The Battle of Arzobispo on 8 August 1809 saw two Imperial French corps commanded by Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult launch an assault crossing of the Tagus River against a Spanish force under José María de la Cueva, 14th Duke of Alburquerque.

El Puente del Arzobispo (The Archbishop's Bridge) is located 36 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of Talavera de la Reina, Spain.

Achieving tactical surprise, the French cavalry plunged across the ford during the Spanish siesta, followed by the infantry of Marshal Édouard Mortier's V Corps.

During the pursuit, Soult's horsemen not only seized 16 Spanish guns, but also recaptured at least 14 of the 17 French artillery pieces lost at Talavera.

[2] On the morning of 29 July, General Robert Craufurd's Light Infantry Brigade and a battery of Royal Horse Artillery arrived in the British camp after an epic forced march.

The soldiers were on one-third rations due to the collapse of the supply system and the medical officers were unable to care for the thousands of wounded men.

At most, about 10,000 French Imperial soldiers under General of Division François Étienne de Kellermann were left behind to defend León.

Though his own army was too crippled to move at the moment, Wellesley hoped that pressure from Venegas' offensive would compel the French to retreat.

The Army of La Mancha pressed forward to Toledo and Aranjuez on 29 July, but then it unaccountably halted in place until 5 August.

[7] Receiving news that 10,000 Portuguese under General Robert Wilson had reached a position behind his northern flank at Escalona, Victor retreated toward Madrid.

On 1 August, Wellesley got news that the French were driving a small Spanish force under Marquis Del Reino from its position at the Puerto de Baños, a mountain pass to the north.

[8] After a heated debate with Cuesta, Wellesley agreed to move west while the Spanish general defended Talavera against Victor.

On 3 August, the French horsemen captured a Spanish courier carrying a message from Wellesley to General William Erksine at Lisbon in which Soult's forces were estimated at only 12,000 men.

Luckily for the Allies, Spanish guerillas caught a French agent near Ávila and delivered his message to Cuesta on the 3rd.

However, the roads on that side pass through the Sierra de Guadalupe and were so bad that the Spanish army would have had to abandon its artillery and wagon train.

[17] After retreating from the Puerto de Baños, Del Reino crossed to the south bank of the Tagus at Almaraz and dismantled the pontoon bridge on the 2nd.

[18] After a difficult march over bad roads, two divisions of Wellesley's army reached Deleitosa on 7 August, within supporting distance of Almaraz.

That day, the head of Cuesta's column was approaching Mesas de Ibor where there was an immensely strong defensive position.

To cover the movement, the Spanish divisions of Bassecourt and Lieutenant General Alburquerque formed a rear guard at the Arzobispo bridge.

[19] The Spanish troops left the Arzobispo bridge intact, but they threw up barricades to defend it and assigned infantry to hold the old towers dating to medieval times.

A ford was nearby, but since it was very narrow and difficult to locate, Cuesta hoped that his rear guard could hold back Soult's superior numbers.

In fact, Soult spent the entire day of 7 August looking over the strong Spanish position and sending out scouts to find other crossings.

[30] This unit was led by General of Brigade François Fournier[31] and it probably comprised the 15th and 25th Dragoons, which were still with the VI Corps at the Battle of Tamames in October 1809.

[32] General of Brigade Pierre Benoît Soult led the II Corps cavalry[33] which included the 1st Hussar, 8th Dragoon, 22nd Chasseurs à Cheval, and Hanoverian Chevau-léger Regiments.

[35] Alburquerque posted one cavalry regiment at the river bank and only two or three battalions to hold the Arzobispo bridge and the artillery redoubt behind it.

As soon as the assault commenced, the light artillery batteries were instructed to unlimber at the river bank and take the enemy guns under fire.

With its adversaries galloping toward it, the battalion tried to form square, but was unable to close the rear face before the dragoons charged through the gap.

[38] Alburquerque bravely tried to turn the tables with his last intact unit, the 2nd Extremadura Hussars, but this effort collapsed and the Spanish cavalry scattered with their French counterparts in full pursuit.

This windfall enabled Sébastiani and General of Division Jean François Leval to make the bogus claim that they lost no guns at Talavera.

[41] The following day, Ney's corps bumped into Wilson's column on its return march at the Battle of Puerto de Baños.