Battle of Castellón

Battle context

The Battle of Castellón was fought near Girona on 1 January 1809 during the opening phase of the Peninsular War. A Spanish force under the Marqués de Lazán, numbering approximately 1,500, engaged a French Imperial detachment of around 3,000 under General Reille. Despite the disparity in force size, Spanish casualties of 120 were substantially lower than the French figure of 330, suggesting the action inflicted a disproportionate cost on the larger force. The engagement was part of the broader contest for control of Catalonia, where French operations around Girona were a central axis of effort in the early war years.