Combat of the Côa
The Combat of the Côa (July 24, 1810) was a military engagement that occurred during the Peninsular War period of the Napoleonic Wars. It took place in the valley of the Côa River and it was the first significant battle for the new army of 65,000 men controlled by Marshal André Masséna, as the French prepared for their third invasion of Portugal.
| Battle of the Côa Valley | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
Map containing the positions of the beginning of combat forces in the Coa and indication of movement of units. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| France |
United Kingdom Portugal | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Michel Ney | Robert Craufurd | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
20,000 (6,000 engaged) |
5,000 (4,000 engaged) 6 guns | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
117 killed 210 wounded |
32-400 killed 182-700 wounded 29 missing 0-400 captured | ||||||
125miles
3.1 Blockade of Almeida April 1811
As the British-Portuguese forces were outnumbered here, on July 22, General Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington sent Brigadier-General Robert Craufurd a letter, saying that he (Wellington) was "not desirous of engaging in an affair beyond the Coa." On July 24, Craufurd's Light Division, with 4,200 infantry, 800 cavalry, and six guns, was surprised by the sight of 20,000 troops under Marshal Michel Ney. Rather than retreat and cross the river as ordered by Wellington, Craufurd chose to engage the French, narrowly avoiding disaster.
The French objective was to force the Light Division back across the Côa in order to besiege Almeida. They succeeded after hard fighting, but then launched a costly assault across the Côa, suffering heavy casualties.