Bailén has a museum dedicated to the battle which was fought nearby. Visitors to the museum can learn more about this key event in Spain’s modern history. 

The museum’s permanent exhibition is divided into a number of themed areas, which are distributed across four floors. These areas provide a historical introduction to the events of the Peninsular War, taking visitors on a journey through the six-year conflict and its consequences.

The events of the battle itself are explored from the perspectives of both the Spanish and French sides. With regard to the combatants, the museum houses a collection of replica uniforms for both armies, along with various objects such as uniform buttons, weapons, coins and original documents.

These exhibits are complemented by audio-visual displays providing biographical details for the main protagonists of the Battle of Bailén, namely Geneal Castaños, General Reding, General Dupont and María Bellido.

Of particular note is the model of the battlefield (on loan from the Army Museum) incorporating nearly 1,000 hand-painted miniature lead soldiers. An audio-visual display projected onto the model illustrates the main stages of the battle. 

Visitors can learn about Bailén itself in the archaeology room, which presents a chronological account of the town’s history and explores its natural heritage and renowned ceramic industry.

In July, the town commemorates the battle with a ceremony attended by both civilian and military authorities. Once every two years in October, there is also a historical re-enactment of the battle involving various groups and associations.

In line with the Treaty of Fontainebleau, which allowed Napoleon to cross Spain, on 18 October 1807, the French General Junot entered Spain with a force of 100,000 men, led by General Murat on the orders of Napoleon. However, instead of crossing the country Napoleon’s real intention was to occupy it, and following the Mutiny of Aranjuez on 18-19 March 1808, he installed his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne. The subsequent uprising of 2 May 1808 in Madrid, which was violently suppressed by General Murat, marked the start of the Peninsular War (in Spain known as the War of Spanish Independence).

Over the course of spring 1808, the Spanish army was completely disassembled and its military structure suffered a total collapse. In Andalusia, the Supreme Provincial Council of Seville brought together an army under the command of General Castaños, comprised of both professional soldiers and civilian volunteers and bolstered by reinforcements from Granada led by Teodoro Reding. Although the French army boasted highly superior cavalry forces, the Spanish infantry had a similar advantage over its French counterpart and was better adapted to the harsh environment, which would have a significant impact on the conflict to come. The Spanish army also had the advantage conferred by the strategic positioning of its artillery batteries; this superiority would prove vital over the course of the Battle of Bailén.

On 23 May, Napoleon ordered Murat to immediately dispatch the 2nd Gironde Observation Corps, commanded by General Dupont, to save and protect Admiral Rosily’s squadron, which was under blockade by the British in Cádiz.

The troops under Dupont’s command consisted of the 1st Infantry Division led by General Barbou, including the brigades commanded by generals Chabert and Pannetier; the Swiss Brigade led by General Rouyer; the Cavalry Division led by General Fressia including the Chasseur Brigade under General Dupré and the brigade of dragoons and cuirassiers commanded by General Privé; artillery and engineers; and lastly a division led by Vedel.

On 2 June, after crossing Despeñaperros, Dupont reached Andújar and then made his way to Córdoba, which he sacked after defeating a small army of around 3,000 volunteers who faced him on 6 June at Alcolea. After learning of Rosily’s surrender in the Bay of Cádiz and hearing news of a large army gathering to the south of Seville, Dupont decided to return to Andújar. There, he was joined by Gobert’s division and awaited the arrival of Vedel. On 11 July, General Castaños’ forces arrived at Porcuna, where they were joined by the troops sent by the Council of Granada. The General’s plan was to perform an encircling manoeuvre in order to prevent the enemy from retreating.

On 15 July, Castaños reached the outskirts of Andújar. Coupigny rousted the French detachment from Villanueva de la Reina while Reding threatened the forces led by Vedel, who were guarding the fords across the River Guadalquivir at Mengíbar. In response, Vedel launched an attack on Mengíbar, but was repelled by Reding. Reding was then able to take his division across the Guadalquivir and launch an offensive against Vedel, while at the same time fending off a French cavalry charge. Following this victory, the Spanish withdrew to Mengíbar which confused Dufour, who had assumed that their aim was to cut off the French lines of communication at Despeñaperros, and so he decided to head north, thus leaving Bailén unprotected.

In turn, Dupont (who was unaware of Dufour’s decision) ordered Vedel to join Dufour in Bailén. Upon finding that Dufour was not there, Vedel marched north, camping at La Carolina and Santa Elena. The absence of any French troops at Bailén to protect his withdrawal forced Dupont to return to the town; however, Reding and Coupigny had already set up camp on its outskirts, with the aim of making their way down to Andújar at daybreak and launching an attack.

At around 3 a.m. on 19 July 1808, the first clash took place between Dupont’s vanguard, as it made its way up to Bailén, and Reding’s troops as they descended towards Andújar. This clash marked the beginning of the battle. 

General Chabert, at the head of Dupont’s vanguard, launched a charge against the Spanish lines without waiting for the bulk of the army to arrive, but was repelled by Reding’s artillery. 

Dupont, under pressure due to the imminent arrival of Castaños’ forces and unwilling to wait for his rearguard (which contained his best units: cavalry, artillery and Swiss troops) to arrive, decided to break the Spanish lines in order to avoid being pinned down by the enemy. To this end, at around 5 a.m. he ordered Chabert’s brigade and Privé’s cavalry brigade to attack; however, the Spanish gained the upper hand thanks to their artillery.

At sunrise, reinforced by the arrival of the Swiss regiments and rearguard troops, Dupont launched his third attack. Once again, the cavalry support was not enough to subdue the enemy artillery, and the French fell back. A number of skirmishes took place during the hours that followed, without altering the armies’ positions on the front line.

However, the French army began to fray as a result of the constant attacks and withdrawals, along with the high temperatures and lack of water, and the first desertions began to occur. The Spanish forces suffered less attrition, as they limited themselves to defending their positions and were provided with a continuous supply of water from Bailén for drinking and for cooling their artillery pieces. Any injured soldiers could also be evacuated to the town.
At around 12:30, Dupont launched his final attack on the Spanish lines and was once again repelled by Reding’s artillery. As a result, he was forced to send negotiators to request a truce and offer his surrender. As one of the terms of the surrender, Reding demanded that it include the forces of Vedel and Dufour, even though they had not taken part in the battle.

At around 15:00, the Spanish reserve division arrived and positioned itself at the enemy’s rear, thereby closing the pincers on the French army. Two hours later, however, Vedel managed to reach and attack Reding’s rearguard and captured Cerro del Ahorcado. Eventually, with the bulk of his troops trapped and without supplies, Dupont ordered Vedel to suspend the attack and negotiations resumed.

The surrender was finally formalised on 22 July at the post house where Castaños had established his headquarters, located between Bailén and Andújar near Villanueva de la Reina.

Victory at the Battle of Bailén had significant consequences, since on a psychological level, it raised the morale and enthusiasm of the Spanish forces, which was also generally increased by the resistance shown by the residents of Zaragoza and Girona to the attacks by the French troops. At the political level, it bolstered the argument for installing a single authority, accepted by all, to manage the war and to bring together and coordinate the Spanish forces. Ultimately, this led to the creation of the Supreme Central Governing Council of Spain. In military terms, the victory opened up a pathway to Madrid, prompting Joseph Bonaparte to withdraw to Vitoria for his own safety. However, these escapades and triumphs were just the opening chapter in a war that would last for six years, only reaching an end in 1814.