Battle of Valmaseda [SEP] end time
Battle of Valmaseda
The Battle of Valmaseda (or Balmaseda) took place on 5 November 1808, during Lieutenant-General Blake's retreat from superior French armies in northern Spain. Reinforced by veteran regular infantry from General La Romana's Division of the North (), Blake's force suddenly turned on its pursuers and ambushed General Victor's errant vanguard under "Général de division" Villatte.
Background.
The French defeat had its roots in Marshal François Lefebvre's earlier failure to destroy the Spanish army at the Battle of
flock of enemy sheep, grazing in a wood; they appreciated the meat after going without for a long time. The Dutch troops received much praise; Chassé was knighted with the Legion of Honour, and five other officers received a medal for "bonne conduite et bravoure" (good conduct and bravery).
After the battle, the French army pursued the Spanish in a leisurely fashion, looting along the way. On 9 November, a few days after the battle of Valmaseda, in which it did not take part