ORDER OF BATTLE // June 20, 1808
Battle of Gerona
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 7,900 estimated
First French Empire
5,900
Medium-confidence figure
Kingdom of Spain
2,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The French assault on Girona in June 1808 was the opening siege operation against the city during the Peninsular War. A French division under Duhesme, outnumbering the Spanish garrison by nearly three to one, failed to overrun the defenders commanded by O'Donovan and O'Daly and withdrew after suffering approximately 700 casualties. The failure demonstrated that numerically superior French forces could not always convert their advantage into a quick reduction of defended Spanish positions, a pattern that would shape the wider contest for Catalonia and the lines of communication running through northeastern Spain.
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