la albuera (May 16, 1811)
the battle in pictures
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| 9.00-9.30h. The French attacks La Albuera | 9.00-9.30h. The French outflank the Allied | 9.00-9.30h The British 4th Division march to counter outflanking French | 0.00h The Allied start to turn right to face up the outflanking French columns |
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| 10.00h. The fight at La Albuera continues while the Allied move at right | 11.30h The French have outflanked the Spanish | 11.30h.British Light Dragoons try to stop the French tide | ..but are rejected and then dispersed by the French fire |
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| 12.00h. Spanish Guards rout French line | whereas Spanish Foreign Infantry is rejected (but not routed) by the French | 12.30h Portuguese infantry is inmediately routed (!) | and the Spanish cavalry try to close the gap and fails |
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| and the Spanish cavalry try to close the gap and fails | 13.00h French Dragoons attacking British squares under the rain | whereas the Irish/Spanish and French are both dispersed | so the Allied have stopped the first French impulses |
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| 13.30h British heavies rout Dragoons (previously disordered by Horse Artillery) | and under uncontrolled advance rolled up French Light Horse | At La Albuera Godinot try his luck... | ... and is routed |
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| 14.00h The French advance against Guards and Line Infantry but are routed- The Spanish Guards are dispersed and the General Zayas is taken prisoner | The French disperse the British Line... | ... as well as the Spanish Light Cavalry | |
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| Godinot is routed at La Albuera and retires unmolested | meanwhile Werle deploys to cover the French withdrawal | 15.00 h. Under the rain, the British 4th Div attacks the French Light. The British Heavy cavalry joins in the frame... and a confuse melee follows | |
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Soult concedes the day and retires his army | ||
| THE FINAL RESULTS | |||
| French
Losses 35 inf. + 8 cav. + 1art. = 5,880 men (23.9%) |
Allied
Losses British-Portuguese 27 inf.+ 6 cav. = 3,960 men (18.9%) Spanish 17 inf.+ 4 cav.= 2,520 men (17.8%) Total : 6,480 men (18.4%) |
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| French
Victory points 19.75 + 0 objectives = 19.75 |
Allied
Victory points 15.75 + 88 objectives = 103.75 |
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| SUBSTANTIAL ALLIED VICTORY | |||
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Additional comments This re-fight of La Albuera was different to the real outcome. The Spanish Guard and Foreign infantry units, deployed in line, fought very well and were the key to the French rout. On the contrary, the Anglo-Portuguese infantry units, fighting in column, behaved very badly and only the sacrifice of the Spanish cavalry avoided the collapse of the Allied flank. The British cavalry (both Light and Heavy) fought following their historical role so were finally dispersed. No square was broken and the Lancers of the Vistula were routed by the British Heavy Dragoons |
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