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British Forces at Cadiz 1810-1814: Organisation, Strength, and LossesBy Andrew BamfordOrganisation in 1810February The Spanish having finally permitted a British reinforcement to join
the
These forces mostly disembarked on February 11th 1810, and were
joined six days later by the two battalions of the 20th Portuguese
Infantry, also sent from
Due to the lack of trained gunners, one sergeant, one corporal, and twelve privates from each of the infantry battalions were detached to be trained in artillery.[3] However, on February 23rd more men of the Royal Artillery arrived from Gibraltar, although it is unclear if this meant that the infantrymen were returned to their units.[4] Also arriving in the same convoy was the 2/88th (Connaught Rangers): as of January 25th 1810, the date of the last Gibraltar monthly return in which the battalion appears, it had mustered 576 effectives out of 620 total rank and file, whilst its total rank and file strength as of February 24th was 640 men.[5] March On March 5th, a provisional battalion of light infantry was
formed by detaching the light companies and placing them under the
command of Major James Allan of the 94th.[6] On March 11th, orders
were given for the formation of “a field brigade of Light Artillery
consisting of 4 lt. 3 pounders and 1 5 ½ inch howitzer drawn
by mules […] to be stationed at Fort
Commanding the Force: Major General Hon. William
Stewart Major General Stewart was evidently not impressed
by what he found upon his arrival at
“The General Total of Effective rank and
File in the Island of
The total sick and noneffective, not included
in the above force, may be calculated at 3,600 Rank and File, giving an aggregate Force of 20,500 Rank and File. As
the whole of these Sick and noneffective are Spanish, with
the exception of a few British and Portuguese, the actual Force for
the defence of the Isle of Leon, including Cavalry, Artillery, Infantry,
and Volunteers is, as I have had the honour to detail, 16,900 Rank
and File. The number of Men required for the adequate defence of
A Corps of eight or nine thousand British
Troops appears to be indispensable for the Security of Cadiz, in
addition to the force already here. I have stated this to His Majesty’s
Minister, Mr. Henry Wellesley, and he fully accords with this opinion. From the Knowledge that I have acquired of the
Spanish Character, in the few weeks of my Command on the Isle of
Leon, I think that I may without presumption, fortell [sic],
that unless the British Government undertake nearly the whole
Defence of Cadiz, and that without loss of time, the Enemy,
if in earnest, and as powerful in numbers, as there is reason to
expect, will ultimately possess himself of the whole of the Isle
of Leon; that he, on the other hand, will never possess himself
of it, if England be determined to defend it may, I feel, without
more presumption be equally asserted.”[9] Stewart also provided a detailed breakdown of the
composition of
By this date, however, a new commander was already
on his way to supersede Stewart, and he was bringing with him reinforcements
sufficient to bring the Anglo-Portuguese contingent to the levels
that Stewart hoped for. The new British commander was Lt. General
Sir Thomas Graham, and he arrived and assumed command on March 25th.
Six days later, the first of the reinforcements began to disembark,
being a brigade composed of detachments of Foot Guards
and riflemen under Brigadier General William Dilkes.[10] The Foot Guards totalled eleven companies, drawn from
the second battalions of all three regiments. Most accounts tend
to assume that they formed three distinct units, a belief reinforced
by the fact that all three detachments are listed independently in
the monthly strength returns and by the fact that they did become
divided in this manner during the fighting at Barossa. However, the
inspection report on the brigade a few months after its arrival in
Cadiz makes it clear that whilst the six companies from 2/1st Foot
Guards retained a distinct identity the remaining five companies
were combined into a single tactical unit. The report also reveals
an interesting choice in the men assigned to this service: “The men of [2/1st Foot Guards] look older than appears by
the return, nearly 60 have served 18 years and upwards and above
200 have been transferred or exempt from service in the 1st Brigade
as not being fit for active service, or on account of having large
families, the return of wives and children is considerable, all left
in England […] The Detachment Battalion is composed of 224
rank and file of the Coldstream Regt. formed into two, and 342 of
the 3rd Guards formed into three companies; of the former 100 have
been transferred from or exempted service in the 1st battn. of the
Regiment as being unfit for active service, or on account of having
large families, of the last three companies only 48 exempted or transferred.”[11] The three Foot Guards second battalions had since 1804 been formed
into the Third Guards Brigade, functioning largely in a home depot
role and therefore containing men not fit for active service with the
other four battalions. However, just as in 1809 the flank companies
of this brigade had been drawn off to go to Walcheren, so too now were
those men fit for garrison service sent to Cadiz, leaving only a rump
at home to process recruits and provide drafts for the remaining battalions.
