Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
All About Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) was a battle during the Peninsular War
A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Arm�e du Midi (Army of the South) at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.
From October 1810 Marshal Mass�na's Army of Portugal had been tied down in an increasingly hopeless stand-off against Wellington's Allied forces, safely entrenched in and behind the Lines of Torres Vedras
Acting on Napoleon's orders, in early 1811 Marshal Soult led a French expedition from Andalusia into Extremadura in a bid to draw Allied forces away from the Lines and ease Mass�na's plight
Napoleon's information was outdated and Soult's intervention came too late; starving and understrength, Mass�na's army was already withdrawing to Spain
Soult was able to capture the strategically important fortress at Badajoz on the border between Spain and Portugal from the Spanish, but was forced to return to Andalusia following Marshal Victor's defeat in March at the Battle of Barrosa
However, Soult left Badajoz strongly garrisoned
In April, following news of Mass�na's complete withdrawal from Portugal, Wellington sent a powerful Anglo-Portuguese corps commanded by Sir William Beresford to retake the border town
The Allies drove most of the French from the surrounding area and began the Siege of Badajoz
Soult rapidly gathered a new army from the French forces in Andalusia and, joining with the troops retreating before Beresford, he marched to relieve the siege
With intelligence of another approaching force�a Spanish army under General Joaqu�n Blake�he planned to turn Beresford's flank and interpose his army between the two
However, Soult was again acting on outdated information; unknown to the Marshal, the Spaniards had already linked up with the Anglo-Portuguese corps, and his 24,000 troops now faced a combined Allied army 35,000 strong.
The opposing armies met at the village of Albuera
Both sides suffered heavily in the ensuing struggle and the French eventually withdrew on 18 May
Beresford's army was too battered and exhausted to pursue, but was able to resume the investment of Badajoz
Despite Soult's failure to relieve the town, the battle had little strategic effect on the on-going war
Just one month later, in June 1811, the Allies were forced to abandon their siege by the approach of the reconstituted French Armies of Portugal and Andalusia.