page_title: Battle of Zújar
section_title: Results
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Zújar / Results
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Homme, en pied, de face, Ordre de la Légion d'honneur, Ordre de la Couronne de fer, maréchal, duc de Dalmatie) English: Man. Standing. Facing. Order of the Legion of Honor. Order of the Crown of Iron. Marshal. Duke of Dalmatia.
context_page_description: In the Battle of Zújar of the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars, on 9 August 1811 an Imperial French division from Nicolas Soult's army attacked a Spanish division belonging to Manuel Alberto Freire de Andrade y Armijo's Army of Murcia. The French division, led by Nicolas Godinot, defeated Joseph O'Donnell's Spanish division with heavy losses. Zújar is located on Route 323, 13 kilometres northwest of Baza, Granada in Spain.
  Spanish armies under Freire and Joaquín Blake y Joyes threatened the French grip on the south of Spain during the summer of 1811. Marshal Soult, who had just suffered a bloody defeat at the Battle of Albuera in May, left a colleague's army to observe the Anglo-Portuguese and marched south at the end of June. After driving off Blake's army, the marshal moved east with 12,000 men to deal with the Army of Murcia. Freire's army had enjoyed initial success in its campaign against Jean François Leval's weak IV Corps. At the beginning of August, Freire was joined by Blake's force, which had been shipped to the Region of Murcia by a British naval squadron. The arrival of Soult with reinforcements quickly turned the tables.
context_section_description: Godinot was only 8 miles (13 km) from Baza. Possession of that city would cut off Freire's retreat route, but the French general hesitated. La Cuadra was reported approaching from the east and his men were worn out from marching and fighting. So Godinot halted his troops and threw out scouts. Meanwhile, Freire heard of O'Donnell's rout and slipped away from the Gor ravine in the evening and marched his entire army through Baza at night. At daylight on 10 August, Soult found the Gor lines empty and ordered Latour-Maubourg to conduct an immediate pursuit.
  The French cavalry caught up with Freire's rear guard at Las Vertientes, 10 miles (16 km) east of Baza. The Spanish general posted the divisions of Loy and Osorio to protect his infantry. However, General of Brigade Pierre Benoit Soult led a charge which routed the Spanish cavalry. With their cavalry shattered, the Spanish infantry left the main highway and made for the hills. Creagh, Lardizabal, and La Cuadra retreated to the north in the direction of Caravaca de la Cruz while Sanz and O'Donnell withdrew to the south toward Oria and Albox. The flight was so rapid that one retreating column covered 37 miles (60 km) on the 10th.
  Marshal Soult reached Vélez-Rubio on the main highway with 12,000 troops. With Freire's army split in two, the city of Murcia, 70 miles (113 km) east was utterly unprotected. But the marshal determined to suppress the guerillas instead. On 14 August the two parts of the Spanish army rendezvoused at Alcantarilla, just west of Murcia, where Blake rejoined them. The army numbered 4,000 fewer men than it had when it began the campaign. On the 14th, Soult turned back to the west and split his army into several columns. One column reoccupied Almería while the others began to hunt down the guerilla bands. The French laid a heavy hand on the countryside, sacking villages and shooting people out of hand. Soult also exhibited harshness. During the campaign, the French captured Charles Cléry, an émigré officer, the son of the servant of King Louis XVI of France. Though the man had since served in both the Austrian and Spanish armies, Soult had the man court-martialled and shot.
  The French did not have things all their own way. Conde de Montijo's band captured two companies of Poles near Motril on 21 August. Soon afterward, his men repulsed a 1,500-man French column. The next combat in the region was the Battle of Bornos on 5 November 1811.
caption: Marshal Nicolas Soult
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