Battle of Corunna
A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
What happened
A British army under Sir John Moore fought a French army under Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult. After Napoleon arrived in Spain with a huge army, Moore drew the French north as he retreated to the coast. At A Coruña, the French attacked while the British were boarding their ships. Fighting swayed back and forth around the village of Elviña until night, and the British finished boarding and sailed the next morning.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The British army escaped by sea, though the French took A Coruña and northern Spain. Historians disagree about who really won.
What came next
Soult went on to capture the naval base at Ferrol and set out toward Portugal on 1 February 1809. He later ordered a monument to be built to Moore.
Did you know?
Moore was buried in his military cloak on the town's walls, an event described in the famous poem 'The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna'.
Timeline
- 13 November 1761John Moore is born in Glasgow.
- 1803Moore begins training light infantry at Shorncliffe.
- 16 January 1809The Battle of Corunna.
- 1 February 1809Soult begins his march toward Portugal.