Battle of Yevenes

Battle of Los Yébenes

Polish Vistula Lancers in charge

Date	24 March 1809
Location	Los Yébenes, Spain
Result	Polish lancers fight through Spanish lines but lose their banners

Belligerents

Duchy of Warsaw

Kingdom of Spain

Commanders and leaders

Jan Konopka

Conde de Cartaojal

Strength

590 cavalry

4,000 cavalry
1,000 militia

Casualties and losses

89 dead or captured

The Battle of Los Yébenes (24 March 1809) was the clash of the Regiment of Polish Lancers of the Legion of the Vistula with multiple regiments of Spanish cavalry, near the Spanish village (today municipality) of Los Yébenes. The heavily outnumbered Polish regiment, led by Colonel Jan Konopka, was attacked by surprise and almost defeated by the larger Spanish force.

General Valance's Polish Division of the Corps of Gen. Horace Sébastiani left Toledo on 20 March and marched south-west in order to take Andalusia. On the evening of 23 March they stopped to rest in the town of Mora. The lancers (591 men in 4 squadrons) could have spent the night in nearby Orgaz at the foot of the mountains, but Colonel Konopka chose instead the large village of Los Yébenes (also called Yevenes or Ivenes), which the Poles had recognized as a comfortable place to rest during their previous patrols in that area. However the place was very difficult to organize for defense. As an eyewitness, soldier of the Regiment Sergeant Kajetan Wojciechowski, wrote:

This position was extremely dangerous for cavalry, because the only way out of the valley zigzagged through the mountain, from which any step to the right, where sky-high rocks were hanging over our heads, or to the left, because of abyss under our feet, was impossible to make, and it was the only way we had take if attacked by the enemy.

According to this description, the resting place for the night was a poor choice, because it could easily turn into a death trap for sleeping soldiers, who had no space to form themselves for the battle, and no safe way of retreat. In fact, the valley was vast enough to fight a battle of large forces, but for a single regiment going up against a whole army, it was very disadvantageous.

Colonel Konopka might have chosen such a place to spend the night because neither the French nor the Poles knew about Spanish forces concentrating nearby. The regiment's companies were quartered throughout the village along with the wagons of the supply column. In the center of the village stayed the fifth company under Captain Jan Szulc. This company on that night was the service detachment of the regiment. Around the village pickets were posted.

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Wikipedia