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A history of the Peninsular War, Vol. 4, Dec. 1810-Dec. 1811 cover

A history of the Peninsular War, Vol. 4, Dec. 1810-Dec. 1811

Chapter 50: XVII
By Charles Oman
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About This Book

The volume chronicles the military campaigns of 1811 across the Iberian Peninsula, centering on the stalemate between Wellington and French commanders Masséna, Soult, and Marmont. It traces Masséna's retreat from Portugal, key battles and sieges such as Fuentes de Oñoro, Albuera, Almeida, Badajoz and Ciudad Rodrigo, and surveys Eastern operations under Suchet and Catalan actions. The narrative combines operational analysis, topographical study of battlefields, and extensive use of contemporary diaries, correspondence, and intercepted dispatches to assess shifting strategic initiative and the decline of French offensive capability in the west.

XVII

STRENGTH OF THE SPANISH ARMIES IN THE SUMMER OF 1811

By the kindness of Commandant Figueras of the Department of Archives in the War Ministry at Madrid, I am able to give the following sets of figures for the armies in the summer campaign of 1811. Unfortunately there is none for the Army of Catalonia (‘1st Army’ or ‘Army of the Right’) whose main body was destroyed at Tarragona in July. The others work out as follows:—

2nd Army, or Army of Valencia. General Charles O’Donnell.
  Officers. Men.      
1st Division: Major-General José Miranda 192 4,863 = 5,055 present under arms.
2nd Division: Major-General Conde de Romré 108 2,892 = 3,000 ”
3rd Division: Major-General Luis Bassecourt 47 2,006 = 2,053 ”
4th Division: Major-General José Obispo 226 4,933 = 5,159 ”
Flying Column of the Empecinado ? 3,220 = 3,220 ”
Reserve (new levies): Major-General B. Acuña 59 3,640 = 3,699 ”
Artillery 22 472 = 494 ”
Engineers 10 218 = 228 ”
June 1st, Field Army. 664 22,244 = 22,908 ”
Garrisons of Saguntum, Oropesa, Peniscola 55 1,944 = 1,999 ”
N.B.—The cavalry regiments were not brigaded, but distributed among the divisions, each having one regiment, save Miranda’s division, which had two. Total about 2,565 sabres.
3rd Army, or Army of Murcia. General Manuel Freire.
  Officers. Men.      
1st Division: Brigadier-Gen. A. La Cuadra 163 3,852 = 4,015 present under arms.
2nd Division: Brigadier-Gen. Juan Creagh 166 4,276 = 4,442 ”
3rd Division: Brigadier-Gen. Antonio Sanz 146 3,074 = 3,220 ”
1st Cavalry Division: Brigadier-Gen. M. Ladron 129 885 = 1,014 ”
2nd ditto: Brigadier-Gen. V. Osorio 80 629 = 709 ”
Artillery 35 751 = 786 ”
Engineers 22 245 = 267 ”
June 1st, Total Field Army 741 13,712 = 14,453 ”
Garrison of Cartagena 116 2,064 = 2,180 ”
5th Army, or Army of Estremadura. General Francisco Xavier Castaños.
  Officers. Men.      
1st Division: Brigadier-Gen. Carlos de España 143 3,333 = 3,476 present under arms.
Cavalry Brigade: Conde de Penne Villemur 79 618 = 697 ”
Artillery 20 448 = 468 ”
Engineers 2 98 = 100 ”
June 1st, Total Field Army 244 4,497 = 4,741 ”
Garrisons of Albuquerque, Valencia de Alcantara, &c. 165 2,688 = 2,853 ”
6th Army, or Army of Galicia. General Santocildes, vice General Abadia.
1st Division: Major-General Losada (Asturians) 5,459 present under arms.
2nd Division: Major-General Taboada 3,994 ”
3rd Division: Major-General Cabrera 2,567 ”
Reserve at Lugo 2,654 ”
Cavalry 631 ”
  15,305  
No figures for garrisons of Ferrol, Vigo, and Corunna, but they are believed to have amounted to about 5,500 men.