First Battle of Porto

First Battle of Porto
Part of the Peninsular War

Marshall Soult surveys the broken bridge as Oporto falls to the French on 29 March 1809. In the foreground a grenadier rescues an orphaned baby.
Date29 March 1809
Location
Porto, Portugal
41°9′43.71″N 8°37′19.03″W / 41.1621417°N 8.6219528°W / 41.1621417; -8.6219528
Result French victory
Belligerents
Portugal French Empire
Commanders and leaders
Caetano José Vaz Parreiras Jean de Dieu Soult
Strength
30,000 16,000
Casualties and losses
8,000–10,000 killed
Unknown wounded
500 killed or wounded
Peninsular War: Second French invasion
110km
68miles
6
Sanpayo
5
Grijó
4
Porto
3
Braga
2
Villafranca
1
Chaves
  current battle

In the First Battle of Porto (29 March 1809) the French under Marshal Soult defeated the Portuguese, under General Parreiras, outside the city of Porto during the Peninsular War. Soult followed up his success by storming the city, in the course of which thousands of fleeing citizens drowned in the Porto Boat Bridge disaster.