Battle of Benavente The Battle of Benavente ( 29 December 1808 ) was a cavalry clash in which the British cavalry of Lord Paget defeated the elite " Chasseurs à cheval " of the French Imperial Guard during the Corunna Campaign of the Peninsular War . The French chasseurs were broken and forced into the River Esla ; their commanding officer , General Lefebvre - Desnouettes , was captured . The action was the first major incident in the British army ' s harrowing retreat to the coast and ultimate evacuation by sea . Background . Sir John Moore led a British army into the heart of northwestern Spain with the aim of aiding the Spanish in their struggle against the French occupation . However , Napoleon had entered Spain at the head of a large army in order to retrieve French fortunes . This , together with the fall of Madrid to the French , made the position of the British army untenable . The British army had begun their retreat and were being pursued by the main French army led by Napoleon ; the cavalry under Henry , Lord Paget were performing an effective screening role to cover them . On Christmas Day the 10th Hussars had taken 100 enemy cavalrymen prisoner , and on 27 December the 18th Hussars had been attacked no less than six times , on each occasion they countercharged successfully . On the 28th the British cavalry were acting as a rearguard posted on the River Esla , to cover the army ' s withdrawal to Astorga . Forces . The French force consisted of three squadrons of the Chasseurs à cheval of the Imperial Guard , plus a number of Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard . The British forces were drawn from the brigades of John Slade : 10th Hussars and the 18th Hussars and of Charles Stewart ( later took the surname Vane ) : pickets of the 7th Hussars and 3rd Hussars of the King ' s German Legion ( KGL ) . Battle . Outlying pickets of the British cavalry were stationed along the western bank of the River Esla , which was swollen with rain . The bridge at Castrogonzalo had been demolished by British engineers early on the 29th , and it was not until about 9 : 00 in the morning that Lefebvre - Desnouettes , a noted favourite of Napoleon , was able to ford the river with three strong squadrons of his chasseurs and a small detachment of Mamelukes . The French forced the outlying pickets of the British cavalry back onto the inlying picket commanded by Loftus Otway ( 18th Hussars ) . Otway charged , despite heavy odds , but was driven back for 2 miles towards the town of Benavente . In an area where their flanks were covered by walls the British , now reinforced by a troop or squadron of the 3rd Hussars KGL and commanded by Brigadier - General Stewart , counter - attacked and a confused melee ensued . The French , though temporarily driven back , had superior numbers and forced the British hussars to retreat once more , almost back to Benavente . Stewart knew he was drawing the French towards Paget and substantial numbers of British reserves . The French had gained the upper hand in the fight and were preparing to deliver a final charge when Lord Paget made a decisive intervention . He led the 10th Hussars , with squadrons of the 18th in support , around the southern outskirts of Benavente . Paget managed to conceal his squadrons from French view until he could fall on their left flank . The British swords , often dulled by their iron scabbards , were very sharp on this occasion . An eyewitness stated that he saw the arms of French troopers cut off cleanly " like Berlin sausages . " Other French soldiers were killed by blows to the head , blows which divided the head down to the chin . The French made a fighting withdrawal back to the river , though their squadrons were eventually broken and a running fight ensued . The chasseurs were forced into and across the river , those who were left on the western bank were either cut down or made prisoner . Lefebvre - Desnouettes ' horse was injured and he could not cross the river ; he was then made prisoner , either by Levi Grisdale of the 10th Hussars or Johann Bergmann of the King ' s German Legion hussars , opinions differed at the time . As the chasseurs swam their horses across the river the British troopers fired on them with their carbine s and pistols . The French cavalry re - formed on their side of the river and opened carbine fire on the British , though they were subsequently dispersed by the fire of British horse artillery . Aftermath . The victory gained over the elite of the French light cavalry raised the morale of the British hussars ; it underlined the moral ascendancy they had achieved over the French cavalry at the earlier Battle of Sahagún . The retreat of the British army , however , continued . Napoleon had viewed the action from a height overlooking the river ; his reactions were rather muted and he made light of the losses to , and humbling of , his " Cherished Children . " That evening Lefebvre - Desnouettes , who had suffered a superficial head wound , was entertained at the table of the British commander - in - chief Sir John Moore ; Moore gave him his own sword to replace the one taken when he surrendered . The French general was imprisoned in England where he eventually broke his parole , an unpardonable sin according to English public opinion , and escaped back to France , whereupon Napoleon reinstated him to his former command of the guard chasseurs .