Battle of Palavea
| Engagement at Palavea | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| France | United Kingdom | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Soult | Moore | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| See the article Battle of Corunna, while taking into account the casualties at Palavea | |||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| approx. 100 dead or wounded[1] | "Considerable" (more than 100 dead or wounded)[2][3] | ||||||||
The engagement at Palavea was fought between the armed forces of the French Empire and the United Kingdom under the lead of Jean-de-Dieu Soult and John Moore, respectively. This battle occurred near the village of Palavea[gl] on 15 January 1809 in the course of the Peninsular War, part of the larger "Great French War". The Palavea encounter was the precursor to the Battle of Corunna. At Palavea, Soult's troops managed to capture and consolidate the high ground, thus creating a foothold for an attack on Pedralonga and Elviña, which occurred the following day during the Battle of Corunna.
Description
Prelude
After his grueling retreat, Moore prepared to head to the ocean, as the fleet had arrived to retrieve him. He had his units stretched as far as the heights of Palavea and Peñasquedo with the intention of securing the embarkation. Soult intended to capture these positions on the 15th. Thus the engagement began.[4]
Battle
By Soult's instructions, Merle and Mermet's infantry, supported by Lorge and La Houssaye's dragoons, moved to attack the British outposts, which were located in the mountain positions of Palavea and Peñasquedo, and drove them out. Three companies of French voltigeurs, thus enforced on the heights and later supported by horse artillery, engaged the British 5th Foot on the spot. In an attempt to seize the French artillery, the 5th was surprised by voltigeurs firing from behind a wall. The engagement cost the regiment its Colonel Mackenzie and forced a British retreat under heavy fire.[2][1][5]
Aftermath
As Moore's forward units were pushed from the high ground, Merle and Mermet's divisions seized the heights of Palavea and Peñasquedo. They were joined the next afternoon by Delaborde's division. 10 heavy French cannons were placed on the Heights of Peñasquedo, ready to bombard Elviña. On the 16th, Soult surveyed the field of the upcoming battle from the Heights of Palavea and Peñasquedo.[2][1][5]
References
- ^ a b c Fortescue 1910, pp. 379–380.
- ^ a b c Gates 2001, p. 112.
- ^ Fortescue (1910:379–380). "The skirmishing had cost each side about one hundred killed and wounded, the loss of the British if anything exceeding that of the French."
- ^ Fortescue 1910, pp. 375–379.
- ^ a b Oman 1902, pp. 584–585.
Sources
- Fortescue, John (1910). A History of the British Army. Vol. VI. 1807–1809. MacMillan and Company. OCLC 312880647.
- Oman, Charles (1902). A History of the Peninsular War: 1807–1809. Vol. 1. Clarendon Press. OCLC 1539767.
- Gates, David (2001) [1986]. The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-7126-9730-6.
External links
- Battle of Corunna, with a mention of battle at Palavea.
- Battle of Corunna (British Battles), with a description of battle at Palavea