Corunna, battle of

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Corunna, battle of, 1809. In October 1808 the British, under Sir John Moore, pushed into northern Spain to ease the pressure on the Spanish army and draw the French from Madrid. Outnumbered and inadequately supplied, they were soon in danger of being cut off. Moore skilfully retreated through the Galician mountains towards the coast, over 250 miles in harsh winter conditions, closely pursued by the French under Marshal Soult. At Corunna on 16 January 1809 Soult attacked with 20,000 men. Moore with 15,000 men uniformly repulsed the French, allowing the British to evacuate safely by sea, but Moore himself was fatally wounded.

Richard A. Smith

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