British Forces at Cadiz 1810-1814: Organisation, Strength, and Losses

By Andrew Bamford

Appendix I – Spanish Forces at Cadiz, March 1810

The following is derived from “The Army of Andalucia. General State of the actual force of the army, made up to the present date, with the names of the corps and officers commanding divisions. Real Isla de Leon, 21st March 1810”.[1] Data in the original is given for corporals and privates separately, which are here combined to give rank and file figures for direct comparison with those for the British; that is to say, in the form (effective strength/total strength). It will be noted that this abstract details only the infantry, but the “Return of the Allied Forces in the Island of Leon, February 24th 1810”[2] indicates that the bulk of the cavalry and artillery were ineffective.

Regimental titles are given first as per the original document, with actual titles added in square brackets per Richard Partridge and Michael Oliver, Napoleonic Army Handbook. The British Army and her Allies (London: Constable, 1999), pp.288-404, and Otto von Pivka, Spanish Armies of the Napoleonic Wars (London: Osprey, 1975), passim. There are some units where it is not immediately clear which is being here referred to, and I would welcome comments and corrections from Spanish Army experts.

Commanding the Forces: Captain General the Duke of Albuquerque

Advance Guard: Colonel Don Joseph Lardizabal (2350/2464)

1st Battalion of Truxillo [Provincial de Trujilo] (684/696)
Campo Mayor [Voluntarios de Campo Mayor] (581/601)
dela Reyna [Rto. de la Reina] (675/731)
Ciudad Rodrigo [Provincial de Ciudad Rodrigo] (410/436)

First Division: Brigadier General Don Joseph de la Torre (1536/1784)

4th Spanish Guards [4/Guardias de Infanteria Española] (538/694)
Regiment of Toledo [Provincial de Toledo] (628/663)
1st and 3rd Battalions of Regiment de la Patria [1&3/Voluntarios de la Patria[3]] (370/427)

Second Division: Brigadier General Don Raymond Soto[4] (3173/3358)

1 Battalion of Infantry of Catalonia [1º Ligero de Cataluña] (268/274)
2nd Regiment of Volunteers of Seville [2º Voluntarios de Sevilla] (523/536)
Leales of Ferdinand the 7th [Voluntarios Leales de Fernando VII[5]] (695/774)
2nd Battalion of de la Patria [2/Voluntarios de la Patria] (469/516)
Regiment of the University of Toledo [Voluntarios de Honor de la real Universidad de Toledo[6]] (413/448)
Regiment of Siguenza [Provincial de Siguenza] (805/810)

Third Division: No commander given[7] (3983/4228)

2nd Spanish Guards [2/Guardias de Infanteria Española] (369/381)
Volunteers of Madrid [2º Voluntarios de Madrid] (885/962)
Regiment of Ireland [Rto. de Irlanda] (513/525)
Regiment of Murcia [Rto. de Murcia] (805/874)
Infantry of Canaries [Bón. Fijo Provincial de Canarias] (490/536)
Regiment of Guadix [1º Rto. de Guadix] (429/441)
Regiment of Valencia y Albuquerque [Voluntarios de Valencia y Albuquerque] (492/509)

Total: 11042/11834

[1] Appended as an annex to Stewart to Dundas, March 22nd 1810, in TNA WO1/247, pp73-79.

[2] TNA, WO1/247, pp.25-26.

[3] Inasmuch as this unit fought at Albuera as a single battalion, it would seem to be in the process of consolidation

[4] Rank given in the original as “Captain of the Spanish Guards”.

[5] Partridge and Oliver, Handbook, p.344, indicate this as a regiment of three battalions.

[6] But Partridge and Oliver, Handbook, p.342, indicates that this unit had been disbanded in December 1809. Alternatively, either this or the unit in the First Division assumed to be Provincial de Toledo could in fact represent the Rto. Imperial de Toledo.

[7] This “formation”, shown as stationed in the city of Cadiz itself, would seem in fact to relate to the “Independent Battalions” listed in the “Return of the Allied Forces in the Island of Leon, February 24th 1810” (TNA, WO1/247, pp.25-26), which lists only two line divisions and the Advance Guard.

Placed on the Napoleon Series: August 2009

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