A history of the Peninsular War, Vol. 2, Jan.-Sep. 1809

The numbers are from the first complete return available, that of Sept. 15 in the Record Office.

INFANTRY OF THE LINE.

N.B.—Each regiment consisted of two battalions of seven companies each, which should have numbered 770 officers and men, the regiment totalling 1,550, with staff.

CAZADORES.

N.B.—These were single-battalion corps with a proper effective of 770 men.

The 7th, 8th, and 9th Cazadores were formed later, out of the three battalions of the Lusitanian Legion. The 10th, 11th, and 12th were raised in the year 1811.

The brigading of the Portuguese regular infantry was practically permanent, very few changes having been made after 1810, when the greater part of the regiments were attached in pairs to the British divisions. The arrangement was as follows, 1811-14:—

• 1st Brigade 1st (Lisbon) and 16th (Viera Telles) [attached to 1st Division].
• 2nd Brigade 2nd (Lagos) and 14th (Tavira).
• 3rd Brigade 3rd (1st of Olivenza) and 15th (2nd of Olivenza) [attached to 5th Division].
• 4th Brigade 4th (Freire) and 10th (2nd of Lisbon) [attached to 2nd Division].
• 5th Brigade 5th (1st of Elvas) and 17th (2nd of Elvas).
• 6th Brigade 6th (Oporto) and 18th (2nd of Oporto).
• 7th Brigade 7th (Setubal) and 19th (Cascaes) [attached to 7th Division].
• 8th Brigade 8th (Evora) and 12th (Chaves) [attached to 6th Division].
• 9th Brigade 9th (Viana) and 21st (Valenza) [attached to 3rd Division].
• 10th Brigade 11th (1st of Almeida) and 23rd (2nd of Almeida) [attached to 4th Division].
• 11th Brigade 13th (Peniche) and 24th (Braganza).
• The 20th (Campomayor) and 22nd (Serpa) were never brigaded.
• The 1st and 3rd Cazadores were attached to the Light Division.
• The 2nd was attached to the 7th Portuguese Brigade, in the 7th Division.
• The 4th was attached to the 1st Portuguese Brigade, in the 1st Division.
• The 6th was attached to the 6th Portuguese Brigade.

CAVALRY.

N.B.—Each regiment should have had 594 men, in four strong squadrons.

ARTILLERY.

Four regiments with head quarters respectively at (1) Lisbon, (2) Faro in Algarve, (3) Estremoz in Alemtejo, (4) Oporto. The total strength was 4,472 officers and men.

There were also a few garrison companies, largely composed of invalids, which were mainly stationed in the forts round Lisbon. Their force is not given in Beresford’s General State of the Regular Army.

THE LUSITANIAN LEGION.

This abnormal force, under Sir Robert Wilson, comprehended in 1809-10 three battalions of infantry, with an establishment of ten companies and 1,000 men each, one regiment of cavalry of three squadrons, which never seems to have been complete, and one battery of field artillery. Its total force was about 3,500 men. In 1811 the three battalions were taken into the regular army as the 7th, 8th, and 9th Cazadores.

ENGINEERS.

There were a few officers of the old army, who were engaged in raising new companies of sappers, which were not yet ready when Beresford’s report was drawn up. No figures are there given.

It would appear then that the total Regular force of Portugal in 1809 amounted to about 33,000 foot, 6,300 horse, and 5,000 artillery.

MILITIA.

The Portuguese Militia was raised by conscription, on a local basis, the kingdom being divided into forty-eight regions, each of which was to supply a regiment. These districts were combined into three divisions, called the North, South, and Centre, each of which gave sixteen regiments. The unit was a two-battalion corps, with nominally 1,500 men in twelve companies: this number was in practice seldom reached. It was usual to keep the battalions under arms alternately, for periods of two, three, or six months: it was seldom that the whole regiment was embodied at once. In 1809 the whole force was but in process of organization, many corps had not even been officered or armed, and the majority had not commenced to raise their second battalion. The local distribution was as follows:—