Battle of Albuera order of battle
Encyclopedia
This is the order of battle
for the Battle of Albuera
(16 May 1811). The Battle of Albuera was an engagement of the Peninsular War, fought between a mixed British, Spanish, and Portuguese corps and elements of the French Armée du Midi
(Army of the South). It took place at the small Spanish village of Albuera
, about 12 miles (20 km) south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz
, Spain.
had been given the task of reconstructing the Portuguese army since February 1809. He temporarily took command of General Rowland Hill's
corps while Hill was recovering from illness, and was granted overall command of the Allied army at Albuera by the Spanish generals, Joaquín Blake y Joyes
and Francisco Castaños
.
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
for the Battle of Albuera
Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
(16 May 1811). The Battle of Albuera was an engagement of the Peninsular War, fought between a mixed British, Spanish, and Portuguese corps and elements of the French Armée du Midi
Armée du Midi
The Army of Le Midi was a unit of the French army, stationed in the Le Midi region and created by royal decree of Louis XVI on 13 April 1792. It existed under this name for less than five months, and was split by a decree of the National Convention dated 1 October 1792 into the armée des Alpes...
(Army of the South). It took place at the small Spanish village of Albuera
La Albuera
La Albuera is a village southeast of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. It was scene of a battle between the British troops under William Carr Beresford and the French ones led by Marshal Soult, in the course of the Peninsular war. it had a population of c. 2,000 inhabitants....
, about 12 miles (20 km) south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
, Spain.
Allied army
Marshal Sir William BeresfordWilliam Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford
General William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, 1st Marquis of Campo Maior, GCB, GCH, GCTE, PC , was a British soldier and politician...
had been given the task of reconstructing the Portuguese army since February 1809. He temporarily took command of General Rowland Hill's
Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill
General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill of Almaraz GCB, GCH served in the Napoleonic Wars as a trusted brigade, division and corps commander under the command of the Duke of Wellington. He became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in 1829.-Early career:Educated at a school in Chester, Hill was...
corps while Hill was recovering from illness, and was granted overall command of the Allied army at Albuera by the Spanish generals, Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Joaquín Blake y Joyes was a Spanish military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Peninsular wars.-Early military career:...
and Francisco Castaños
Francisco Javier Castaños, 1st Duke of Bailén
Francisco Javier Castaños Aragorri Urioste y Olavide, Count of Castaños y Aragones, 1st Duke of Baylen , was a Spanish general.Castaños was born at Madrid.He is remembered for his victory over the French under Dupont, whom he...
.
British order of battle
| Unit | Complement | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Division | Maj-Gen William Stewart William Stewart (1774-1827) Lieutenant-General Sir William Stewart, GCB was a British military officer who was the first Commanding Officer of the Rifle Corps, a Division Commander in the Peninsula and a Scottish Member of Parliament in the British Parliament... |
||
| 1st Brigade | Lt-Col John Colborne John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton Field Marshal John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, GCB, GCMG, GCH, PC was a British field marshal and colonial governor.-Early service:... |
||
| 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment of Foot | 755 | ||
| 2nd Battalion, 31st Regiment of Foot 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot The 31st Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1702 and amalgamated into The East Surrey Regiment in 1881.-Predecessor regiment:... |
418 | ||
| 2nd Battalion, 48th Regiment of Foot 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot -History:The regiment was first raised in 1741 as James Cholmondeley's Regiment of Foot in Norwich, England during the War of Austrian Succession. The regiment first saw action at the Battles of Falkirk and Culloden in 1745-1746, campaigning against the Young Pretender. In 1748, it was renumbered... |
452 | ||
| 2nd Battalion, 66th Regiment of Foot 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot The 66th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Princess Charlotte of Wales's in 1881.... |
441 | ||
| Total of Brigade | 2,066 | ||
| 2nd Brigade | Maj-Gen Daniel Hoghton Daniel Hoghton Major-General Daniel Hoghton was a talented and experienced British Army officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars with distinction until his death during combat with the French at the Battle of Albuera in the Peninsula War... |
