Battle of Majadahonda In the Battle of Majadahonda on 11 August 1812 , a British - Portuguese cavalry force under Major - General George Bock and Brigadier - General Benjamin d ' Urban fought a French cavalry division led by General of Division Anne - François - Charles Trelliard . The French scored an initial success by routing a Portuguese cavalry brigade and seizing three artillery pieces . Later , the French withdrew when reinforcements arrived in this Peninsular War action . Majadahonda is located and Las Rozas is northwest of Madrid . Battle . After General Arthur Wellesley , 1st Duke of Wellington ' s great victory at the Battle of Salamanca , the Anglo - Portuguese Army moved on Madrid from the northwest . On 11 August , the 1st , 11th and 12th Dragoons of D ' Urban ' s Portuguese brigade formed Wellington ' s advanced guard . Behind them was Bock ' s brigade , consisting of the 1st and 2nd King ' s German Legion ( KGL ) Dragoons . Farther back in the column , Colonel Colin Halkett led the 1st and 2nd KGL Light Infantry battalions , plus 7 companies of the Brunswick Oels battalion . D ' Urban ' s troopers were surprised by Trelliard ' s division , which included the 13th , 18th , 19th and 22nd Dragoons , plus the Westphalian Chevau - légers and the Italian " Napoleone " Dragoons . The Portuguese horsemen were routed and three cannons were lost . A frustrated D ' Urban wrote of his troopers , " At Salamanca they followed me into the enemy ' s ranks like British dragoons ; yesterday they were so far from doing their duty that in the first charge they just went far enough to land me in the enemy ' s ranks . In the second , which ( having got them rallied ) I rashly attempted , I could not get them within 20 yards of the enemy - - they left me alone , and vanished before the French helmets like leaves before the autumn wind . " Bock ' s heavy dragoons soon arrived and the Portuguese horsemen rallied behind them . With the help of the 1st KGL Light Infantry battalion , the combined British - Portuguese force managed to halt the French advance . Trelliard withdrew after hearing of additional allied reinforcements . The next morning the allies entered Majadahonda and discovered the lost cannons . Result . All told , 2 , 300 British - Portuguese troops were engaged against about 2 , 000 Frenchmen . Trelliard lost about 200 casualties , compared to 176 British - Portuguese losses . Bock lost 14 killed , 40 wounded and 7 captured . D ' Urban reported 33 killed , 52 wounded and 23 captured . The KGL infantry had 7 men wounded . Treilliard ' s report of the battle led to King Joseph Bonaparte ' s hasty withdrawal from Madrid the next day . The next action was the Siege of Burgos . The British - Portuguese advance guard was severely mauled at Majalahonda . In less than an hour , they lost 200 men killed and wounded , 3 guns captured , while one of their two brigade commanders ( Colonel de Jonquiéres ) , and two of their five regimental commanders ( Visconde de Barbaçena and Colonel Lobo ) were made prisoners . The French abandoned the 3 guns after burning the carriages . French casualties were probably half that , with one officer killed and 15 wounded , including Colonel Reiset . The KGL Dragoons covered themselves with glory , while the Portuguese dishonored themselves in the eyes of the army . Their performance at Majadahonda erased the laurels they had won at Salamanca . Marshal Beresford , the commander of the Portuguese Army , thought the Portuguese dragoons should be punished and proposed the following to Wellington : " I have ordered that they should not again mount a horse or wear a sword till they may , by coming near the enemy , have an opportunity of redeeming their credit . . . till then , hanging their swords on their saddles , they lead their horses , marching themselves . The Portuguese have a good deal of feeling and pride , and it is the only way to work on them . . . " Wellington , however , thought differently : " As for sending the cavalry to the rear that is impossible at the present . We have still a good deal upon our hands , and we are worse provided with cavalry than our neighbours ; and a body commanded by such a man as D ' Urban , even though they will not fight , are better than none . In fact , they behaved infamously , and they must not be employed again alone , or with our cavalry , who gallop too fast for them . "