Battle of Corunna

The Battle of Corunna (or A Coruña, La Corunna, La Coruña or La Corogne), in Spain known as Battle of Elviña, took place on 16 January 1809, when a French corps under Marshal of the EmpireJean de Dieu Soult attacked a British army under Lieutenant-GeneralSir John Moore. The battle took place during the Peninsular War, which was part of the wider Napoleonic Wars.

Doggedly pursued by the French under Soult, the British retreated across northern Spain while their rearguard fought off repeated French attacks. Both armies suffered from the harsh winter conditions. Much of the British army, excluding the elite Light Brigade under Robert Craufurd, suffered from a loss of order and discipline during the retreat. When the British eventually reached the port of Corunna on the northern coast of Galicia, a few days ahead of the French, they found their transport ships had not arrived. The fleet arrived after a couple of days and the British were embarking when the French forces attacked.

Soult had fewer infantry, but superior cavalry and artillery; however, the local rough terrain was unfavorable for cavalry. The British had larger quantities of ammunition for muskets, as a result of which their fire would be much better sustained than that of the enemy. They also held an imposing defensive position based on the mountainous terrain that Iberia is rich in; this position was mostly hidden from Soult's view, thence he could only guess at the enemy's numbers. In the resulting back-and-forth action, the British held off the French until nightfall, when both armies disengaged. British forces resumed their embarkation overnight; the last transports left in the morning under French cannon fire. The port cities of Corunna and Ferrol, as well as northern Spain, were captured by the French. During the battle, Sir John Moore, the British commander, was mortally wounded, dying after learning that his men had successfully withstood the French attacks. Before being wounded, he managed to give important orders in time for strengthening the defensive line around the village of Elviña. General Sir John Hope soon took over command from the wounded Moore and brought the battle to an end.