Battle of Pombal

The Battle of Pombal (March 11, 1811) was a sharp but ultimately indecisive skirmish fought at the eponymous town during Marshal Masséna's retreat from the Lines of Torres Vedras, the first in a series of lauded rearguard actions fought by Michel Ney. The French were pursued by Wellington and his British-Portuguese army but the Allied advance was energetically contested by Ney's efforts, preventing Wellington from crushing Masséna's army when it was critically vulnerable.

Battle of Pombal
Part of the Peninsular War
Date11 March 1811
Location
Pombal, Portugal
39°55′N 8°37′W
Result Withdrawal of French forces
Belligerents
 French Empire  United Kingdom
 Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Michel Ney Viscount Wellington
Luís do Rego Barreto
Strength
9,340 16,000
Casualties and losses
63 37
Peninsular war
200km
125miles
V
e
d
r
a
s
T
o
r
r
e
s
Fuentes de Oñoro
8
Sabugal
7
6
Lisbon
5
Bussaco
4
Almeida
3
Ciudad Rodrigo
2
Astorga
1
Third French invasion:
1
Siege of Astorga March April 1810
2
Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo April 1810
3
Siege of Almeida July 1810
3.1 Blockade of Almeida April 1811
4
Battle of Bussaco September 1810
5
Torres Vedras protects Lisbon
6
Battle of Redinha March 1811
7
Battle of Sabugal April 1811
8
Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro May 1811

At Pombal, Ney turned part of his rearguard to face the larger Anglo-Portuguese forces and checked their advance, before withdrawing to rejoin the main body of Masséna's army.

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