Battle of Cardadeu

Battle of Cardedeu, 16 December 1808, by Jean-Charles Langlois.

Date	16 December 1808
Location	Cardedeu, Catalonia, Spain
Result	French victory

Belligerents

First French Empire

Kingdom of Spain

Commanders and leaders

Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr

Juan Miguel de Vives

Theodor von Reding

Strength

16,500, no guns

9,100, 7 guns

Casualties and losses

600

2,500, 5 guns

The Battle of Cardadeu on 16 December 1808 saw an Imperial French corps led by Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr assault a Spanish force commanded by Juan Miguel de Vives y Feliu and Theodor von Reding. Saint-Cyr won the engagement by forming most of his troops into gigantic attack columns and smashing through the Spanish lines. Cardedeu is located 17 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of Barcelona, Spain. The action occurred during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars.

By the fall of 1808, a French corps under Guillaume Philibert Duhesme was besieged in Barcelona by a 24,000-man Spanish army led by Vives. With 23,000 Franco-Italian soldiers, Gouvion Saint-Cyr marched from France to relieve Duhesme's troops. First Saint-Cyr undertook the successful Siege of Roses. Confronted by the fortress of Girona, which had resisted two earlier attacks, the French general resorted to a risky strategy. Leaving his artillery and most of his supplies behind, he avoided Girona by marching 16,500 men though the mountains and headed for Barcelona. Saint-Cyr completely outgeneraled Vives, who was only able to marshal 9,000 troops to block his opponent. Vives drew up his outnumbered troops on high ground, but Saint-Cyr's huge columns proved unstoppable. The Spanish withdrew after suffering heavy losses and Barcelona was soon relieved.

As part of Emperor Napoleon's plan to seize the Kingdom of Spain in a military coup, several key points, including Barcelona were captured in February 1808. Among other strong places, the French also seized San Sebastián, Pamplona and Figueras by trickery. On 2 May 1808, the Spanish people revolted against the Imperial French occupation in the Dos de Mayo Uprising.

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