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Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro

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At theBattle of Fuentes de Oñoro(3–5 May 1811), theAnglo-Portuguese ArmyunderWellingtonchecked an attempt by the French Army of Portugal under MarshalAndré Massénato relieve the besieged city ofAlmeida.

Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro
Part of thePeninsular War

CaptainNorman Ramsay,Royal Horse Artillery, Galloping his Troop Through the French Army to Safety at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, 1811byGeorge Bryant Campion
Date3–5 May 1811[1]
Location
Fuentes de Oñoro,Castile and León, Spain
40°35′N6°49′W/ 40.583°N 6.817°W/40.583; -6.817
Result Anglo-Portuguese victory[1]
Belligerents
United Kingdom
Portugal		 French Empire
Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandLord Wellington First French EmpireMarshal Masséna
Strength
33,000–36,000 infantry[1]
1,850–2,000 cavalry[1]
48 guns[2]		 40,000–42,000 infantry[1]
4,500–5,000 cavalry[1]
Casualties and losses
1,452[3]–1,800:[1]
192–241 killed
958–1,247 wounded
255–312 captured[4]		 2,192[3]–2,844:[1]
267–343 killed
1,878–2,287 wounded
47–214 captured[4]
class=notpageimage|
Peninsular war: Portugal
1807 1808180918101811

A bloody stalemate was not the sort of battle that had been expected to follow André Masséna's expulsion fromPortugal.His confidence and moral authority having been much boosted by holding theLines of Torres Vedras,the spring of 1811 found Wellington intending to move over to the offensive, for which policy he had received de facto authorisation from his political masters in London, where talks of major reductions in the size of the army employed in Portugal had been replaced by promises of major reinforcements.

Supply difficulties, sickness amongst the troops and want ofsiege artilleryensured that in the short term no great strokes of strategy could be envisaged, but it was hoped thatAlmeida,Ciudad RodrigoandBadajozmight be all recaptured, thereby opening the way for lightning strikes on such targets asSalamancaorSeville.In the event, however, success was limited, the story of the rest of 1811 essentially being one of failure and frustration.[5]

Background

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In 1810, Masséna had followed the British–Portuguese back toLisbonbefore arriving at the Lines of Torres Vedras, but was determined to avoid storming the extensive double line of interlocking fortifications. After starving outside Lisbon through a miserable winter, the French withdrew to the Spanish border with the British–Portuguese army in pursuit.

Having first secured Portugal, Wellington then set about re-taking the fortified frontier cities ofAlmeida,Badajoz,andCiudad Rodrigo.Whilst Wellingtonbesieged Almeida,Masséna reformed his battered army and marched to relieve the French garrison in the city. Wellington chose to check the relief attempt at the small village ofFuentes de Oñoro,leaving his line of retreat exposed in order to cover all routes to Almeida. He felt this risk was justified because the French would not have had more than a few days' supplies, whereas he had more than that.

The British–Portuguese Army had 34,000 infantry, 1,850 cavalry and 48 guns. The French had 42,000 infantry, 4,500 cavalry and 38 guns.

Organisation

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See also:Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro order of battle

The French Army of Portugal

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Masséna's army was organised into four corps and a cavalry reserve.Louis Henri Loison'sVI Corpshad three divisions, led byJean Gabriel Marchand,Julien Augustin Joseph Mermet,andClaude François Ferey.InJean-Andoche Junot'sVIII Corps,onlyJean-Baptiste Solignac's division was present.Jean-Baptiste Drouet'sIX Corpsincluded the divisions ofNicolas François ConrouxandMichel Marie Claparède.Louis Pierre, Count Montbrunheaded the cavalry reserve.Jean Reynier'sII Corpshovered off to the northeast, threatening Almeida with its two divisions underPierre Hugues Victoire MerleandÉtienne Heudelet de Bierre.

An 800-man cavalry force, comprising squadrons of theéliteImperial GuardMounted Grenadiers of the Imperial GuardandDragoons of the Imperial Guard,was also present at the battle under the command ofMarshalJean-Baptiste Bessières.The reinforcements that Bessières brought were almost symbolic, even though Masséna had requested that he bring the entirety of hisArmy corpsinto battle.[6]

The British–Portuguese army

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Wellington commanded six infantrydivisions,Charles Ashworth'sindependent Portuguese brigade,and three cavalry brigades.Brent Spencercommanded the1st Division,Thomas Pictonthe3rd,William Houstonthe7th,andRobert Craufurd,theLight Division.Stapleton CottoncommandedJohn Slade's and Frederick von Arentschildt's brigades of cavalry. Edward Howorth supervised four British (Ross RHA,Bull RHA,Lawson's RA,Thompson's RA) and four Portuguese (Arentschildt (2),Da Cunha,Rozierres) 6-gun batteries.William Erskine(5th Division),Alexander Campbell(6th Division), and 300 Portuguese cavalry underCount Barbacenawere detached, facing theFrench II Corps.

