April 3rd, 1811 - The Battle of Sabugal

Conflict: The Peninsular War (1807-1814)

Combatants: British and Portuguese vs. French

Location: Portugal

Outcome: Anglo-Portuguese victory

Following the failed invasion of Portugal, British and Portuguese forces under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, engaged the withdrawing French forces in a series of skirmishes and battles. In this engagement, the Anglo-Portuguese army drove the French commanded by Marshal Andre Massena into retreat. The French suffered about 1500 casualties.

Le 43e regiment britannique a Sabugal, 1811 by Richard Simkin

Points of Interest:

• A month later, Wellington would again defeat Andre Massena at the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro.

• Andre Massena, after continued defeats and retreats, was relieved of command later the same year.

Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington by Thomas Lawrence

Marshal André Masséna by an unknown artist

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Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (1990). The Napoleonic Source Book. New York: Facts on File.