Battle Of Espinosa

	partof	the Peninsular War
	date	November 10 &ndash November 11 , 1808
	place	Espinosa , west of Vitoria , Spain
	result	French victory
	combatant1	France
	combatant2	Spain
	commander1	Claude Victor
	commander2	Joaquín Blake
	strength1	22,000
	strength2	23,000
	casualties1	Unknown
	casualties2	3,000 dead, wounded, or captured

The Battle of Espinosa was fought on November 10 and November 11 , 1808 at the township of Espinosa in the Cantabrian Mountains and resulted in a French victory under General Victor against Lieutenant General Joaquín Blake 's Army Of Galicia .

On the first day of the battle, Victor, in search of an easy victory, launched a series of massed attacks that were repulsed with heavy losses by the Spaniards. By nightfall, Blake's positions still held. On the morning of November 11, a better-coordinated French attack pierced Blake's center and drove the Spaniards from the field.

Although not a decisive defeat in itself, the hopelessly confused state of the Spanish Army (having neither a government nor a military command structure to coordinate it) meant that Blake's Army of Galicia ceased to exist after Espinosa. Blake conducted a heroic retreat west through the mountains, escaping, to Napoleon's disbelief, Soult 's pursuit, but when he arrived at León on November 23 , only 10,000 men remained under his flag.

Information About

Battle Of Espinosa