The Battle of Cabezón was an engagement early in 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 ...

on 12 June 1808 between a small Spanish militia force, based in Valladolid, and a detachment of Marshal Bessières' French

Army Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

under General Lasalle.

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

At Cabezon, a village surrounded by vineyards, near the

Pisuerga The Pisuerga is a river in northern Spain, the Duero's second largest tributary. It rises in the Cantabrian Mountains in the province of Palencia, autonomous region of Castile and León. Its traditional source is called Fuente Cobre, but it has ...

, Lasalle had scouted the Spanish position. He ordered General Sabatier to attack them, while Merle cut them off from retreating to

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...

. They stood the enemy's fire about 30 minutes, then began to flee, leaving behind a 1000 dead and 4000 muskets. Cuesta, with the remains of his army, retired to

Leon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...

Aftermath

The guerilla war proceeded till the end of the Peninsular war. The Spanish conventional warfare started with the

Battles of El Bruch The two Battles of the Bruch ''(Spanish: Batallas del Bruch; Catalan: Batalles del Bruc)'' were engagements fought successively between French columns commanded by Brigadier General François de Schwarz and General of Division Joseph Chabran, ...

Notes

References

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External links