Battle

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On 3 May, Masséna launched a frontal assault against the British–Portuguesepicketsholding the barricaded village, while bombarding the British–Portuguese on the heights east of the village with heavy artillery. The fight in the centre of the village lasted all that day, with French soldiers of Ferey's and Marchand's divisions clashing with the Britishredcoatsof the 1st and 3rd Divisions.

At first, the British–Portuguese were driven back under immense pressure, but a charge that included men of the71st Highland Light Infantryreclaimed the streets and buildings lost earlier in the day. As the sun sank, the French withdrew and the village remained in British hands, with the former suffering 650 casualties against only 250 for the British.

Both sides spent 4 May recovering from the ferocity of the previous day of fighting and reconsidered their options and battle plans. A Frenchreconnaissancerevealed that Wellington's right flank was weakly held by a unit ofpartisansnear the hamlet ofPoco Velho.

Battle of Fuontes d'Ouoro, on 5 May 1811

Action began again at dawn on 5 May. Wellington had left the 7th Division exposed on his right flank. Masséna launched a heavy attack on the weak British–Portuguese flank, led by Montbrun's dragoons and supported by the infantry divisions of Marchand, Mermet, and Solignac. Right away, two 7th Division battalions were roughed up by Frenchlight cavalry.This compelled Wellington to send reinforcements to save the 7th Division from annihilation. This was only achieved by the efforts of the Light Division and the British andKing's German Legioncavalry.[7]

On the threatened British–Portuguese right flank, the elite Light Division, well-supported by cavalry and artillery, made a textbook fighting withdrawal. For trifling casualties, they covered the retreat of the 7th Division and fell back into a stronger position selected by Wellington. During the retreat, whenever French artillery ventured too close, the British cavalry charged or feinted a charge. This allowed the infantry time to retreat out of range. If the Frenchhorsemenpressed the outnumbered British cavalry back, the British–Portuguese infantry formed squares and their volleys drove off the French. Montbrun then requested help from theImperial Guardcavalry, which were present but had not yet been committed to battle.

Time was of the essence and Masséna at once sent one of hisaides-de-camp,Charles Oudinot,the son ofMarshalNicolas Oudinot, Duke of Reggio,with orders to bring forward the Guard cavalry. The young Oudinot hastily set off and Masséna was impatiently checking his watch, pressed to commit this cavalry to what he believed was a decisive action of the battle. Much to the general staff's stupefaction, Oudinot was soon seen returning without any cavalry following him. As soon as he saw him, Masséna furiously shouted from afar: "Where is the cavalry of the Guard?". The sweaty, dust-covered Oudinot needed a moment to catch his breath after his exhausting gallop but then explained that he was not able to fetch it. Oudinot had encountered the Guard cavalry second-in-command, GeneralLouis Lepic,who sharply refused to commit his men, saying that he only recognised the Duke of Istria (Bessières) as commander and that without explicit orders from its commander, the Guard Horse Grenadiers and Dragoons would not draw their swords. In a staggering display of treachery, Bessières was absent from the field of battle, needlessly inspecting a series of ditches where the French army had passed a few days before. Unable to find the commander of the Guard in time, Masséna was forced to admit that the opportunity was lost.[6]

Two incidents spoiled this otherwise fine accomplishment for the British–Portuguese. One occurred when a British14th Light Dragoonsquadron pressed home a frontal attack on a French artillery battery and was mauled. In the second case, French cavalry caught some companies of the3rd Foot Guardsin skirmish order and inflicted 100 casualties.

Masséna, however, still aimed primarily to secure Fuentes de Oñoro. He sent forward massed columns of infantry from Ferey's division. The village, filled with low stone walls, provided excellent cover for the British line infantry and skirmishers, while the French were severely restricted in the little narrow streets. At first, the French had some success, wiping out two companies of the79th Footand wounding the regiment's commander, Lieutenant-ColonelPhilips Cameron,who died some days later.[8]But a counterattack chased Ferey's men out of the village.

General d'Erlon launched a second attack on the village. This time, it was led by three battalions of converging grenadiers from theIX Corps.With their old-fashionedbearskinhats, the grenadiers were mistaken for the Imperial Guard. Again, the British fell back. d'Erlon threw in about half of the battalions from bothConrouxandClaparède's divisions, seizing almost the entire village.

In response, Wellington counterattacked with units from the 1st and 3rd Divisions, plus the Portuguese 6thCaçadores,led by the88th Connaught Rangers Foot.This broke d'Erlon's attack, and the tide began to turn. Low on ammunition, the French had to resort to the bayonet in a futile attempt to drive the British back. One party of 100 grenadiers was trapped in a tight spot and killed. Facing murderous volleys, the French halted and retreated back to theDos Casas,leaving their casualties behind.[9]By sunset, French morale had plummeted and many companies were down to 40% strength.

