Battle of Corunna

Battle context

The Battle of Corunna on 16 January 1809 was fought between a French corps under Marshal Soult and a British army under Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore during the Peninsular War. The engagement occurred in the context of the broader Napoleonic Wars. With French forces numbering approximately 12,000 and British forces around 15,000, casualties on both sides were relatively limited, ranging from several hundred on each side. The battle is notable as part of the British retreat to the coast of northern Spain, representing a critical moment in the early Peninsular campaign where British forces sought to maintain their presence in the Iberian Peninsula under sustained French pressure.