812) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Bornos (1812)
Part of Peninsular War
Santo Domingo Church in Bornos
Date 31 May 1812 Location Bornos, Spain 36°49′N 5°44′W / 36.817°N 5.733°W / 36.817; -5.733 Result French victory
Belligerents
French Empire	Kingdom of Spain
Commanders and leaders
Nicolas Conroux	Francisco Ballesteros
Strength
4,500	8,500
Casualties and losses
500	1,500 600 captured 4 guns captured 2 colours captured

The Battle of Bornos happened on May 31, 1812, in Bornos, Spain. It was a fight during the Peninsular War, which was part of the bigger Napoleonic Wars. In this battle, Spanish soldiers led by Francisco Ballesteros surprised a French army division. The French, led by Nicolas François Conroux, were outnumbered but fought back hard. They managed to push the Spanish away and won the battle. The Spanish army lost many more soldiers than the French. Bornos is a town about 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Jerez de la Frontera.

The Battle of Bornos (1812)

In March 1812, a French general named Nicolas François Conroux was in charge of the town of Bornos. He had about 5,445 soldiers with him, divided into eight groups called battalions, plus some artillery (cannons).

In early May, the Spanish general Francisco Ballesteros left Gibraltar. He marched his troops towards Bornos. On May 31, the Spanish soldiers attacked the town. They used a thick fog to surprise the French. At first, the Spanish gained an advantage.

However, General Conroux quickly gathered his troops. He started to launch several counterattacks. The French soldiers included groups like the 9th Light and 96th Line Infantry Regiments. They also had cavalry (soldiers on horseback) from the 5th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment.

Eventually, Conroux and his French forces defeated Ballesteros's Spanish army. The French captured 600 Spanish soldiers. They also took four cannons and two flags from the Spanish. Historians say the French lost about 500 soldiers. The Spanish, however, lost around 1,500 soldiers in total.

Earlier Battle of Bornos (1811)

Before this battle, another Battle of Bornos took place on November 5, 1811. In that fight, three groups of French soldiers tried to trap a Spanish force. This Spanish force was also led by General Ballesteros.

The French plan did not work. Instead, the Spanish general attacked one of the French groups that was chasing him. He caused about 100 casualties (soldiers killed or wounded). Also, an entire Spanish battalion that was fighting for the French side decided to switch to the Spanish side. Even with this, some historians still called this earlier event a French victory.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Bornos (1812) para niños