The fact that the 1st Foot Guards was able to provide more men than
the other two units combined may be attributed to the fact that the
regiment’s first and third battalions were then at home, whilst
the first battalions of the other two regiments were on active service
with Wellington and thus had a greater need for replacement manpower.
The detachment of riflemen comprised two companies of the 2/95th and
three of the 3/95th. Also arriving were a further three companies of
Royal Artillery, and one of the Royal Staff Corps.[12] April
On April 3rd, Major Allan’s light battalion was disbanded, “in
consequence of the arrival of a considerable detachment of the Rifle
Corps”, and on the following day the 2/44th (East Essex) disembarked,
followed on the 16th by a squadron of the 13th Light Dragoons.[13] It
was discovered that the men of the 2/95th were not fit for active duty,
and on April 19th, “The two companies of the 2nd battn. of the
95th Rifle Regt. marched from the
Commanding the Force: Lt. General
Sir Thomas Graham, with Major General William Stewart, Brigadier
General John Sontag, and Brigadier General William Dilkes. Two companies. 2/Coldstream Guards
(216/224) 2/44th ( East Essex) (526/559) There seems to have been considerable confusion as to the exact relationship
between the forces at
“In order not to delay this Monthly Return and it being supposed
that the General Officer at the Cadiz Station will transmit direct
a Monthly Return to the Adjutant General’s Office, the whole
of the Officers and Regiments at
Only in July was the matter finally resolved: “In consequence of a letter from the Adjutant General dated
Horse Guards 31st July 1810, advising that the Regiments &c &c
stationed at
May On May 24th, Brigadier General Daniel Hoghton joined
the force,[18] allowing Graham to order a new brigade
organisation. This was announced on May 29th, to take effect
two days later.[19] Using
the unit strengths from the return of May 25th,[20] the distribution
of forces worked out as follows: Commanding the Force: Lt. General Sir Thomas Graham First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes (1125/1198) 2/1st Foot Guards (596/632) Two companies. 2/Coldstream Guards
(215/224) Second Brigade: Major General William Stewart (1825/2110) 1/79th (Cameron Highlanders) (804/920) Third Brigade: Brigadier General John Sontag (1714/1853) 2/44th ( East Essex) (512/558) Fourth Brigade: Brigadier General Daniel Hoghton (1144/1325) 2/87th (Prince of Wales’s Irish) (521/645) Detachment 13th Light Dragoons (155/161, with 167 horses) Total: 6615/7191, with 199 horses The Fourth Brigade was stationed in
June On June 1st, two squadrons of the 2nd KGL Hussars disembarked
to reinforce the garrison, followed the next day by the 2/30th (1st
Cambridgeshire), which had come from Gibraltar. As per Graham’s
distribution of forces laid out the previous month, the 2/30th was
assigned to the Fourth Brigade, whereupon the 2/88th was reassigned
to the Second Brigade with effect from June 3rd.[22] At some point, a contingent of Royal Artillery Drivers
also joined, along with additional artillery horses, although it is
not made clear at what point the ad hoc mule battery was disbanded.
