FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE



1809
Date Name Attacker Defender Description Victor Casualties
April 1809 Badajoz
Wellington
50,000

Pallofox
30,000
Wellington combines forces with Hill and leads 50,000 English and Portuguese troops across the Spanish border. He catches Pallofox's 30,000 men napping outside the city and launches an immediate assault. The Spanish have no time to react much less get behind the city's walls. The rout is complete and by noon, the English are in sole possession of the field.
England
5,000 English
20,000 Spanish
May 1809 Ciudad Rodrigo
Wellington
40,000

Blake
25,000
Wellington attacks Blake outside Ciudad Rodrigo with 40,000 men. The 5,000 Frenchmen under Blake's command promptly shut themselves up inside the city but Blake's 20,000 Spaniards choose to meet the English and their Portuguese allies outside the city. Wellington successfully turns Blake's exposed right flank with his English regulars and almost total superiority in cavalry. Blake soon finds himself swept up in the debris of his army as the survivors flee toward Madrid.
England
10,000 English
15,000 Spanish
5,000 French
June 1809 Ciudad Rodrigo
Soult
120,000

Wellington
30,000
In a logistical masterpiece, Soult consolidates 120,000 men at Ciudad Rodrigo to confront Wellington's 30,000 defenders. Only Lannes' corps is too far to reach the battle. Wisely deciding not to get trapped in the city, Wellington engages in a fighting withdrawal. He loses over 1/2 his men in the retreat into Portugal.
France
5,000 French
20,000 English
July 1809 Warsaw
Kutusov
60,000

Murat
15,000
Kutusov attacks the capital of Poland with 60,000 men catching Murat and his 15,000 defenders in a state of uneasiness. Murat retreats behind the city walls but the fortifications have not been maintained. The French manage to beat back the first attacks but when a huge mine demolishes a large section of wall, the Russian assault is irresistible. The city falls and is thoroughly sacked. Murat is captured trying to escape but has a grand time with his Cossack captors before having an audience with Kutusov.
Russia
10,000 Russian
15,000 French
July 1809 Orinoco
Soult
90,000

Pallafox
35,000

Hill
30,000
Coming from the north, Soult's 90,000 Frenchmen combine with Pallafox's 35,000 Spaniards marching from the south to catch up with Hill's 30,000 men retreating down the Tagus River on the Portuguese border. The French cavalry is able to overtake the heavily laden British columns confined in the narrow river valley. With virtually no cavalry of his own, Hill cannot drive then off. Only with great perseverance and discipline can any of his men escape. The French pursue Hill into Portugal but the Spanish militia refuse to cross the border.
France

Spain
5,000 French
20,000 English
August 1809 Lisbon
Soult
20,000

10,000
A Franco-Spanish army of 100,000 moves on Lisbon. The 10,000 hastily raised militia defending the city promptly withdraw behind the walls. Soult leads 20,000 men in an assault which is overwhelmingly successful. Two hours into the attack, the walls are breached. Half the defenders and killed or wounded and teh remainder surrender.
France
5,000 French
10,000 English
August 1809 Torres Verdes
Wellington
90,000

Lannes
70,000
Pallafox
20,000
After receiving reinforcements by sea, Wellington closes on the Franco-Spanish army outside Lisbon. Wellington's 90,000 men are evenly matched by Lannes and Pallafox, except the latter are markedly superior in cavalry. Lannes skillfully deploys his men on a series of ridges with Pallafox's 20,000 Spaniards anchoring his right. Wellington probes most of the day without success. Lannes's urgent dispatches to Soult in Lisbon go unanswered. Soult, too preoccupied with the prospect of loot in the Portuguese capital, does not march his 20,000 men to the sound of the guns. Toward dusk, the British locate a lightly guarded trail flanking the French position. As darkness falls, Wellington manages to place a brigade astride the French position. Lannes, aware of the British position on his flank but unable to determine their strength, orders a withdrawal, leaving Soult in Lisbon. The cautious Wellington does not advance to cut Soult off.
England
20,000 English
25,000 French
5,000 Spanish
August 1809 Stockholm
Bagration
65,000

30,000
Swedish
After two months of hard marching across Finland, 65,000 Russians under Bagration attack Stockholm. Despite having advance warning of the Russian advance, the unstable King Gustavus IV refuses to take an active hand in the city's defense.

The Russians brush aside a small covering force outside the city and assault the city in earnest. Russian storming parties force several breaches. The beleaguered Swedes quickly lay down their arms. Russian forces race ahead and seize the Swedish fleet laying at anchor in the harbor. The King and his family are captured before they can flee.

Russia
5,000 Russian
30,000 Swedish
(15,000 captured)
September 1809 Vimiero
Napoleon
90,000

Wellington
60,000
Within four weeks of entering Spain, Napoleon crosses into Portugal with 25,000 men. Summoning Lannes's army of 50,000 and 15,000 Spaniards under Blake, the Emperor attacks Wellington's army of 60,000 at Vimiero. Wellington, unaware of Napoleon's presence on the peninsula, allows his army to be caught with strung out on the march to Lisbon. With the Guard leading the attack, Napoleon cuts the English army to pieces. Wellington is unable to mount an effective defense. Only the total sacrifice of the Portuguese corps allows Wellington to save even half his army from the debacle. Nightfall and poor weather halts the rout as the English tumble back toward Oporoto.
France
10,000 French
30,000 English
September 1809 Vimiero (Second)
Wellington
65,000

