Battle of Benavente | |||||||
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Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
![]() British hussars at the battle of Benavente, 29 December 1808, by William Barnes Wollen. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
600[2] | 550[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
50 killed and wounded[2] | 55 killed and wounded, 3 officers and 70 other ranks captured.[2] |
The Battle of Benavente (29 December 1808) was a cavalry clash in which the British cavalry of Lord Paget defeated the elite Chasseurs à cheval of the French Imperial Guard during the Corunna Campaign of the Peninsular War. The French chasseurs were broken and forced into the River Esla; their commanding officer, General Lefebvre-Desnouettes, was captured. The action was the first major incident in the British army's harrowing retreat to the coast and ultimate evacuation by sea.[1]