At the date of the next monthly return, on June 25th, the organisation
therefore stood as follows:[23] Commanding the Force: Lt. General Sir Thomas Graham First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes (1101/1197) 2/1st Foot Guards (582/631) Two companies. 2/Coldstream
Guards (212/224) Second Brigade: Major General William Stewart (2344/2806) 1/79th (Cameron Highlanders) (785/922) Third Brigade: Brigadier General John Sontag (1672/1859) 2/44th ( East Essex) (476/562) Fourth Brigade: Brigadier General Daniel Hoghton (1100/1293) 2/30th (1st Cambridgeshire) (606/648) Cavalry (364/391, with 270 horses) Detachment 13th Light Dragoons (152/161, with 166 horses) Royal Artillery (530/606) [24] Detachment Royal Artillery Drivers (46/50, with 116 horses) Royal Engineers (46/48) Total: 7247/8300, with 486 horses July On July 8th, Major General Ronald Ferguson arrived and replaced
Stewart, who returned to the main field army in Portugal
.[25] On July 25th,
Sontag and Hoghton were promoted to the rank of Major General,[26] and on the same
day the strength of the various units present were returned as follows:[27] Commanding the Force: Lt. General Sir Thomas Graham First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes (1072/1192) 2/1st Foot Guards (564/628) Two companies. 2/Coldstream
Guards (203/224) Second Brigade: Major General Ronald Ferguson (2529/2886) 1/79th (Cameron Highlanders) (907/1016) Third Brigade: Major General John Sontag (1636/1813) 2/44th ( East Essex) (455/554) Fourth Brigade: Major General Daniel Hoghton (1090/1293) 2/30th (1st Cambridgeshire) (592/648) Cavalry (368/391, with 268 horses) Detachment 13th Light Dragoons (152/161, with 166 horses) Royal Artillery (539/605) Royal Artillery Drivers (46/51, with 118 horses) Royal Engineers (42/48) Total: 7364/8329, with 386 horses By July 30th, two further companies of the 3/95th had arrived,
taking the place in the Second Brigade of the two companies of the
2/95th, which were transferred to the Fourth Brigade, assigned to less
active duties in
August The organisation of July 30th was short lived, as the subsequent
departure of some of the commanders concerned necessitated a rethink
that created five brigades more equal in size, removing the anomaly
of an over-sized second brigade for the second-in-command. In effect,
the old Second Brigade was split in two, with part being joined with
the cavalry to form a Reserve. The brigades were then renumbered to
reflect the changed seniority of their commanders, who now also included
William Wheatley, posted as Colonel on the Staff. The new arrangement
came into force on August 9th, with the five reorganised brigades
standing as follows:[30] First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes 2/1st Foot Guards Second Brigade: Major General Daniel Hoghton 2/30th (1st Cambridgeshire) Third Brigade: Colonel William Wheatley 2/88th ( Connaught Rangers) Fourth Brigade: Lt. Colonel Charles Egerton 2/44th ( East Essex) Reserve: Lt. Colonel John Cameron 1/79th (Cameron Highlanders) Detachment 13th Light Dragoons This rearrangement was also of short duration, as the growing French
threat to Portugal
led to the first of several transfers that would rapidly reduce the
size of the British contingent from its brief peak in excess of the
eight thousand rank and file that Stewart
had believed to be essential. The first units to go were the 1/79th,
2/88th, and the squadron of the 13th Light Dragoons, which all embarked
for
Commanding the Force: Lt. General Sir Thomas Graham First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes (1026/1177) 2/1st Foot Guards (544/621) Two companies. 2/Coldstream
Guards (193/221) Second Brigade: Major General Daniel Hoghton (1092/1267) 2/30th (1st Cambridgeshire) (590/643) Third Brigade: Colonel William Wheatley (1656/1845) 2/44th ( East Essex) (445/539) Reserve: Colonel Kenneth Mackenzie (1422/1572, with 188 horses) 94th (Scotch Brigade) (609/680) Detachment 2nd KGL Hussars (280/302, with 188 horses) Royal Artillery (520/597) Royal Artillery Drivers (44/51, with 117 horses) Royal Engineers (46/48) Total: 5848/6604, with 305 horses September Early in September, the 94th was also recalled to the main field army,
rejoining
"My Lord I have had the honour of receiving your Lordship’s
dispatch of the 17th August, in which you enclosed one of
the 15th August addressed to Lt. General Graham. I am not certain from the perusal of these papers
whether it is your Lordship’s intention that any Troops should
be sent from Cadiz to Portugal besides the 79th and 94th Regts,
and the Squadron of the 13th Light Dragoons; or whether it is your
Lordship’s intention to leave to General Graham’s discretion
to send more troops to Portugal if he should find that I am pressed
by the enemy. I understand that I am not to call for more than
those already arrived, but Lt. General Graham, as well as His Majesty’s
Government is acquainted with my opinion that all the British Troops
