Battle of Baza (1810)

Joaquín Blake was beaten when he let his corps get spread out.

Date	4 November 1810
Location	Baza, Granada, Spain
Result	French victory

Belligerents

First French Empire

Duchy of Warsaw

Kingdom of Spain

Commanders and leaders

Édouard Milhaud

Joaquín Blake

Strength

3,300

9,000, 12 guns

Casualties and losses

200

1,500, 6 guns

In the Battle of Baza on 4 November 1810 an Imperial French force commanded by General Milhaud fought a Spanish corps led by General Blake. When the Spanish commander allowed his forces to get spread out, Milhaud attacked with his cavalry and crushed Blake's vanguard with heavy losses. The Spanish force retreated into the province of Murcia. Baza is located on Route 342 about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Almería. The battle occurred during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars.

After King Joseph Bonaparte's army overran Andalusia, it meant that he had increased the territory his soldiers had to defend. French Marshal Soult's three corps were kept busy fending off constant Spanish and British threats to the province from land and sea. At Baza, the French successfully drove away one Spanish column. Within a few months, there would be another clash at Barrosa.

On 18 and 19 November 1809, the main Spanish army suffered a catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Ocaña. A week later, a second Spanish army was beaten at the Battle of Alba de Tormes. As the Spanish frantically tried to cobble together a new army to defend the south of Spain, King Joseph Bonaparte decided to invade the province of Andalusia. With his royal treasury nearly empty, the king desired to incorporate the wealthy region into his domain.

In January 1810, Marshal Victor had 22,664 effectives in the I Corps. Victor commanded three infantry divisions, one 2,260-strong dragoon division, and 823 troopers in one light cavalry brigade. General of Division Sébastiani led 10,125 men of the IV Corps. This formation included two weak infantry divisions, one 1,721-man dragoon division, and one 1,351-strong light cavalry brigade. Marshal Mortier supervised the 16,612-man V Corps. Mortier counted two strong infantry divisions and one 2,127-man cavalry division. Additionally, there were 8,354 reinforcements available to Joseph.

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