Battle of Ocaña

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
Part of the Peninsular War
Date19 November 1809
Location
Ocaña, near Madrid, Spain
39°57′N 3°30′W
Result French victory
Belligerents
French Empire  Spain
Commanders and leaders
Joseph Bonaparte
Jean-de-Dieu Soult
Juan Carlos de Aréizaga
Strength
24,000–27,000 infantry
5,000–6,000 cavalry
50 guns
44,000–45,000 infantry
6,000–7,000 cavalry
60 guns
Casualties and losses
1,700–2,000 killed or wounded 4,000–5,000 killed or wounded
14,000–26,000 captured
45 guns captured
Peninsular war: Castile & Andalusia
100km
62miles
Tormes
12
Ocaña
11
Tamames
10
9
8
Talavera
7
Alcántara
6
Medellín
5
Ciudad Real
4
3
2
Uclés
1
  current battle

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. The strategic consequences were also devastating, as it destroyed the only force capable of defending southern Spain.

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