Battle of Navas de Membrillo

Overview

The combat of Navas de Membrillo took place on 29 December 1811 near Mérida, Spain, and saw the British light cavalry of General Rowland Hill assault a small Imperial French force led by Captain Neveux. During the action, the French soldiers formed in square inflicted a sharp defeat to the British cavalrymen. This engagement is considered by historian Ian Fletcher as "one of the more disappointing cavalry episodes in the Peninsula".

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

Significance

The combat of Navas de Membrillo near Mérida on 29 December 1811 resulted in a setback for British light cavalry under General Rowland Hill, who failed to overcome a French Imperial force of approximately 400 men led by Captain Neveux. Historian Ian Fletcher has characterized the engagement as one of the more disappointing cavalry episodes of the Peninsular War, suggesting it reflected poorly on British cavalry performance in a period when such operations were critical to Hill's operations in Extremadura.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (1)