||
| 29th Regiment of Foot 29th Regiment of Foot The 29th Regiment of Foot was, from 1694 to 1881, an infantry regiment of the British Army. It now forms part of the Mercian Regiment.-Formation:... |
507 | ||
| 1st Battalion, 48th Regiment of Foot | 497 | ||
| 1st Battalion, 57th Regiment of Foot 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot The 57th Regiment of Foot was a regiment of line infantry in the British Army.-History:The regiment started out as the 59th Regiment of Foot raised in Gloucester in 1755.... |
647 | ||
| Total of Brigade | 1,651 | ||
| 3rd Brigade | Lt-Col Alexander Abercrombie | ||
| 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment of Foot 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot The 28th Regiment of Foot was a British infantry regiment from 1782 to 1881.For their conduct at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801 the 28th were given the unique honour of wearing a badge on both the front and rear of their head dress.. They served throughout the Peninsula War including the battles... |
519 | ||
| 2nd Battalion, 34th Regiment of Foot 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot The 34th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1702 and amalgamated with the 55th Regiment of Foot, into The Border Regiment in 1881.-Early 18th century :... |
596 | ||
| 2nd Battalion, 39th Regiment of Foot 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot The 39th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1719 and amalgamated into The Dorsetshire Regiment in 1881.The regiment was raised by Colonel Richard Coote in Ireland in August 1702... |
482 | ||
| Total of Brigade | 1,597 | ||
| Divisional light troops | |||
| 3 companies, 5th Battalion, 60th Regiment of Foot King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire... |
146 | ||
| Total of Division | 5,460 | ||
| 4th Division | Maj-Gen Lowry Cole | ||
| 1st Brigade | Lt-Col Sir William Myers | ||
| 1st Battalion, 7th Fusiliers | 714 | ||
| 2nd Battalion, 7th Fusiliers | 568 | ||
| 1st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France... |
733 | ||
| Total of Brigade | 2,015 | ||
| 2nd Brigade | Lt-Col James Kemmis | ||
| One company each of 2/27th 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot The 27th Regiment of Foot was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1689 and amalgamated into The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in 1881.- History :... , 1/40th 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot The 40th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1717 and amalgamated into The Prince of Wales's Volunteers in 1881.-Formation:... and 90th 90th Regiment of Foot Three regiments of the British Army have been numbered the 90th Regiment of Foot:*90th Regiment of Foot , raised in 1759*90th Regiment of Foot , raised in 1779*90th Regiment of Foot , raised in 1794... Foot |
165 | ||
| Total of Division | 2,180 | ||
| KGL brigade | Maj-Gen Charles Alten Charles Alten Sir Charles Alten , Hanoverian and British soldier, son of Baron Alten, a member of an old Hanoverian family, entered the service of the elector as a page at the age of twelve. He led a famous Anglo-Portuguese division during the Peninsular War. At the Battle of Waterloo, he commanded a division... |
||
| 1st Light Battalion KGL King's German Legion The King's German Legion was a British Army unit of expatriate German personnel, 1803–16. The Legion achieved the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.... |
588 | ||
| 2nd Light Battalion KGL King's German Legion The King's German Legion was a British Army unit of expatriate German personnel, 1803–16. The Legion achieved the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.... |
510 | ||
| Total of Brigade | 1,098 | ||
| Cavalry | Maj-Gen William Lumley William Lumley General Sir William Lumley, GCB was a senior British Army officer and courtier during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The son of the Earl of Scarborough, Lumley enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks aided by a reputation for bravery and professionalism established on campaign... |
||
| 3rd Dragoon Guards 3rd Dragoon Guards The 3rd Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 3rd/6th Dragoon Guards in 1922.... |
374 | ||
| 4th Dragoon Guards 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards The 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards in 1922.... |
387 | ||
| 13th Light Dragoons | 403 | ||
| Total cavalry | 1,164 | ||
| Artillery | Maj Alexander Dickson | ||
| British batteries | 255 men 2 batteries |
||
| KGL Batteries | 292 men 2 batteries |
||
| Total artillery | 547 men 4 batteries |
||
| Sources: Unless specified, numbers taken from . | |||
Portuguese order of battle
| Unit | Complement | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th (British) Division | Maj-Gen Lowry Cole | ||
| Harvey's Brigade | Brig-Gen William Harvey | ||
| Two battalions, 11th Regiment | 1,154 | ||
| Two battalions, 23rd Regiment | 1,201 | ||
