Second siege of Badajoz (1811)

Second siege of Badajoz (1811)
Part of the Peninsular War
Date 22 April – 12 May 1811 19 May – 10 June 1811 Location Badajoz, Spain 38°53′N 6°58′W / 38.883°N 6.967°W / 38.883; -6.967 Result French victory
Belligerents
French Empire	United Kingdom Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Armand Philippon	Arthur Wellesley William Beresford
Strength
7,600	34,700
Casualties and losses
Unknown	964 killed, wounded or captured

Peninsular War
Castile 1811–13

200km
125miles

20

19

Burgos

18

17

16

Salamanca

15

Astorga

14

13

12

11

Ciudad Rodrigo

10

9

8

7

Arlabán

6

5

Albuera

4

Campo Maior

3

2

Badajoz

1

  

  current battle

The second siege of Badajoz (22 April – 12 May and 18 May – 10 June, 1811) saw an Anglo-Portuguese Army, first led by William Carr Beresford and later commanded by Arthur Wellesley, the Viscount Wellington, besiege a French garrison under Armand Philippon at Badajoz, Spain. After failing to force a surrender, Wellington withdrew his army when the French mounted a successful relief effort by combining the armies of Marshals Nicolas Soult and Auguste Marmont. The action was fought during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars. Badajoz is located 6 kilometres (4 mi) from the Portuguese border on the Guadiana River in western Spain.

While Wellington faced Marshal André Masséna's Army of Portugal in the north, his lieutenant Beresford attempted to capture French-held Badajoz in the south. Beresford invested the city in April but Philippon's garrison successfully fended off his attacks. The siege was briefly lifted while the Battle of Albuera was fought on 16 May. Though both sides suffered horrific casualties, Beresford emerged the victor and Soult retreated to the east. Wellington brought reinforcements from the north and resumed the siege, but progress was slow in the face of spirited French resistance. Meanwhile, Masséna's replacement Marmont brought large forces south to join Soult. The British commander lifted the siege after being menaced by the numerically superior French army led by Soult and Marmont.