might with safety be withdrawn from Cadiz, with the exception of
small detachments, and that the reinforcement of this Army is an
object of Importance if it is wished to maintain the contest in
the Peninsula. I have the honour to be
The 94th was replaced in the Reserve by the 2/87th, with the two companies
of the 2/95th posted to the Second Brigade in partial recompense. Wheatley
replaced Mackenzie in command of the Reserve, with Egerton of
the 44th again assuming command of the Third Brigade. This reorganisation
was completed by September 12th, on which date the four brigades
stood as follows:[35] First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes 2/1st Foot Guards Second Brigade: Major General Daniel Hoghton 2/30th (1st Cambridgeshire) Third Brigade: Lt. Colonel Charles Egerton 2/44th ( East Essex) Reserve: Colonel William Wheatley 2/87th (Prince of Wales’s Irish) Detachment 2nd KGL Hussars This left the Second Brigade, the only troops in
“My Lord, I have the honour to send enclosed
the present allotment of the troops, by which your lordship will
see that all is left here is 1 battn. 30th
Regt. and two companies of the 95th. I
should not have reduced the garrison of this place so low but for
the necessity I have to get on with the field works of Isla de
Leon before the rainy season sets in . I have the honour to remain, my Lord, your lordship’s most
obedient humble, Thos. Graham, Lt. General.”[36] Presumably due to the weight given to
Commanding the Force: Lt. General Sir Thomas Graham First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes (1015/1172) 2/1st Foot Guards (535/619) Two companies. 2/Coldstream
Guards (182/219) Second Brigade: Lt. Colonel Andrew Barnard[40] (801/1016) 2/87th (Prince of Wales’s Irish) (502/622) Not Brigaded (temporarily reporting to Dilkes) Detachment 2/95th Rifles (178/195) Royal Artillery (546/597) Royal Artillery Drivers (141/149, with 208 horses) Royal Engineers (39/48) Total: 4267/4882, with 434 horses Elements of the Foot Guards were posted in
October As of October 2nd, the arrival of a small infantry reinforcement in the shape of the 2/47th
( Lancashire) and the return to duty of Colonel Wheatley allowed for
the implementation of a new organisation. Brigading now stood as follows,
with the Second Brigade forming the
First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes 2/1st Foot Guards Second Brigade: Colonel William Wheatley 2/47th ( Lancashire) Third Brigade: Lt. Colonel Andrew Barnard 2/87th (Prince of Wales’s Irish) Not Brigaded (temporarily reporting to Dilkes) Detachment 2nd KGL Hussars On October 9th, a new second-in-command arrived in the shape
of Major General Moore Disney, and on October 12th he was posted
to command a reconstituted Reserve composed of what had been the Third
Brigade, plus the two squadrons of hussars. The 20th Portuguese Infantry
was later also placed under Disney’s orders. [42] As of the Return
of October 25th,[43] the force stood
thus: Commanding the Force: Lt. General Sir Thomas Graham First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes (1036/1145) 2/1st Foot Guards (557/605) Two companies. 2/Coldstream
Guards (183/215) Second Brigade: Colonel William Wheatley (863/998) 2/47th ( Lancashire) (690/807) Reserve: Major General Moore Disney (2372/2696, with 221 horses) 2/87th (Prince of Wales’s Irish) (581/688) Royal Artillery (584/625) Royal Artillery Drivers (138/147, with 193 horses) Royal Engineers (44/47) Total: 5087/5702, with 414 horses Wheatley’s Second Brigade remained at
November After the October 1810, there is a gap in the archival coverage of
the
Commanding the Force: Lt. General Sir Thomas Graham First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes (1058/1144) 2/1st Foot Guards (564/606) Two companies. 2/Coldstream
Guards (194/214) Second Brigade: Colonel William Wheatley (1323/1441) 2/47th ( Lancashire) (690/795) Reserve: Major General Moore Disney (2444/2710, with 217 horses) 2/87th (Prince of Wales’s Irish) (579/684) Royal Artillery (576/619) Royal Artillery Drivers (139/146, with 189 horses) Royal Engineers (78/86) Total: 5658/6189, with 406 horses December By December 9th, the 2/67th (South Hampshire) had joined the
force, and on that date the order of battle was accordingly recast
to accommodate the new battalion by creating a new brigade.[46] The remainder
of the Chasseurs Britanniques had now disembarked, and in addition
a body of foreign recruits had arrived and attached to that unit. Disembarking
on December 22nd, this contingent had been
assembled at Gibraltar and were now posted to
“My Lord, I omitted
to mention that Genl. [Colin]
Genl. Roche tells me that the Spanish prisons are
full of Germans and Poles who would be glad to enter into H.M.’s
service and that a Corps to the amount of several thousand men
might be formed immediately from among these prisoners with the
consent of the Spanish Government. I mention this for your Lordship’s
consideration. I would by no means recommend taking any French.
