Battle of Maida
1806 CE.
Shown on the map at 38.850°, 16.367°.
The Battle of Maida was fought on 4 July 1806 between the British and French armies outside Maida, Calabria during the Napoleonic Wars. John Stuart led a British expeditionary force of 5,236 troops to victory over about a force of approximately 5,400 French troops under Jean Reynier, inflicting heavy losses while incurring light casualties. The battle demonstrated the effectiveness of the double-line formation employed by Stuart against the triple line used by Reynier; two ranks in linear formation allowed the British to stretch a longer line and deliver more powerful volleys. In February 1806, the French invaded and overran the Kingdom of Naples, forcing King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and his government to flee to Sicily. The Calabrians revolted against the French and Stuart's expeditionary force tried to exploit the unrest by raiding the coast. While ashore, the British encountered Reynier's division and the two sides engaged in battle. 19th-century British historians presented the engagement as a typical fight between French columns and British lines. This view of the battle has been called into doubt by modern historians who argue that the French deployed into lines.
Text from the Wikipedia article Battle of Maida, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.