Battle of Somosierra

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Battle of Somosierra
Part of the Peninsular War
La bataille de Somo-Sierra, 1810, Baron Lejeune
Date 30 November 1808 Location Somosierra Pass, Community of Madrid, Spain 41°09′N 3°35′W / 41.150°N 3.583°W / 41.150; -3.583 Result Franco-Polish victory[1]
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]

Peninsular war: Napoleon's invasion

200km
125miles

Corunna

14

13

12

11

10

9

Zaragoza

8

7

Somosierra

6

Tudela

5

4

3

Roses

2

Zornoza

1

  

  current battle

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]