Battle of Garcia Hernandez

Overview

The Battle of García Hernández was fought on 23 July 1812 during the Peninsular War. In the battle, two cavalry brigades of the British Army's King's German Legion (KGL) under Major-General Eberhardt Otto George von Bock defeated 4,000 French troops led by General Maximilien Sébastien Foy. In what would otherwise have been an unremarkable skirmish, the KGL dragoons achieved the unusual feat of breaking two French squares, those of the 6th, 69th and 76th Line, routing the entire French force with heavy losses.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

García Hernández, fought on 23 July 1812, stands out within the Peninsular War primarily for a single tactical achievement: two cavalry brigades of the King's German Legion, numbering 1,770 men under Major-General von Bock, routed a French force of 4,000 under General Foy and inflicted between 1,100 and 1,600 casualties. The engagement's lasting significance derives from what the KGL dragoons accomplished in doing so — breaking two French infantry squares, formed by the 6th, 69th, and 76th Line regiments. The infantry square was the standard and normally reliable defense against cavalry, and its successful penetration in open battle was rare enough to make García Hernández an exceptional episode in the operational history of the war, even if its direct strategic consequences were limited.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)