- For the battle near Madrid in the Spanish Civil War, see Battle of the La Corunna Road.
Moore's tomb in San Carlos Garden at
A Coruña
Moore's monolith in the old battlefield, now a campus of the University of Corunna
The Battle of Corunna (or of La Corunna, A Coruña, La Coruña, or Elviña) was a battle of
the Peninsular War which took place on January 16
1809, between 16,000 British under Sir John Moore, and 16,000 French under
Marshal Soult.
Background
Following the Convention of Cintra, the repatriation of the French army
following the Battle of Vimeiro, the commanders of the British army were recalled,
including Sir Arthur Wellesley, to face a court of inquiry. Therefore, the British
expedition to Portugal and Spain was left to Sir John Moore, a military commander of some
note for his reformation of light infantry tactics.
However, the campaign which followed was marked by defeat, privation, and winter conditions, and took the lives of over 6,000
British soldiers. Initially, Moore ignored the advice of General
La Romana and advanced his troops into north central Spain to link up with his Spanish allies. But after the defeat of the
Spanish by an army led by Napoleon himself, the British decided to withdraw toward
the far northern port of Corunna near the Bay of Biscay. Moore hoped this would draw the French
Army away from Portugal, to allow the small British force in that country to be reinforced, and
to allow the Spanish armies to reform. But the retreat, made in a harsh winter, was a shambles. The exhausting marches, cold
weather and frequent skirmishes with the pursuing French units saw many turn to alcohol and become so drunk that they were left
behind.
Facing only Spanish and British rear-guard actions (often involving Henry Paget's
cavalry), Napoleon received information that Austria was preparing for war. He left it to Soult to finish the elimination of the British army and returned to France to meet the
Austrian threat. The remnants of the British army were within sight of the waiting ships of the Royal Navy when Soult arrived
with his French Corps. Soult faced the British army at Corunna at the very time it was arranging its evacuation. But far from
being a crashing onslaught, the attack was delayed and methodical; in part owing to rugged terrain and the difficulty of dragging
the French guns to the crest near the town.
Battle
On January 15, 500 French tirailleurs under
General Jardon led the first attack across the broken terrain, driving the British back from Palavea and Penasquedo. French
columns storming the heights of Monte Mero were exposed to harrowing fire from the British light
infantry but, with supporting fire from the French artillery, managed to drive the 59th
Regiment of Foot back onto the crest. The 51st Regiment of
Foot tried to capture the French guns but were cut down and routed by French infantry.
On the 16th the French entered Elvina. The celebrated counterattack by the 42nd
Highlanders forced the French back after a bloody struggle with the bayonet, but the retreat of the 50th Foot forced the Scots to fall back to their pickets. The battle for Elvina was not yet decided
when Sir John Moore was struck in the chest by a cannonball and died on the field. The 42nd Highlanders attacked the village
again and fought on into the darkness.
That night the British abandoned the battlefield and withdrew to their boats. The French pursuit was swift, and by morning
French guns had opened fire on the sloops and transports in the bay. Only Corunna's small Spanish garrison under General Alcedo
kept the French at bay while the British withdrew.[5]
Supporting fire from naval frigates and battleships kept Soult at a safe distance while the
evacuation was completed successfully, saving the majority of the army, many of whom would later fight under Wellington (although as many would suffer further privations during the
mismanaged Walcheren Campaign). The British at Corunna lost about 900 dead or
wounded. French losses are not known with certainty. Soult, meanwhile, laid hands on the supplies abandoned by the British,
including 20,000 muskets.
Analysis
The campaign and Battle of Corunna foreshadowed many of the problems to be encountered by the British army within the
Peninsula. First and foremost, it highlighted the need for a reliable method of supply. The sufferings of the British army in the
withdrawal were undoubtedly terrible, but worse was that it forced many soldiers to loot and ravage the Spanish countryside. This
of course did not endear the British to their Spanish allies. Subsequently the future commander Arthur Wellesley planned a
logistical system in conjunction with Spanish, Portuguese, and British units with great efficiency, and ensured that the British
regularly paid local suppliers and merchants. The campaign also pointed up the difficulties of a winter campaign, which further
contributed to many of the privations sustained by the army.
Finally, the lack of communication between allies was significant. The role of the British army under Moore was to support the
Spanish armies confronting Napoleon. However, when Moore arrived at Salamanca, he
was unaware that Napoleon had already defeated the Spanish. Afterwards, profound efforts were undertaken to centralise command
and communication, mostly under British commanders such as Wellesley and Beresford. The British returned to Portugal later that
year, refreshed, resupplied and with a new commander, Sir Arthur Wellesley, who went on to become the 1st Duke Of Wellington and
a constant thorn in Napoleon's side.
Wellesley paid tribute to Moore's achievements during the Corunna Campaign stating that "You know, I don't think we'd have won
without him."
Notes
- ^ Chandler, p. 114
- ^ Chandler, p. 657
- ^ a b Gates, p. 114
- ^ a b Chandler, p. 656
- ^ A. Nuñez and G.A. Smith, [1]
References
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