Battle of Pombal

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Battle of Pombal
Part of the Peninsular War
Date 11 March 1811 Location Pombal, Portugal 39°55′N 8°37′W / 39.917°N 8.617°W / 39.917; -8.617 Result Withdrawal of French forces
Belligerents
French Empire	United Kingdom  Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Michel Ney	Viscount Wellington Luís do Rego
Strength
9,340	16,000
Casualties and losses
63	37[1]

Peninsular war

200km
125miles

V

e

d

r

a

s

T

o

r

r

e

s

Fuentes de Oñoro

8

Sabugal

7

6

Lisbon

5

Bussaco

4

Almeida

3

Ciudad Rodrigo

2

Astorga

1

  

Third French invasion:

1

Siege of Astorga March April 1810

2

Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo April 1810

3

Siege of Almeida July 1810
3.1 Blockade of Almeida April 1811

4

Battle of Bussaco September 1810

5

Torres Vedras protects Lisbon

6

Battle of Redinha March 1811

7

Battle of Sabugal April 1811

8

Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro May 1811

The Battle of Pombal (March 11, 1811) was a sharp but ultimately indecisive skirmish fought at the eponymous town during Marshal Masséna's retreat from the Lines of Torres Vedras, the first in a series of lauded rearguard actions fought by Michel Ney. The French were pursued by Wellington and his British-Portuguese army but the Allied advance was energetically contested by Ney's efforts, preventing Wellington from crushing Masséna's army when it was critically vulnerable.

At Pombal, Ney turned part of his rearguard to face the larger Anglo-Portuguese forces and checked their advance, before withdrawing to rejoin the main body of Masséna's army.