Battle of Sahagún The Battle of Sahagún ( December 21 , 1808 ) was a cavalry clash in which the 15th Light Dragoons ( Hussars ) defeated two regiments of French cavalry during the Corunna Campaign of the Peninsular War . One of the French regiments lost so heavily that it was subsequently disbanded . The action marked the final phase of the British army ' s advance into the interior of Spain , before they began their 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 . Moore , whose headquarters were at Mayorga , was aware that he must retreat towards the coast in the face of the overwhelming odds ranged against him . However , he was also aware that Marshal Soult ' s corps was nearby , on the Carrión River , and was apparently unsupported . Before beginning his retreat he wished to make a strike against Soult . As part of this design the cavalry under Henry , Lord Paget were sent towards Soult , as a reconnaissance in force , ahead of the infantry . Forces . The French force comprised Debelle ' s brigade : 1st provisional " Chasseurs à cheval " and the 8th Dragoons . The British force was the 15th Light Dragoons ( Hussars ) from the brigade of Charles Stewart and the 10th Light Dragoons ( Hussars ) of John Slade ' s brigade , however , the latter regiment did not come into direct combat . Battle . On a bitterly cold night Lord Paget ordered the 10th Hussars to move through the town of Sahagún , then occupied by a French cavalry force , whilst he made a sweep around Sahagún with the 15th Hussars in order that the French might be trapped . Unfortunately General John Slade was tardy in moving off with the 10th Hussars ; the French cavalry became aware of the proximity of the British cavalry and exited from the town to the east unmolested . In the dawn light the French regiments , catching sight of the 15th Hussars to the south , formed up in two lines with the 1st Provisional Chasseurs ( commanded by Colonel Tascher , a relative of the Empress Josephine - though he may not have been present ) in front and the 8th Dragoons behind them . Unusually , the French cavalry received the charge of the British hussars whilst stationary and tried to halt it with carbine fire . The 15th Hussars charged , over about 400 yards of snowy , frozen ground , shouting " Emsdorf and Victory ! " It was so cold the hussars were wearing their pelisse s , rather than having them slung over their shoulders , and many had cloaks over all . Eyewitnesses also spoke of numbed hands hardly able to grasp reins and sabres . The impact when the hussars met the chasseurs was terrible , as one British officer recorded : " horses and men were overthrown and a shriek of terror , intermixed with oaths , groans and prayers for mercy issued from the whole extent of their front . " The impetus of the British hussars carried them through the ranks of the chasseurs and into those of the dragoons behind . The French force was broken , and it routed eastwards with the British in pursuit . Many French cavalrymen ( though the chasseurs were largely of German origin ) were made prisoners at very little cost to the 15th Hussars . Two French lieutenant colonels were captured and the chasseurs , who lost many men captured , ceased to exist as a viable regiment . The 10th Hussars came up during the pursuit , however , they were initially mistaken for French cavalry . This caused the 15th Hussars to break off their pursuit to re - form , ending the action . Aftermath . News reached Moore that the main French forces were much closer to him than he had thought ; therefore the attack against Soult was abandoned . The cavalry action at Sahagun marked the final advance before the British began their long , painful and almost disastrous retreat towards the port of Corunna on the Galician coast . The presence of the British army had , as Moore intended , focussed Napoleon ' s attention upon it allowing the Spanish forces some time to reorganise and regroup after the defeats they had suffered . The 15th Hussars ' charge and subsequent victory meant that the French cavalry were reluctant to fight the British cavalry for the remainder of the campaign . The French 1st Provisional Chasseurs were so depleted by their losses at Sahagun that they were disbanded . The British Hussars were to gain one more victory over their French counterparts during the campaign when , on 29 December 1808 , at Benavente they drove Napoleon ' s elite " Chasseurs à cheval " of the Imperial Guard into the River Esla , capturing their commanding general , Lefebvre - Desnouettes . The 15th Hussars were awarded " Sahagun " as a Battle Honour , which is still celebrated today by The Light Dragoons and B Battery 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery .