Battle of Pombal

The Battle of Pombal (March 9 to 11, 1811) was a sharp but ultimately indecisive skirmish fought at the eponymous town during Marshal Masséna's retreat from the Lines of Torres Vedras, the first in a series of lauded rearguard actions fought by Michel Ney. The French were pursued by Wellington and his British-Portuguese army but the Allied advance was energetically contested by Ney's efforts, preventing Wellington from crushing Masséna's army when it was critically vulnerable.

At Pombal, Ney turned part of his rearguard to face the larger Anglo-Portuguese forces and checked their advance, before he faced new attacks and chose to disengage to rejoin the main body of Masséna's army. Both British and French sources note Ney's skilful leadership of his rearguard; they report on the engagements that happened on the 9th, 10th and 11th. However, the descriptions of actions differ to some extent.