Battle of Baza

Battle of Baza (1810)
Part of Peninsular War

Joaquín Blake was beaten when he let his corps get spread out.
Date4 November 1810
Location
Baza, Granada, Spain
37°29′N 2°46′W / 37.483°N 2.767°W / 37.483; -2.767
Result French victory
Belligerents
First French Empire French Empire
Duchy of Warsaw Duchy of Warsaw		 Spain Kingdom of Spain
Commanders and leaders
First French Empire Édouard Milhaud Spain Joaquín Blake
Strength
3,300 9,000
12 guns
Casualties and losses
200 1,500
6 guns
Peninsular war: Siege of Cádiz
Map
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150km
100miles
Tarifa
7
Siege of Tarifa (1812) at Tarifa, from 19 December 1811 to 5 January 1812
Bornos
6
Battle of Bornos (1811) at Bornos, on 5 November 1811 Battle of Bornos (1812), on 31 May 1812
Zújar
5
Battle of Zújar at Zújar, on 9 August 1811
Barrosa
4
Battle of Barrosa at Barrosa, on 5 March 1811
Baza
3
Fuengirola
2
Battle of Fuengirola at Fuengirola, on 15 October 1810
Cádiz
1
Siege of Cádiz at Cádiz, from 5 February 1810 to 24 August 1812
  current battle

In the Battle of Baza on 4 November 1810 an Imperial French force commanded by General Milhaud fought a Spanish corps led by General Blake. When the Spanish commander allowed his forces to get spread out, Milhaud attacked with his cavalry and crushed Blake's vanguard with heavy losses. The Spanish force retreated into the province of Murcia. Baza is located on Route 342 about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Almería. The battle occurred during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars.

After King Joseph Bonaparte's army overran Andalusia, it meant that he had increased the territory his soldiers had to defend. French Marshal Soult's three corps were kept busy fending off constant Spanish and British threats to the province from land and sea. At Baza, the French successfully drove away one Spanish column. Within a few months, there would be another clash at Barrosa.