III
STRENGTH OF WELLINGTON’S ARMY
DURING AND
AFTER THE BURGOS RETREAT
The subjoined statistics show the marching strength of the Anglo-Portuguese divisions of Wellington’s army at the commencement of the Burgos Retreat (Oct. 23) and some days after its termination (Nov. 29). There had been, immediately after the army reached Ciudad Rodrigo, certain transferences of units from one division to another, which are duly noted. The figures give only rank and file; to get the fighting strength one-eighth should be added to cover officers, sergeants, and drummers.
| Present under arms. Oct. 23. |
Present under arms. Nov. 29. |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Cavalry Division | 2,827 | 2,909 | (2nd Hussars K.G.L. has joined.) |
| 2nd Cavalry Division | 1,947 | 1,625 | (2nd Hussars K.G.L. has left.) |
| 1st Division | 3,970 | 4,002 | (1st & 3rd battalions First Guards have joined, but Stirling’s brigade has been transferred to the 6th Division.) |
| 2nd Division | 7,915 | 6,591 | |
| 3rd Division | 4,229 | 3,860 | (2/87th from Cadiz has joined.) |
| 4th Division | 4,487 | 3,861 | (1/82nd has joined.) |
| 5th Division | 3,638 | 3,732 | (2/47th from Cadiz has joined.) |
| 6th Division | 3,380 | 5,228 | (The division has been joined by Stirling’s brigade and also by the 1/91st.) |
| 7th Division | 4,298 | 3,358 | |
| Light Division | 3,428 | 3,775 | (2 companies 3/95th and the 20th Portuguese have joined.) |
| Hamilton’s Portuguese Division | 4,719 | 4,076 | |
| Pack’s Portuguese Brigade | 1,681 | 1,105 | |
| Bradford’s Portuguese Brigade | 1,645 | 881 | |
| 48,124 | 45,003 | ||
| Artillery, Train, Staff Corps, &c. | 2,500 | 2,300 |
The fall in numbers would have been much greater but for the joining of Skerrett’s force from Cadiz (3/1st Guards, 2/47th, 2/87th, 20th Portuguese, and two companies 3/95th) and of the 1/1st Guards and 1/91st from England, and the 1/82nd from Gibraltar—in all, nearly 6,000 men.
It may be worth while to give here the statistics of the Spanish troops which were acting with Wellington’s and Hill’s armies during this period. They were by their October morning states:
| ‘6th Army’ or Galicians (Santocildes): | ||
| 1st Division (Barcena) | 6,810 | (5 of the 15 battalions of this division were not at the front.) |
| 2nd Division (Cabrera) | 4,749 | |
| 3rd Division (Losada) | 4,213 | |
| Cavalry Brigade (Figuelmonde) | 1,356 | (5 of the 9 squadrons of this brigade were not at the front.) |
| 5th Army (Estremadurans and Castilian): | ||
| Morillo’s Division | 2,371 | (Acting with Hill’s Corps.) |
| Carlos de España’s Division | 3,809 | (ditto.) |
| Penne Villemur’s cavalry | 992 | (ditto.) |
| Julian Sanchez’s cavalry | 1,159 | (Acting with Main Army.) |
| Total Spanish troops | 25,459 | |