Editing Battle of Uclés (1809) (section)

==Spanish offensive==
[[File:Pedro de Alcántara Álvarez de Toledo y Salm Salm, XIII duque del Infantado (Museo del Prado).jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|alt=Painting of a standing man in a fancy blue military coat with white breeches and black boots. His right hand points to a map while his left arm cradles a bicorne hat.|Duke of Infantado]]

On 25 December 1808, Infantado sent General [[Francisco Javier Venegas]] with the Vanguard and most of the cavalry to seize [[Tarancón]] while [[Brigadier General]] Antonio Senra and 4,000 soldiers moved on Aranjuez. Senra found Villatte's division at Aranjuez and declined to attack, an action for which he was harshly criticized by Infantado. Meanwhile, Venegas managed to encircle [[General of Brigade]] [[André Thomas Perreimond]] and his [[dragoon]] brigade in Tarancón. At the last moment, the French detected what was afoot and hurriedly saddled up their horses. Perreimond decided to break out at once. When the dragoons charged the Spanish force that had gotten behind the town, the infantry were forced to form squares. Perreimond's troopers then rode between the squares to safety, but not before 50 to 60 saddles were emptied. Because the Spanish cavalry was late into action, the two dragoon regiments got away without further damage.{{sfn|Oman|1995|pp=6–7}}

Farther to the west, on December 24 Lefebvre marched to seize the bridge at Almaraz as instructed. His soldiers captured the bridge and four cannons in a coup, dispersing the Spanish defenders. At this time, the marshal made a remarkable error. Leaving only Lasalle's cavalry and two battalions on the Tagus, he marched northeast to [[Ávila, Spain|Ávila]], ignoring repeated instructions from King Joseph to desist. Arriving at Ávila on 5 January, Lefebvre's corps was completely removed from the defensive lines around Madrid. Infuriated with his disobedient subordinate, Napoleon removed Lefebvre from command and gave the IV Corps to Sébastiani.{{sfn|Oman|1995|pp=4–5}}

[[File:Francisco Xavier Venegas.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|alt=Painting of a gray-haired man in a blue military uniform with red lapels trimmed with gold lace. He looks straight at the viewer and clutches a rolled-up document in his right hand.|Francisco Venegas]]
With the IV Corps out of position, revolts breaking out, and the ''Army of the Center'' threatening Madrid, Joseph and his adviser Marshal [[Jean-Baptiste Jourdan]] were in a panic. Only Villatte and Latour-Maubourg with 9,000 soldiers stood between Infantado and the capital. But, instead of pressing his advantage, the Spanish commander became inert between 26 December and 11 January. Infantado seems to have spent his time concocting fantastic strategical schemes while leaving his lieutenant Venegas without instructions.{{sfn|Oman|1995|pp=6–7}} To support the ''Army of the Center'', a 6,000-man Spanish division under General Marquis del Palacio moved north from the [[Sierra Morena]] to [[Villaharta]].{{sfn|Oman|1995|pp=8–9}}

While Infantado dithered, Joseph and Jourdan moved swiftly against the local insurrections. The 27th Light Infantry put down the rebellion in [[Chinchón]] with extreme brutality; all the men in the town were massacred. [[Colmenar Viejo]] suffered also, with numerous inhabitants being executed. Joseph ordered Victor to shift east from Aranjuez to [[Arganda del Rey]] to block the road from Tarancón. On 8 January, the division of Dessolles arrived in Madrid followed in two days by the return of the IV Corps from Ávila. These heavy reinforcements allowed Napoleon's defensive scheme around Madrid to be reestablished. Reinforced by the [[Dutch Brigade (Peninsular War)|Dutch Brigade]], Leval's division was sent to garrison Talavera while Valence's division was ordered to hold [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]]. The divisions of Dessolles and Sébastiani became the Madrid garrison. Victor was sent Ruffin's division as a reinforcement and ordered to attack.{{sfn|Oman|1995|pp=8–9}}