The Great Battle of Salamanca, 1812 (woodcut, coloured)

The Great Battle of Salamanca, 1812. Coloured woodcut, published by J Pitts, September 1812. Lieutenant General the Earl of Wellington, commanding a combined British, Spanish and Portuguese force, defeated Marshal Marmont’s French army at Salamanca on 22 July 1812. The victory was one of Wellington’s finest and proved that he was more than just a good defensive general after he had quickly seized on an opportunity to attack Marmont’s divisions when they became too extended after marching across his front. The battle shook French confidence to such a degree that they never really regained the initiative during the remainder of the Peninsular War (1808-1814). Wellington's army of 48,600 suffered 5,200 casualties, but inflicted around 14,000 casualties on Marmont's 50,000-strong army.