Battle of Talavera de la Reina

The Battle of Talavera (July 27–28, 1809) was a bloody yet inconclusive battle fought some 120 kilometers southwest of Madrid, Spain. Although the French army under King Joseph Bonaparte withdrew from the field, the British under Sir Arthur Wellesley (subsequently Duke of Wellington) soon withdrew from Spain, leaving their wounded to the Spanish General Gregorio de la Cuesta, who in turn left them to the French. This reduced trust between the Bri... more

The Battle of Talavera (July 27–28, 1809) was a bloody yet inconclusive battle fought some 120 kilometers southwest of Madrid, Spain. Although the French army under King Joseph Bonaparte withdrew from the field, the British under Sir Arthur Wellesley (subsequently Duke of Wellington) soon withdrew from Spain, leaving their wounded to the Spanish General Gregorio de la Cuesta, who in turn left them to the French. This reduced trust between the British and the Spanish for the remainder of the Peninsular War. Having driven Marshal Nicolas Soult's French army from Portugal, General Sir Arthur Wellesley's 20,000 British troops advanced into Spain to join 33,000 Spanish troops under General Cuesta. They marched up the Tagus valley to Talavera de la Reina, c. 120 kmf southwest of Madrid. There they encountered 46,000 French under Marshal Claude Victor and Major-General Horace Sebastiani, with the French king of Spain, Joseph Bonaparte in nominal command. The combined Allied force had a... less