Battle of Ocaña
1809 battle of the Peninsular War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Battle of Ocaña was fought on 19 November 1809 between French forces under Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult against the Spanish army under General Juan Carlos de Aréizaga, which suffered its greatest single defeat in the Peninsular War.
Battle of Ocaña | |||||||
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Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
Battle of Ocaña by Adolphe Roehn | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
France | Spain | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Joseph Bonaparte Jean-de-Dieu Soult[lower-alpha 1] | Juan Carlos de Aréizaga | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
24,000–27,000 infantry 5,000–6,000 cavalry[2][1] 50 guns |
44,000–45,000 infantry 6,000–7,000 cavalry[2][1] 60 guns | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,700–2,000 killed or wounded[3][1] |
4,000–5,000 killed or wounded[3][1] 14,000–26,000 captured[4][3][1] 45 guns captured[3] |
General Aréizaga's Spanish army of 51,000 troops lost nearly 19,000 men killed, wounded, prisoners and deserters, mostly due to the French use of their cavalry. Tactically, the battle was a Cannae-like encirclement of the Spanish army, and the worst defeat ever suffered by a Spanish army on home soil.[citation needed] The strategic consequences were also devastating, as it destroyed the only force capable of defending southern Spain.