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Battle of Talavera of 1809

Talavera de la Reina, Talavera, Toledo

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Battle of Talavera of 1809

Historical milestone · Talavera de la Reina, Talavera, Toledo

In the battle, fought on 27 and 28 July 1809, Wellesley's 20,000 British soldiers, after marching along the valley of the Tagus, joined General Cuesta's 33,000 Spaniards to face 46,000 French troops under Marshal Claude Victor and General Sébastiani, under the effective command of Marshal Jourdan. The French crossed the river Alberche on the afternoon of the 27th and attacked the Spanish and British flank, taking and then losing a strategic hill; at dawn on the 28th they tried again, but were repelled by the 29th and 48th infantry regiments, which charged with the bayonet. After intense cannon fire, the French withdrew, leaving wounded men and two artillery brigades on the field. For this action, Wellesley was ennobled as Viscount Wellington of Talavera.

Photo: Asqueladd (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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