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 Soult and King Joseph Bonaparte against the Spanish army under General Aréizaga, which suffered its greatest single defeat in the Peninsular War.
Battle of Ocaña | |||||||
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Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
French Empire | 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.