ORDER OF BATTLE // May 23, 1809
Battle of Alcañiz
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 17,000 estimated
French Empire
8,000
Medium-confidence figure
Kingdom of Spain
9,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Alcañiz resulted in a Spanish victory over French forces under Major-General Suchet, who was defeated by General Joaquín Blake y Joyes. The French force of approximately 8,000 suffered around 800 casualties against a Spanish force of roughly 9,000 that sustained approximately 300 losses, indicating a decisive outcome in Spain's favor. The engagement formed part of the broader Peninsular War, in which Spanish, Portuguese, and British forces resisted French imperial control of the Iberian Peninsula. A French defeat at this scale, with casualties nearly three times those of the Spanish, represented a check on French operational momentum in the region.
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