ORDER OF BATTLE // March 28, 1809
Battle of Medellín
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 33,000 estimated
French Empire
13,000
Medium-confidence figure
Spain
20,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Medellín on 28 March 1809 resulted in a French victory under Marshal Victor over a substantially larger Spanish force under General Gregorio de la Cuesta. Despite fielding approximately 20,000 troops against 13,000 French, the Spanish suffered around 8,000 casualties compared to roughly 1,000 on the French side, underscoring the severity of the defeat. The battle marked the first major French effort to occupy southern Spain and opened the path toward further penetration of that region. The campaign of which Medellín was the opening move was largely concluded later in 1809 with the French victory at the Battle of Ocaña, which effectively secured French dominance over southern Spain. Medellín thus set the strategic trajectory for the southern theater of the Peninsular War, demonstrating Spanish conventional forces' inability to halt French advances through pitched battle at this stage of the conflict.
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