The French artillery tried to bombard the new British line into submission, but they were outgunned by Wellington's cannons. Finally, with their artillery ammunition dangerously low, the French attacks came to an end. Wellington's men entrenched during the evening. After spending the next three days parading before the British position, Masséna gave up the attempt and retreated to Ciudad Rodrigo.[9]He was furious because Bessières had refused to fetch ammunition from thecitadel.[10]

Consequences

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Wellington had repelled Napoleon's Army of Portugal, inflicting a great number of casualties, and was able to continue his blockade of Almeida. The numbers of losses vary according to different sources, from 2,200[11][12][3]to 2,800 French compared to the loss of 1,800 British–Portuguese, while another historian stated there were 2,800 French and 1,800 British–Portuguese losses.[4]However, he acknowledged how dangerous the situation had been, saying later, "IfBoneyhad been there, we should have been beat. "[13]Russian historianOleg Sokolovnoted that Wellington had committed a serious strategic error by following the French into northern Portugal, and that this decision could have had grievous consequences for the British–Portuguese. Sokolov adds that, despite the various setbacks that he encountered before and during the battle, Masséna was still able to check Wellington's position at Fuentes de Oñoro.[6]Wellington himself did not mark the battle as a victory; he also considered that he had unnecessarily extended his line, putting the 7th Division and Light Division in danger.

Two nights after Masséna's withdrawal,Antoine Brenier's 1,400-man French garrison ofAlmeidaslipped through the British–Portuguese lines during the night. About 360 French troops were captured, but the rest escaped when their British pursuers ran into a French ambush. This fiasco was blamed on Erskine and others. An infuriated Wellington wrote, "I have never been so much distressed by any military event as by the escape of even a man of them."[13]

On reaching Ciudad Rodrigo, Masséna was recalled to Paris by a furious Napoleon to explain his actions (although Napoleon had issued the order to return prior to the battle). He was replaced by MarshalAuguste Marmont.Masséna set off for France with a vast sum of gold, looted from Portugal and Spain. The defeated French marshal complained that Wellington "had not left him one black hair on his body—he had turned grey all over."[14]

This battle also included a notablefriendly fireincident when a French infantry unit mistook their allies, theHanoverian Legion[fr],for an English battalion and opened fire on them. The unfortunate Hanoverians retreated hastily past the village, leaving over 100 dead.[15]The confusion came about because the Hanoverian Legion wore red coats, and in the smoke and heat of battle the finer details of uniforms that might have distinguished them from British line infantry were easily overlooked.

Wellington commended his troops for their generosity after the battle, writing, "The village of Fuentes de Oñoro having been the field of battle the other day, and not having been much improved by this circumstance, they immediately and voluntarily subscribed to raise a sum of money, to be given to the inhabitants as a compensation for the damage which their properties have sustained in the contest."[16]

The battle is included in the list of French victories on theArc de Triompheas FUENTE D'OŨORO, despite being a tactical draw and strategic defeat.

In fiction

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  • Cornwell, Bernard,Sharpe's Battle,HarperCollins, 1995,ISBN0-00-224307-5.The book includes most of the events of the battle and a description of the British right-wing withdrawal conducted under the Light Division's commander Robert Craufurd. The novel has several fictional characters, but includes actual historic people, such as Wellington and Massena.

References

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  1. ^abcdefghBodart 1908,p. 424.
  2. ^Gates 2001,p. 503.
  3. ^abcOman 1911,p. 340.
  4. ^abcSmith 1998,pp. 358–361.
  5. ^Esdaile 2003,pp. 340–341.
  6. ^abcSokolov 2005,p. 455.
  7. ^Chartrand 2002,p. 77.
  8. ^McGuigan & Burnham 2017,p.1855.
  9. ^abGates 2001,p. 269.
  10. ^Longford 1969,p. 300.
  11. ^Weller 1969,p. 166.
  12. ^Paget 1996,p. 133.
  13. ^abGlover 2001,p. 155.
  14. ^Glover 2001,p. 149.
  15. ^napoleonistyka 2021.
  16. ^Glover 2001,p. 151.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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  • Brialmont, Alexis Henri (1858).History of the life of Arthur, duke of Wellington.Vol. 1. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts.
  • Currie, Laurence (1934).The bâton in the knapsack: new light on Napoleon and his marshals.John Murray.
  • Fletcher, Ian (1994). "Wellington's Regiments: The Men and Their Battles, 1808–15".The History Press Ltd.ISBN1-873376-06-5.
  • Maxwell, (Sir) Herbert (1900).The life of Wellington: The restoration of the martial power of Great Britain.Vol. 1. S. Low, Marston.
  • Oman, Sir Charles William Chadwick (1902d).A History of the Peninsular War.Vol. IV. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Retrieved25 May2021.
  • Parkinson, Roger, ed. (2000).The Peninsular War.Wordsworth.ISBN978-1-84022-228-9.
  • Zimmermann, Dick (1978).The Battle of Bussaco.Wargamer's Digest.
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Preceded by
Blockade of Almeida 		Napoleonic Wars
Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro 		Succeeded by
Siege of Tarragona (1811)
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