ORGANIZATION OF THE PORTUGUESE ARMY IN 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.
| Strength. | |
| 1st Regt. (1st of Lisbon or La Lippe) | 1,330 |
| 2nd Regt. (Lagos or Algarve) | 1,301 |
| 3rd Regt. (1st of Olivenza[758]) | 679 |
| 4th Regt. (Freire) | 1,477 |
| 5th Regt. (1st of Elvas) | 759 |
| 6th Regt. (1st of Oporto) | 1,082 |
| 7th Regt. (Setubal) | 1,312 |
| 8th Regt. (Evora) | 369 |
| 9th Regt. (Viana) | 1,511 |
| 10th Regt. (2nd of Lisbon) | 1,370 |
| 11th Regt. (1st of Almeida) | 1,498 |
| 12th Regt. (Chaves) | 1,491 |
| 13th Regt. (Peniche) | 1,361 |
| 14th Regt. (Tavira) | 1,239 |
| 15th Regt. (2nd of Olivenza[758]) | 577 |
| 16th Regt. (Viera Telles) | 696 |
| 17th Regt. (2nd of Elvas) | 1,218 |
| 18th Regt. (2nd of Oporto) | 1,371 |
| 19th Regt. (Cascaes) | 1,519 |
| 20th Regt. (Campomayor) | 1,218 |
| 21st Regt. (Valenza) | 193 |
| 22nd Regt. (Serpa) | 1,479 |
| 23rd Regt. (2nd of Almeida) | 1,521 |
| 24th Regt. (Braganza) | 505 |
| Total | 27,076 |
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:—
CAVALRY.
N.B.—Each regiment should have had 594 men, in four strong squadrons.
| Strength. | |
| 1st (Alcantara Dragoons) | 559 |
| 2nd (Moura) | 400 |
| 3rd (Olivenza) | 394 |
| 4th (Duke of Mecklenburg, Lisbon) | 559 |
| 5th (Evora) | 581 |
| 6th (Braganza) | 578 |
| 7th (Lisbon) | 564 |
| 8th (Elvas) | 287 |
| 9th (Chaves) | 572 |
| 10th (Santarem) | 475 |
| 11th (Almeida) | 482 |
| 12th (Miranda) | 589 |
| Total | 6,040 |
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:—
| 1st Division: ‘The South.’ Comprising Algarve, Alemtejo, and Beira Alta. |
| Regiments of Lagos, Tavira, Beja, Evora, Villaviciosa, Portalegre, Castello Branco, Idanha, Vizeu, Guarda, Trancoso, Arouca, Tondella, Arganil, Covilhão, Lamego. |
| 2nd Division: ‘The Centre.’ Comprising Estremadura and Beira Baixa. |
| Four Lisbon regiments, and one each from Torres Vedras, Santarem, Thomar, Leyria, Soure, Lousão, Alcazar do Sul, Setubal, Coimbra, Figueira, Aveiro, and Oliveira de Azemis. |
| 3rd Division: ‘The North.’ Comprising Tras-os-Montes and Entre-Douro-e-Minho. |
| Regiments of Oporto, Villa de Conde, Braga, Viana, Barcelos, Guimaraens, Penafiel, Arcos, Feira, Barca, Baltar, Mayo, Chaves, Villa Real, Miranda and Braganza. |