Battle of Somosierra
1808 Battle of the Peninsular War in Spain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Battle of Somosierra took place on 30 November 1808, during the Peninsular War, when a combined Franco-Spanish-Polish force under the direct command of Napoleon Bonaparte forced a passage through a Spanish Division stationed at the Sierra de Guadarrama, which shielded Madrid from direct French attack. At the Somosierra mountain pass, 60 miles (97 km) north of Madrid, a heavily outnumbered Spanish detachment of regulars, volunteers and artillery under Benito de San Juan aimed to block Napoleon's advance on the Spanish capital. Napoleon overwhelmed the Spanish positions in a combined arms attack, sending the Polish Chevau-légers of the Imperial Guard at the Spanish guns while French infantry advanced up the slopes. The victory removed the last obstacle barring the road to Madrid, which fell several days later.[2]
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2023) |
Battle of Somosierra | |||||||
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Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
La bataille de Somo-Sierra, 1810, Baron Lejeune | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
France Spain Duchy of Warsaw | Spain | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Napoleon I Jan Leon Kozietulski | Benito de San Juan | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
8,000[1] | 12,000[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
300[1] | 2,200[1] |