Battle of Barrosa

Battle of Barrosa
Part of the Peninsular War
Battle of Chiclana, 5 March 1811, Louis-François Lejeune
Date 5 March 1811[1] Location Playa de la Barrosa, Spain 36°22′19″N 6°10′35″W / 36.3719°N 6.1765°W / 36.3719; -6.1765 Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom Spain Portugal	France
Commanders and leaders
Thomas Graham Manuel Lapeña	Claude Victor-Perrin
Strength
12,000[1]	10,000[1]
Casualties and losses
2,800[1] killed or wounded	3,000[1] killed or wounded

Peninsular war: Siege of Cádiz

150km
100miles

Tarifa

7

Bornos

6

Zújar

5

Barrosa

4

Baza

3

Fuengirola

2

Cádiz

1

  

  current battle

The Battle of Barrosa (Chiclana, 5 March 1811, also known as the Battle of Chiclana or Battle of Cerro del Puerco) was part of an unsuccessful manoeuvre by an Anglo-Iberian force to break the French siege of Cádiz during the Peninsular War. During the battle, a single British division defeated two French divisions and captured a regimental eagle.

Cádiz had been invested by the French in early 1810, leaving it accessible from the sea, but in March of the following year a reduction in the besieging army gave its garrison of British and Spanish troops an opportunity to lift the siege. A large Allied strike force was shipped south from Cádiz to Tarifa, and moved to engage the siege lines from the rear. The French, under the command of Marshal Victor, were aware of the Allied movement and redeployed to prepare a trap. Victor placed one division on the road to Cádiz, blocking the Allied line of march, while his two remaining divisions fell on the single Anglo-Portuguese rearguard division under the command of Sir Thomas Graham.

Following a fierce battle on two fronts, the British succeeded in routing the attacking French forces. A lack of support from the larger Spanish contingent prevented an absolute victory, and the French were able to regroup and reoccupy their siege lines. Graham's tactical victory proved to have little strategic effect on the continuing war, to the extent that Victor was able to claim the battle as a French victory since the siege remained in force until finally being lifted on 24 August 1812.