Several men of the C. Britanniques amongst the recruits
last sent from England
and understood to have been enlisted from the prisons have deserted
to the Enemy since their arrival here. All of them were natives of
France
. I have the honour to remain, My Lord, your Lordship’s
most obedient and most humble, Sir Thos. Graham”[48] Including these new arrivals, and with units strengths
from the return of December 25th,[49] the organisation on that date stood as
follows: Commanding the Force: Lt. General Sir Thomas Graham First (Guards) Brigade: Brigadier General William Dilkes (1091/1139) 2/1st Foot Guards (581/602) Two companies. 2/Coldstream
Guards (204/214) Second Brigade: Colonel William Wheatley (1902/2055) 2/47th ( Lancashire) (748/786) Third Brigade: Lt. Colonel William Prevost (640/710) 2/67th (South Hampshire) (457/521) Reserve: Major General Moore Disney (2486/2702, with 214 horses) 2/87th (Prince of Wales’s Irish) (606/681) Royal Artillery (589/619) Royal Artillery Drivers (141/144, with 223 horses) Royal Engineers (78/85) Total: 5968/7496, with 439 horses The Second Brigade continued to form the garrison of
Notes: [1] Organisation
from Cadiz Journal, February 6th 1810, in TNA WO28/339; strengths
from return of British forces in Portugal
, February 25th 1810, in TNA, WO17/2464. It is impossible to separate
the data for Owen’s Company from that for the Royal Artillery
as a whole. [2] “Return
of the Allied Forces in the Island of
[3]
[4]
[5] Gibraltar
Monthly Return of January 25th 1810, in TNA, WO17/1797; “Return
of the Allied Forces in the Island of Leon
, February 24th 1810”, TNA, WO1/247, pp.25-26. [6]
[7]
[8] TNA,
WO17/2464. [9] Stewart
to
[10]
[11] Dilkes to Graham, June 16th 1810, accompanying inspection
returns in TNA, WO27/98. [12]
[13]
[14]
[15] TNA, WO17/2486. [16] Peninsular Monthly Return, April 25th 1810,
in TNA, WO17/2465. [17] Peninsular Monthly Return, August 25th 1810,
in TNA, WO17/2465. [18]
[19]
[20] TNA, WO17/2486. [21] Oman
, Peninsular War, Vol.III, p.559. [22] Changes listed in Cadiz Journal, June 1st-4th 1810, in
TNA, WO28/339. [23] TNA, WO17/2486. [24] As of this return, the distinction between gunners and drivers is
made for the Royal Artillery. This total is for the gunners only,
the drivers and horses being listed separately. [25]
[26] Robert Burnham (ed.), “Lionel
S. Challis's ‘Peninsula
Roll Call’”. [27] TNA, WO17/2486. [28] Allotment of July 30th 1810, in TNA, WO1/247,
p.467. [29]
[30] Cadiz Journal, August 9th 1810, in TNA, WO28/340, although
this does not give commanders for the Third and Fourth Brigades,
for which see “Brigading Scheme of the Troops under Lt General
Graham 13th August 1810”, in TNA, WO1/247, p.507. [31]
[32] TNA, WO17/2486. [33] Oman
, Wellington’s Army, p.348. [34]
[35] Allotment of September 12th 1810, in TNA,
WO1/247, p.587. [36] Graham to Liverpool, September 13th 1810,
in TNA, WO1/247, p.583. [37]
[38] “State of
[39] TNA, WO17/2486. [40] The Cadiz Journal, September 26th 1810, in TNA, WO28/340, merely
states that the Second Brigade was to report to the senior field
officer, but Barnard of the 3/95th had seniority over Hugh Gough
of the 2/87th. [41] Allotment of October 2nd 1810, in TNA, WO1/247,
p.645. [42] Cadiz Journal, October 9th and 12th 1810,
in TNA, WO28/340; Allotment of October 24th 1810, in TNA,
WO1/247, p.663. [43] TNA, WO17/2486. [44] TNA, WO17/2486. [45] Alistair Nichols,
[46] Allotment of December 9th 1810, in TNA, WO1/247,
p.729. [47] Nichols, Mongrel Regiment, pp.66-67. [48] Graham to Liverpool, January 3rd 1811 No.2,
in TNA, WO1/252 pp.5-7. Graham’s total of 312 includes
fifteen sergeants: see Nichols, Mongrel Regiment, p.66. [49] TNA, WO17/2486. Placed on the Napoleon Series: August 2009 |
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