After the Battle of Bailen and the subsequent French surrender on 21 July 1808, the myth of French military invincibility was shattered. Subsequently, King Joseph I withdrew the remaining French forces behind the Ebro River. Determined to conquer Spain, Napoleon resolved to go there himself with a large army. He ordered three army corps to march from Germany to reinforce Joseph's badly shaken survivors. Among other reinforcements, one light cavalry and five dragoon divisions were transferred to Spain under the command of General Victor de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg, Milhaud, Generals Armand Lebrun de La Houssaye, Jean Thomas Guillaume Lorge, Jacques Louis François Milet, and Jean Baptiste Marie Franceschi-Delonne. La Tour-Maubourg led the 1st Dragoon Division with 3,695 troops, Milhaud the 2nd with 2,940, Houssaye the 3rd with 2,020, Lorge the 4th with 3,101, and Milet the 5th with 2,903. Franceschi led the 2,400-man light cavalry division. Two of Milhaud's regiments were assigned to other units and Milet was soon replaced by Kellermann. On 9 November 1808, Bessières was replaced by Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult in charge of the II Corps and ordered to lead the Cavalry Reserve. However, the Cavalry Reserve was not destined to remain intact. In December, Franceschi was already assigned to Soult, Houssaye and Lorge were directed to join Soult, and Milet was still on the march to Spain. Meanwhile, La Tour-Maubourg and Milhaud were assigned to help defend Madrid. Bessières remained with the cavalry near Madrid. Meanwhile, the French won the Battle of Tudela on 23 November 1808. General Alexandre Digeon participated in combat with two regiments of La Tour-Maubourg's division, 1,200 strong. While Lannes and the French infantry put the Spanish center and right wing to flight, Digeon's and a second brigade of French cavalry immobilized 10,000 soldiers of the Spanish left wing.