Battle of Cogorderos The Battle of Cogorderos took place at Cogorderos , in the Province of León , Castile - León , on 23 June 1811 , between a French force under Brigadier General Jean - André Valletaux and a Spanish force commanded by General Francisco Taboada y Gil during the Peninsular War . After seven hours of battle , the French were defeated and retreated to León . Despite the victory , Taboada , threatened by the bulk of General Jean Pierre François Bonet ' s army , retired to Astorga . However , Bonet and Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bessières decided against sending more troops to Extremadura , which favored the advance of Wellington in the south . Background . In June 1811 , the French occupied the Páramo Leonés . In response , Spanish troops under the command of Field Marshal José María Santocildes launched a strong attack against the French garrison at León , and forced the French to evacuate the city . The garrison commander of León , Brigadier General Jean - Baptiste Jeanin , destroyed several sections of the wall of the city , and on 19 June , retreated to Benavente . On 22 June , Santocildes and his forces entered in León , after 14 months of French occupation ; the imminent arrival of French reinforcements , however , forced them to withdraw a short time later . Meanwhile , General Jean Pierre François Bonet moved from Asturias to León , concentrating his troops on the right bank of the river Órbigo . On the morning of 23 June , Brigadier General Jean - André Valletaux with 5 , 000 men , relieved the French garrison in the town of Benavides . At heavy cost to themselves , the French forced the Spanish to retreat , who withdrew having suffered few casualties . The French general then decided to attack General Francisco Taboada y Gil ' s troops who located in the small town of Cogorderos . Battle . Despite having little knowledge of Taboada ' s troops , and possessing a smaller force than his opponent , Valletaux went on the attack . The Spanish fought tenaciously for more than four hours , until Brigadier General Federico Castañón arrived with three battalions of the " Oviedo Regiment " , which was commanded by Colonel Pedro Méndez de Vigo . In concert with Taboada ' s cavalry , the newcomers attacked the French flank and turned the tide of the battle . The Spanish launched three charges , inflicting heavy losses on the French , and after seven hours of battle , the French finally retreated , leaving behind a large amount of weapons and equipment , and several hundred of prisoners , including 11 officers . Valletaux himself was killed in the fighting , dying in the first Spanish charge . The Spanish captured three regimental eagles , and hunted down many of the French soldiers as they withdrew . Total French casualties amounted to 500 dead or wounded , while the Spanish lost 17 dead and 83 wounded . Aftermath . Despite the victory , Taboada , threatened by the bulk of the army of General Jean Pierre François Bonet , retired to Astorga . However , Bonet and Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bessières suspended sending more troops to Extremadura , which favored Wellington ' s advance in the south . In July , the French army at León was reinforced with several thousand men under General Jean - Marie Dorsenne , who replaced Bessières . The next battle took place 27 August 1811 at Riego de Ambrós where the French , commanded by General André - Philippe Corsin , were defeated by Spanish troops led by Brigadier General Federico Castañón .