The Battle of Alcolea Bridge was a minor battle that took place on 7 June 1808, during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, at

Alcolea Alcolea is a municipality of Almería province, in Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond ...

, a small village 10 km from Córdoba, the city that would be invaded by French troops later that same afternoon.

Background

The

Dos de Mayo Uprising On the 2 and 3 May 1808 the Dos de Mayo or Second of May Uprising of 1808 took place in Madrid, Spain. It was a rebellion by civilians alongside some military against the occupation of the city by French troops, provoking a heavy-hand repress ...

had put Iberia in revolt against French rule.

Battle

It is significant in that it was the first staged battle against regular Spanish troops that General

Pierre Dupont de l'Étang Pierre-Antoine, comte Dupont de l'Étang (4 July 1765 – 9 March 1840) was a French general of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as a political figure of the Bourbon Restoration. Life Revolutionary Wars Born in Chabanais, C ...

fought in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

after having left

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

on 24 May, heading for Cádiz, with 18,000 troops. Although successive movements of French troops would be harried by Spanish guerrilleros fighting along the way, on both sides of the

Sierra Morena The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It stretches for 450 kilometres from east to west across the south of the Iberian Peninsula, forming the southern border of the ''Meseta Central'' plateau and providi ...

and in the steep gorge ( defile) of

Despeñaperros Despeñaperros (literally, ''

liff where Liff or LIFF may refer to: People with the family name * Biff Liff (1919-2015), Tony Award-winning American Broadway manager and producer. * Vincent Liff (1915-2003), American film director from West Hartford, Connecticut. Other * Liff, Angus, vi ...

dogs plunge'') is a Canyon, gorge or canyon carved out by the Despeñaperros river. It is located in the Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Santa Elena, Jaén, Santa Elena in the northern portion o ...

that separates Castile-La Mancha (including Madrid) and Andalusia, Dupont met with no resistance there. At Alcolea, some 3,000 regular troops, accompanied by some armed civilians, tried, unsuccessfully, to stop the Dupont's vastly superior forces at the bridge over the

Guadalquivir The Guadalquivir (, also , , ) is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is the only major navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable from the Gulf ...

and were forced to retreat to Córdoba. Dupont went on to capture Córdoba that same day, his troops ransacking the city over four days. The seventy troops Dupont had left to protect the bridge were later massacred by guerrillas led by Juan de la Torre, the mayor of the town of

Montoro Montoro is a city and municipality in the Córdoba Province of southern Spain, in the north-central part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. Overview It is located about east-northeast of the capital of the province, Córdoba. In 2008, t ...

. One of the Spanish soldiers who fought at Alcolea was

Pedro Agustín Girón Pedro Agustín Girón y de Las Casas, 1st Duke of Ahumada, 4th Marquess of the Amarillas (1778–1842) was a Spanish military officer and politician. The son of a general, he fought against the French during the French Revolutionary Wars. Dur ...

, who would later become a minister of war, and who would also accuse General Echávarri of not having personally participated.

Aftermath

Iberia in revolt proceeded with the

Capture of the Rosily Squadron The Capture of the Rosily Squadron, also known as the Battle of Poza de Santa Isabel, took place on 14 June 1808, in Cádiz, Spain, during the Dos de Mayo Uprising, uprising against the French invaders. Five French ships of the line and a frig ...

Notes

References

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External links