Action of Mallen, 13 June 1808
The action at Mallen, 13 June 1808, was the second of three Spanish attempts to stop a French army under General Lefebvre-Desnouettes from reaching Saragossa. The first, on 8 June, had seen a force of Spanish levies under the command of the Marquis of Lazan suffer a heavy defeat at Tudela. Lazan, the older brother of Joseph Palafox, the Captain-general of Aragon, retreated to Mallen with the survivors from Tudela. There he was reinforced by more levies from Saragossa.
Lazan placed his troops in a vulnerable position, which offered them no protection from the French artillery or from Lafebvre’s Polish cavalry. A charge by the Polish lancers helped break the Spanish lines. The Spanish were forced to retreat for a second time, this time after suffering heavy casualties. In the aftermath Palafox himself led a third army out of Saragossa, for one final attempt to stop the Spanish, at Alagon on 14 June.
How to cite this article:
Rickard, J (16 January 2008), Action of Mallen, 13 June 1808 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/action_mallen.html
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History of the Peninsular War vol.1: 1807-1809 - From the Treaty of Fontainebleau to the Battle of Corunna, Sir Charles Oman. The first volume of Oman's classic seven volume history of the Peninsular War, this is one of the classic works of military history and provides an invaluable detailed narrative of the fighting in Spain and Portugal. This first volume covers the initial French intervention, the start of the Spanish uprising, the early British involvement in Spain and Portugal and Napoleon's own brief visit to Spain. 
