Editing Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro (section)

==Battle==
On 3 May, Masséna launched a frontal assault against the British–Portuguese [[picket (military)|picket]]s holding the barricaded village, while bombarding the British–Portuguese on the heights east of the village with heavy artillery. The fight in the centre of the village lasted all that day, with French soldiers of Ferey's and Marchand's divisions clashing with the British [[red coat (military uniform)|redcoats]] of the 1st and 3rd Divisions.

At first, the British–Portuguese were driven back under immense pressure, but a charge that included men of the [[71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot|71st Highland Light Infantry]] reclaimed the streets and buildings lost earlier in the day. As the sun sank, the French withdrew and the village remained in British hands, with the former suffering 650 casualties against only 250 for the British.

Both sides spent 4 May recovering from the ferocity of the previous day of fighting and reconsidered their options and battle plans. A French [[reconnaissance]] revealed that Wellington's right flank was weakly held by a unit of [[Partisan (military)|partisans]] near the hamlet of [[Poco Velho]].
[[File:Battle of Fuentes d'Onoro, 1811.jpg|thumb|''Captain [[William Norman Ramsay|Norman Ramsay]], Royal Horse Artillery, Galloping his Troop Through the French Army to Safety at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, 1811'' by [[George Bryant Campion]]]]
Action began again at dawn on 5 May. Wellington had left the 7th Division exposed on his right flank. Masséna launched a heavy attack on the weak British–Portuguese flank, led by Montbrun's dragoons and supported by the infantry divisions of Marchand, Mermet, and Solignac. Right away, two 7th Division battalions were roughed up by French [[light cavalry]]. This compelled Wellington to send reinforcements to save the 7th Division from annihilation. This was only achieved by the efforts of the Light Division and the British and [[King's German Legion]] cavalry.{{sfn|Chartrand|2002|p=77}}

On the threatened British–Portuguese right flank, the elite Light Division, well-supported by cavalry and artillery, made a textbook fighting withdrawal. For trifling casualties, they covered the retreat of the 7th Division and fell back into a stronger position selected by Wellington. During the retreat, whenever French artillery ventured too close, the British cavalry charged or feinted a charge. This allowed the infantry time to retreat out of range. If the French [[Cavalry|horsemen]] pressed the outnumbered British cavalry back, the British–Portuguese infantry formed squares and their volleys drove off the French. Montbrun then requested help from the [[Imperial Guard (Napoleon I)|Imperial Guard]] cavalry, which were present but had not yet been committed to battle.

Time was of the essence and Masséna at once sent one of his ''[[aide-de-camp|aides-de-camp]]'', [[Charles Oudinot]], the son of [[Marshal of the Empire|Marshal]] [[Nicolas Oudinot|Nicolas Oudinot, Duke of Reggio]], with orders to bring forward the Guard cavalry. The young Oudinot hastily set off and Masséna was impatiently checking his watch, pressed to commit this cavalry to what he believed was a decisive action of the battle. Much to the general staff's stupefaction, Oudinot was soon seen returning without any cavalry following him. As soon as he saw him, Masséna furiously shouted from afar: "Where is the cavalry of the Guard?". The sweaty, dust-covered Oudinot needed a moment to catch his breath after his exhausting gallop but then explained that he was not able to fetch it. Oudinot had encountered the Guard cavalry second-in-command, General [[Louis Lepic]], who sharply refused to commit his men, saying that he only recognised the Duke of Istria (Bessières) as commander and that without explicit orders from its commander, the Guard Horse Grenadiers and Dragoons would not draw their swords. In a staggering display of treachery, Bessières was absent from the field of battle, needlessly inspecting a series of ditches where the French army had passed a few days before. Unable to find the commander of the Guard in time, Masséna was forced to admit that the opportunity was lost.{{sfn|Sokolov|2005|p=455}}

Two incidents spoiled this otherwise fine accomplishment for the British–Portuguese. One occurred when a British [[14th King's Hussars|14th Light Dragoon]] squadron pressed home a frontal attack on a French artillery battery and was mauled. In the second case, French cavalry caught some companies of the [[3rd Foot Guards]] in skirmish order and inflicted 100 casualties.

Masséna, however, still aimed primarily to secure Fuentes de Oñoro. He sent forward massed columns of infantry from Ferey's division. The village, filled with low stone walls, provided excellent cover for the British line infantry and skirmishers, while the French were severely restricted in the little narrow streets. At first, the French had some success, wiping out two companies of the [[Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders|79th Foot]] and wounding the regiment's commander, Lieutenant-Colonel [[Philips Cameron]], who died some days later.{{sfn|McGuigan|Burnham|2017|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=64ElDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1855-IA14 1855]}} But a counterattack chased Ferey's men out of the village.

General d'Erlon launched a second attack on the village. This time, it was led by three battalions of converging grenadiers from the [[IX Corps (Grande Armée)|IX Corps]]. With their old-fashioned [[bearskin]] hats, the grenadiers were mistaken for the Imperial Guard. Again, the British fell back. d'Erlon threw in about half of the battalions from both [[Nicolas François Conroux|Conroux]] and [[Michel Claparède|Claparède]]'s divisions, seizing almost the entire village.

In response, Wellington counterattacked with units from the 1st and 3rd Divisions, plus the Portuguese 6th ''[[Caçadores]]'', led by the [[88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers)|88th Connaught Rangers Foot]]. This broke d'Erlon's attack, and the tide began to turn. Low on ammunition, the French had to resort to the bayonet in a futile attempt to drive the British back. One party of 100 grenadiers was trapped in a tight spot and killed. Facing murderous volleys, the French halted and retreated back to the [[Dos Casas (village)|Dos Casas]], leaving their casualties behind.{{sfn|Gates|2001|p=269}} By sunset, French morale had plummeted and many companies were down to 40% strength.

The French artillery tried to bombard the new British line into submission, but they were outgunned by Wellington's cannons. Finally, with their artillery ammunition dangerously low, the French attacks came to an end. Wellington's men entrenched during the evening. After spending the next three days parading before the British position, Masséna gave up the attempt and retreated to Ciudad Rodrigo.{{sfn|Gates|2001|p=269}} He was furious because Bessières had refused to fetch ammunition from the [[citadel]].{{sfn|Longford|1969|p=300}}