BATTLE // August 11, 1812
Battle of Majadahonda
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Significance
Fought sixteen kilometres northwest of Madrid during Wellington's advance following his capture of the city, Majadahonda was an engagement between the rival forces' advance guards. Trelliard's French cavalry initially gained the upper hand, routing D'Urban's Portuguese horsemen and seizing three British guns, but the intervention of King's German Legion cavalry under Bock and the presence of a KGL infantry battalion holding a village checked the French exploitation. The arrival of additional British cavalry and infantry persuaded Trelliard to withdraw. The action demonstrated the limitations of cavalry operating without adequate infantry support and underscored the vulnerability of Wellington's advance guard to a determined French mounted strike, even as the broader French position around Madrid remained untenable.
Tactics
Trelliard's French cavalry division opened the engagement by committing its leading brigade against D'Urban's two-brigade advance guard, routing the Portuguese horsemen and overrunning three British cannons. King's German Legion cavalry under Bock intervened to stabilise the situation, but Trelliard escalated by feeding in his second and third brigades, compelling the KGL horse to withdraw. The French advance was then stopped by a KGL infantry battalion positioned in a village, which the French cavalry could not dislodge. The approach of additional British cavalry and infantry formations prompted Trelliard to break off the action.
Forces & casualties
Troop strength
- French Empire2,000medium
- United Kingdom2,300medium
United Kingdom fielded a 1.1 : 1 numerical advantage
Casualties
- Empire français100–120medium
Commanders (2)
French Empire
Anne-François-Charles Trelliarddivisional general
United Kingdom
Benjamin D'Urbanlieutenant-general
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6 sibling battles · 3 factions