British invasions of the River Plate

British invasions of the River Plate
Part of Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808)
William Beresford surrenders to Santiago de Liniers (1806)
Date 1806–1807 Location River Plate, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, Spanish Empire (present-day Argentina and Uruguay) Result Spanish victory[1][2]
Belligerents
Spain	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Rafael de Sobremonte Santiago de Liniers Pascual Ruiz Huidobro Martín de Álzaga Juan Martín de Pueyrredón	Home Riggs Popham William Beresford John Whitelocke Samuel Auchmuty Charles Stirling George Murray
Strength
First invasion: ~2,500 soldiers Second invasion: ~2,000 soldiers in Montevideo ~7,000–8,000 soldiers in Buenos Aires	First invasion: ~1,668 soldiers Second invasion: ~6,000 soldiers in Montevideo ~9,000[1][3]–12,000[4][5] in Buenos Aires
Casualties and losses
First invasion: 205 dead and wounded[6] Second invasion (Montevideo): 1,500 casualties Second invasion (Buenos Aires): 600 killed and wounded[1][7]	First invasion: 157 dead and wounded, 1,300 captured[8] Second invasion (Montevideo): 600 casualties Second invasion (Buenos Aires): 311 killed, 208 missing, 679 wounded, 1,600 captured[1][7]

The British invasions of the River Plate were two unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of the Spanish colony of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, located around the Río de la Plata in South America – in present-day Argentina and Uruguay. The invasions took place between 1806 and 1807, as part of the Napoleonic Wars, at a time when Spain was an ally of Napoleonic France. In Argentine historiography, the two successive defeats of the British expeditionary forces are known collectively as the "Reconquista" and the "Defensa", respectively.