Military History |
Peninsular War
Order of Battle at Albuera
The orders of battle based on Smith (1998) - which I read first - and modified after reading Oliver and Partridge (2007).
Soult
French
V Corps (Soult)
1st Division (Girard)
RIdLi: 34e, 40e, 88e (2 bns each), 64e (3 bns)
2nd Division (Gazan)
RILe: 21e (2 bns), 28e (3 bns)
RIdLi: 100 (2 bns), 103e (3 bns)Werle's Brigade (Werle)
RILe: 12e (3 bns)
RIdLi: 55e, 58e (3 bns rsvh)Godinot's Brigade (Godinot)
RILe: 16e (3 bns)
RIdLi: 51e (3 bns)
11 coys Combined Grenadiers of:45e, 63e, 95e RIdLi (of I Corps) and
4th Polish IR (of IV Corps)Latour-Maubourg's Cavalry (Latour-Maubourg)
Briche's Brigade (Briche)
2e, 10e HusR (2 sqns each)
21e ChaCh (2 sqns)Bon's Brigade (Bon)
4e, 20e, 26e DragRs (3 sqns each)
Unattached cavalry
27e ChaCh (4 sqns)
4th Spanish ChaCh (2 sqns)
1st Lancers, Vistula Legion (4 sqns)Artillery
1,200 men and 40 guns
Total V Corps ca 19,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry, 40 guns
Anglo-Portuguese
Anglo-Portuguese Forces (Marshal Beresford)
British Troops
2nd Division (Stewart)
Colborne's Brigade (Colborne)
1/3rd, 2/31st, 2/48th, 2/66th Foot (1 bn each; 4 bn total)
Hoghton's Brigade (Hoghton)
1/29th, 1/48th, 1/57th Foot (1 bn each; 3 bn total)
Abercrombie's Brigade
2/28th, 2/34th,2/39th Foot (1 bn each; 3 bn total)
Divisional Light Troops
5/60th (3 coys; about 1/3 of a battalion or 1 skirmisher stand)
Total 2nd Division 288 officers, 5,172 men
4th Division (Cole)
Myers's Brigade (Myers)
1/7th, 2/7th, 1/23rd Fusiliers (1 bn each; 3 bn total)
Light Troops detached from Kemmis's Brigade (Kemmis)
2/27th, 1/40th, 1/97th Foot (1 coy each; 3 coy total; about 1/3 of a battalion or 1 skirmisher stand) )
Harvey's Portuguese Brigade was also in 4th Division - covered in the Portuguese section
Total 4th Division 104 officers, 2,076 men
Alten's Independent King's German Legion (KGL) Brigade (Alten)
1st & 2nd Lt Bns KGL (1 bn each; 2 bn total)
Total 42 officers, 1056 men
Cavalry (Lumley)
de Grey's Heady Brigade (de Grey)
3DG
4 DragRBrigade total 761 officers and men
Unbrigaded Light Cavalry
13th LDR (403 officers and men)
Also included Otway's Portuguese Brigade
Artillery
1 x KGL FAB (5 x 6 pdrs, 1 howitzer)
1 x KGL FAB (5 x 6 pdrs, 1 howitzer)Grand Total British Troops 529 officers, 9,920 men
Portuguese Troops
Harvey's Brigade (Harvey) attached to 4th Division
11th & 23rd LIRs (2 bns each; 4 bn total)
1st Loyal Lusitanian Legion (1 bn)Hamilton's Division (Hamilton)
1st Brigade (Campbell)
4th & 10th LIRs (2 bns each; 4 bn total)
2nd Brigade (Fonseca)
2nd, 14th LIRs (2 bns each; ; 4 bn total)
Collins's Independent Portuguese Brigade (Collins)
5th LIR (2 bns)
5th Caçadores (1 bn)Otway's Cavalry Brigade (Otway) under Lumley
1st CavR (3 sqns)
7th CavR (2 sqns)
5th & 8th CavR (1 sqn each)Total brigade strength as 849 officers and men.
Artillery
1 x FAB (6 x 9 pdrs)
1 x FAB (6 x 6 pdrs)Total Portuguese 10,201 officers and men
Spanish
See also Spanish Units at Albuera for more detail.
4th Army (Lt. Gen Blake)
Vanguard Division (Mariscal de Campo Lardizabal)
Cansinos Brigade (Cansinos)
Murcia LIR (1st and 2nd bn; perhaps only 1 bn total)
Fijo Milicia Provincial de Canarias (1 bn)Gouvea-Cansinas Brigade (Gouvea-Cansinas)
2nd of Leon LIR (1 bn)
Campo Mayor LtIR (1 bn)
Cazadores Reunidos del Rgto de Murcia - detached cazadores
3rd Division (Lt. Gen. Ballasteros)
Gouvea-Asensio Brigade (Gouvea-Asensio)
1st Bn Provisional Companies of Catalonia (1 bn)
2nd Cazadores de Barbastro LtIR (1 bn)
Pravia LtIRs (1 bn)Carvajal Brigade (Carvajal)
, Lena, Castropol, Cangas de Tineo, Infiesto (1 bn each; 6 bn total)
4th Division (Zayas)
Mourgeon Brigade (Mourgeon)
2nd & 4th Spanish Guards (2 bn total)
2nd and 3rd Irlanda (2 bn total)
Voluntarios de la Patria (1 bn) *
Sappers (1 coy)Polo Brigade (Polo)
Imperiales de Toledo, Legion Estranjeros, Ciudad Real IRs (1 bn each; 3 bn)
1st Walloon Guards (1 bn)
Elements of 5th Army (Castaños) seconded to 4th Army
de Espana Brigade (de Espana) - seconded from 1st Division of 5th Army
Inmemorial del Rey, Zamora, Voluntarios de Navarra IRs (1 bn each; 3 bn total)
Sappers & guides (1 coy)
Spanish Cavalry - under Lumley
Loy's Cavalry Brigade (Loy)
Granaderos del IV Ejercito (2 sqn)
Provisional de Santiago
Escuadron de Instruction (1 sqn)
Husares de CastillaBrigade Total Cavalry 1,165 officers and men
Penne-Villemur's Cavalry Brigade (Penne-Villemur) - seconded from 5th Army (Castaños)
Carabineros de la Guardia (probably 1 sqn ??)
Reyna, Borbon, Lusitania, Algarbe (1 sqn each; 4 sqn total)
Husares de Extremadura (1 sqn)
Cazadores de Sevilla (1 sqn)Brigade Total 749 officers and men
Artillery
1 x FAB (6 x 4 pdrs)
* Oliver and Partridge (2007) give "Rgto Veteranos de la Patria" in the Orbat of Zayas's division at Albuera. The trouble is according the handbook of the same authors the (Oliver & Partridge, 1999) the "Rto Veteranos de la Patria" was raised 10 Aug 1813 and was absorbed by Rto de Ceuta on 2 Mar 1815. This is problematic because Albuera was in 1811. I think this is a typo because the the handbook lists the "Vol. de la Patria" as fighting at Albuera.
References
Chartrand, R. (1999a). Spanish Army of the Napoleonic Wars (2) 1808 - 1812. Osprey [MAA332]
Chartrand, R. (1999b). Spanish Army of the Napoleonic Wars (3) 1812 - 1815. Osprey [MAA334]
Oliver, M. (2008). Private communication.
Oliver, M. and Partridge, R. (2007). the Battle of Albuera - 1811: Glorious Field of Grief. Pen & Sword Military.
Smith, D. (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill Books.