Editing Battle of Almonacid (section)

==Background==
The [[Peninsular War#Spanish campaign, late 1809|Spanish campaign in late 1809]] started with the [[Battle of Talavera]].

===Prelude===
[[File:Sébastiani, Horace - 4.jpg|thumb|Sebastiani]]
After the defeat at Talavera, King Joseph retreated with his French army to the vicinity of Toledo and ordered General Sébastiani to attack the portion of the Spanish La Mancha army threatening Madrid under the command of Venegas at Aranjuez. On 5 August, however, due in large part to the hastiness of the attack and the limited number of [[Tagus River]] crossings, Sébastiani and the French forces were defeated in a short battle at Aranjuez. Sébastiani chose next to flank Venegas by moving his army west, crossing the Tagus at Toledo, and then returning to the east to attack the Spanish. Venegas, however, anticipated that Sébastiani would attempt such a tactic and moved his forces westward south of the Tagus. On 10 August, both armies were concentrated in the vicinity of Almonacid. {{sfn|Lipscombe|2014|pp=138-140}}

Venegas' Spanish force consisted of 22,000 infantry, more than 3,000 horses and 29 pieces of artillery, and was organized in five divisions commanded respectively by [[Luis Lacy y Gautier|Luis Lacy]], [[Gaspar de Vigodet]], [[Pedro Agustín Girón]], [[Francisco González de Castejón]] and Tomás de Zeraín. Miguel de los Ríos and the Marquess of Gelo served as Majors General of the cavalry and the infantry, while [[Brigadier]]s [[Antonio de la Cruz]] and Juan Bouligni were Commanders-in-chief of Artillery and Engineers. They were so confident of victory that they disregarded all the established rules for camping out during times of military conflict, especially being so close to the enemy.
Sébastiani's French force had crossed the Tagus on 9 August, settling that same day in the nearby town of [[Nambroca]], a [[league (unit)|league]] away from Almonacid.

The Spanish commander, after hearing the opinion of the other generals, who agreed with him despite being aware of the retreat of the allied army from [[Talavera de la Reina]] towards [[Extremadura]], decided to attack the French on 12 August in order to rest his troops. The French army anticipated this and appeared in front of the Spanish positions at half past five in the morning of 11 August, with 14,000{{sfn|Gates|2001|p=190}} troops of the IV Corps commanded by [[Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta|Sebastiani]], who attacked the Spanish immediately without waiting for the reserve under the command of [[Jean Joseph Dessolles|Dessolles]] and King [[Joseph Bonaparte]] in person to come up.

The La Mancha army hastily positioned itself in front of Almonacid and on both sides in the following formation: Vigodet's division, a little behind, on the far right, with much of the cavalry; continuing to the left, Castejón's division was established on the Utrera hill, Zerain's division beside it covering the Santo hill, and Lacy's division closer at the Guazalate stream; the 3rd division, Girón's, acting as reserve, was spread between the heights of Cerrojones, on the extreme left and the key to the entire line of battle, and the Cerro de la Cruz or Castillo hill, named for the castle ruins on its summit.