Napoleon
75,000
Reinforced by 10,000 men courtesy of the Royal Navy and 20,000 men from marched from Oporoto by Uxbridge, Wellington quickly rallies and attacks Napoleon's 75,000 men with his army of 65,000. Napoleon, underestimating England's ability to land reinforcements by sea, is caught unprepared. Wellington attacks the French center without result. Sensing the English have shot their bolt and underestimating his adversary, Napoleon orders a furious counterattack by Lannes. The French attack falters badly in the face of disciplined English musketry fire. Lannes is knocked from his horse and rendered unconscious. The ensuing French collapse is sudden and dramatic. A heroic stand by a Swiss regiment and an effective French cavalry screen limit the losses during the withdrawal.
England
10,000 English
20,000 French
5,000 Spanish
September 1809 Breslau
Kutusov
55,000

Marmont
20,000
At the head of 15,000 infantry and 40,000 cavalry, Kutusov attacks Marmont's 20,000 men at Breslau. Marmont is under orders to not engage the Russians and orders a fighting withdrawal. The overwhelmingly superior Russian cavalry makes the withdrawal difficult. A significant number of Frenchmen are caught on the wrong side of the Oder and forced to surrender. The survivors believe they have escaped but when local peasants show the Russians a ford, Kutusov completes the destruction of Marmont's corps.
Russia
10,000 Russian
20,000 French
October 1809 Oporoto
Lannes
65,000

10,000
Lannes, left on his own to continue in Portugal, makes the most of his independent command. Sending word to La Romana's 25,000 Spaniards to meet him outside Oporoto, Lannes marches his army of 45,000 past Wellington and to Oporoto. The 10,00 man garrison comprises ot Half-trained Portuguese militia and Danish infantry, is no match for Lannes's army.
France
5,000 French
10,000 English
October 1809 Hamburg (Second)
Barclay
25,000

10,000
After an agreeable stay in conquered Stockholm. Barclay lands in Lubeck. He marches as Russo-Swedish army of 25,000 to Hamburg, assaults the city and takes half the 10,000 man garrison prisoner.
Russia
5,000 French
10,000 French
November 1809 Lowicz
Davout
110,000

Kutusov
100,000
Davout launches the 210,000 strong Grande Armee across southern Prussia in pursuit of Kutusov's retreating Russians. Late season rains turn the sandy Polish roads into rivers of mud. Both Bernadotte and Bessieres' corps fall several days behind. When Davout arrives at the Russians' fortified camp, he has only 110,000 men. Fearful that Kutusov's 100,000 men will resume their retreat, Davout elects to attack the next morning. The Russian positions prove formidable and well placed. Unable to turn either flank, Davout resorts to brutal frontal assaults. The French exhaust themselves to little effect. Davout is thrown from his horse and knocked unconscious just as Kutusov launches a counterattack. The Russian surge cracks the French line. Russian cavalry seizes a critical road juncture forcing the French to fight to escape. Only a well-led rear guard prevents total disaster as the French quit the battlefield.
Russia
30,000 French
10,000 Russian
November 1809 Prezlau
Kutusov
120,000

Bernadotte
90,000
Following the victory at Lowicz, Kutusov makes plans to go into winter quarters. A personal emissary from the Tsar shakes the old warrior into action. Marching with 120,000 men preceded by an enormous cavalry screen, Kutusov discovers Bernadotte and Bessieres' corps struggling to catch up with Davout and the main body of the Grande Armee. With total cavalry superiority, Kutusov gains a complete picture of the French dispositions. Kutusov launches assaults isolating the two French corps. A total lack of coordination between Bernadotte and Bessieres aggravates the French efforts to mount a defensive effort. Strung out with no cavalry support, Bessieres' Bavarians and Wurtembergers are cut to pieces. Bernadotte manages to save most of his corps only because the Russians are too preoccupied with finishing off Bessieres.
Russia
35,000 French
10,000 Russian
December 1809 Hannover
Massena
30,000

Barclay de Tolly
15,000
Massena marches 30,000 men to Hannover where Barclay de Tolly awaits with a mixed force of 15,000 Russians and Swedes, including the Russian Imperial Guard. Unsure or the situation at Lubeck, Barclay chooses to defend in the field. Before the battle begins, Massena slips a division across Barclay's line of retreat, totally compromising the Russian defense. Barclay orders a withdrawal but is hampered by French cavalry and bad weather. Only the Russian Guard survives the debacle.
France
5,000 French
10,000 Russian
December 1809 Pannerborn
Poniatowski
20,000

Sweden
10,000
Poniatowski attacks the Russian base at Lubeck with 20,000 men. The 10,000 Swedes defending the city are largely untrained conscripts and put up only token resistance before being overrun. The Russian transports in the harbor only barely avoid capture.
France
5,000 French
10,000 Swedes
December 1809 Lubeck
Barclay
15,000

Moore
10,000

Poniatowski
15,000
Barclay marches the 5,000 survivors of his command where he is met by 10,000 Russian reinforcements and a 10,000 strong Anglo-Danish expeditionary force commanded by Moore. The 25,000 man army attacks Poniatowski's 15,000 men outside Lubeck. Poniatowski uses his cavalry superiority to deny the allies his flanks. The battle turns into a brutal series of frontal assaults. The attacks are unimaginative but effective. After 10 hours of grinding combat, Poniatowski is obliged to order a general withdrawal with the surviving remnants of his command.
Russia/England
15,000 French
10,000 Russian
5,000 English