Battle of Cervera (1811)

This article is about the battle in 1811 in Catalonia. For the battle in 1000 in Castile, see Battle of Cervera.

Cervera

Date	4–14 October 1811
Location	Cervera, Catalonia, Spain
Result	Spanish victory

Belligerents

First French Empire

Kingdom of Spain

Commanders and leaders

Jacques MacDonald

Luis Roberto de Lacy

Units involved

VII Corps

Army of Catalonia

Strength

1,000

8,000

Casualties and losses

995

unknown

Peninsular War Aragón and northeast Spain 1809–1814

Valls Gerona Alcañiz María Belchite Mollet Vich Manresa Lérida Mequinenza La Bisbal Tortosa Pla 1st Tarragona Montserrat Figueras Cervera Saguntum Valencia Alicante Altafulla 1st Castalla 2nd Castalla 2nd Tarragona Ordal

In the Battle of Cervera (4 to 14 October 1811) a Spanish force led by Luis Roberto de Lacy attacked a series of Imperial French garrisons belonging to the VII Corps of Marshal Jacques MacDonald. The actions were highly successful and netted nearly 1,000 enemy prisoners. The clashes occurred during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars. The largest garrison was located at Cervera which is located about 55 kilometres (34 mi) east of Lleida, Spain.

Background

After the Army of Catalonia was nearly destroyed in the sieges of Tarragona and Figueras during July and August 1811,^[1] Lacy replaced Luis González Torres de Navarra, Marquess of Campoverde as Captain General. Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet struck another blow against the Catalans when his troops seized the miquelet base in the Battle of Montserrat on 25 July 1811. The unpopular but vigorous Lacy quickly reorganized the 8,000-man remnant of his army into three small divisions under Generals Baron de Eroles, Pedro Sarsfield, and Francisco Milans del Bosch. With the Royal Navy's assistance, Lacy seized the Medes Islands at the mouth of the Ter River on 12 September.^[2]

Battle

On 4 October 1811, Lacy's forces captured 200 Imperial troops at Igualada on the highway between Barcelona and Lleida. Continuing west, the Spanish column seized a French convoy near Cervera on the 7th. Lacy overwhelmed the garrison of Cervera on 11 October, bagging another 645 prisoners. Finally, on the 14th the Spaniards took 150 more captives at Bellpuig. After these defeats, the French evacuated the monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat on Montserrat Mountain.^[2]

Notes

↑ Smith (1998), 365-366
1 2 Oman (1996), IV, 540-541

References

Oman, Charles (1996). A History of the Peninsular War Volume IV. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole. ISBN 1-85367-224-6.
Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.

Coordinates: 41°40′N 1°16′E / 41.667°N 1.267°E / 41.667; 1.267

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