| 1st Battalion, Lusitanian Legion | 572 | ||
| Total of Brigade | 2,927 | ||
| Hamilton's Division | Maj-Gen John Hamilton | ||
| 2 battalions, 2nd Line | 1,225 | ||
| 2 battalions, 4th Line | 1,204 | ||
| 2 battalions, 4th Line | 1,271 | ||
| 2 battalions, 10th Line | 1,119 | ||
| Total of Division | 4,819 | ||
| Collins's Brigade | Col Richard Collins | ||
| 2 battalions, 5th Line | 985 | ||
| 1 battalion, 5th Caçadores | 400 | ||
| Total of Brigade | 1,385 | ||
| Cavalry | Col Loftus William Otway Loftus William Otway General Sir Loftus William Otway, CB was an experienced and professional cavalry commander of British forces during the Peninsula War who saw extensive service under Sir John Moore in the Corunna Campaign and Wellington in the remainder of the campaign. He also worked training Portuguese troops and... |
||
| 1st Regiment | 327 | ||
| 7th Regiment | 314 | ||
| 1 squadron, 5th Regiment | 104 | ||
| 1 squadron, 8th Regiment | 104 | ||
| Total cavalry | 849 | ||
| Artillery | Maj Alexander Dickson | ||
| Portuguese batteries | 221 men 2 batteries |
||
| Total artillery | 221 men 2 batteries |
||
| Sources: Unless specified, numbers taken from . | |||
Spanish order of battle
| Unit | Complement | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Blake's army | Gen Joaquín Blake y Joyes Joaquín Blake y Joyes Joaquín Blake y Joyes was a Spanish military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Peninsular wars.-Early military career:... |
||
| Vanguard Division | José de Lardizábal | 2,398 | |
| 3rd Division | Gen Francisco Ballesteros Francisco Ballesteros Francisco Ballesteros, emerged as a career Spanish General during the Peninsular War.Ballasteros served against the First French Republic in the 1793 War of the Pyrenees... |
3,525 | |
| 4th Division | Gen José Zayas | 4,882 | |
| Total infantry | 10,805 | ||
| Cavalry | Loy | 1,165 | |
| Artillery | 103 men 1 battery |
||
| Castaños's Army | Gen Francisco Castaños Francisco Javier Castaños, 1st Duke of Bailén Francisco Javier Castaños Aragorri Urioste y Olavide, Count of Castaños y Aragones, 1st Duke of Baylen , was a Spanish general.Castaños was born at Madrid.He is remembered for his victory over the French under Dupont, whom he... |
||
| Carlos de España's Brigade | Carlos de España | 1,778 | |
| Cavalry | Count Penne Villemur | 721 | |
| Artillery | 62 men 1 battery |
||
| Sources: Unless specified, numbers taken from . | |||
French army
| Unit | Complement | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| V Corps | Gen Jean-Baptiste Girard Jean-Baptiste Girard (soldier) Jean-Baptiste Girard , was a French soldier, général and baron d'Empire, who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.-Biography:... |
||
| 1st Division | Gen Jean-Baptiste Girard | ||
| 34th Ligne | 953 | ||
| 40th Ligne | 812 | ||
| 64th Ligne | 1,589 | ||
| 88th Ligne | 899 | ||
| Total of Division | 4,253 | ||
| 2nd Division | Gen Honoré Gazan | ||
| 21st Légère | 788 | ||
| 100th Ligne | 738 | ||
| 28th Légère | 1,367 | ||
| 103rd Ligne | 1,290 | ||
| Total of Division | 4,183 | ||
| Total of Corps | 8,437 | ||
| Werlé's Brigade | Brig-Gen François Werlé François Werlé François Jean Werlé was a Général de Brigade of the First French Empire who saw action during the Napoleonic Wars and died fighting against the British during the Peninsular War.- Early career :... |
||
| 12th Légère | 2,164 | ||
| 55th Ligne | 1,815 | ||
| 58th Ligne | 1,642 | ||
| Total of Brigade | 5,621 | ||
| Godinot's Brigade | Brig-Gen Nicolas Godinot Nicolas Godinot Deo-Gratias-Nicolas Godinot was a Général de Division of the First French Empire who saw action during the Peninsular War. He was made Chef de Brigade of the 25th Légère on 30 June 1799 and rose to become Colonel of that regiment in 1803... |
||
| 16th Légère | 1,673 | ||
| 51st Ligne | 2,251 | ||
| Total of Brigade | 3,924 | ||
| Grenadiers Réunis | 1,033 | ||
| Cavalry | Lt-Gen Latour-Maubourg Marie Victor de Fay, marquis de Latour-Maubourg Marie Victor Nicolas de Fay, marquis de Latour-Maubourg was a French cavalry commander starting under the Ancien Régime of France, and rising to prominence during the First French Empire... |
||
| Briche's Brigade | Brig-Gen André Briche André Briche André-Louis-Elisabeth-Marie Briche was a French General of the First French Empire who saw action during the Peninsular War. He was Colonel of the 10th Regiment of Hussars between 1806 and 1809, before being promoted to Général de Brigade... |
||
| 2nd Hussars | Col N Vinot | 305 | |
| 10th Hussars | Col François de Laval | 262 | |
| 21st Chasseurs | 256 | ||
| Total brigade | 823 | ||
| Bron's Brigade | Gen André François Bron | ||
| 4th Dragoons | Col Pierre Joséph Farine | 406 | |
| 20th Dragoons | Col N Corbineau | 266 | |
| 26th Dragoons | Col N de Montelegier | 421 | |
| Total brigade | 1,093 | ||
| Bouvier des Éclat's Brigade | Brig-Gen Joseph Bouvier des Éclat | ||
| 14th Dragoons | Col Denis Eloi Ludot | 316 | |
| 17th Dragoons | Col Frédéric Auguste de Beurman | 314 | |
| 27th Dragoons | Col Charles Lallemand | 249 | |
| Total brigade | 879 | ||
| Unattached cavalry | |||
| 1st Vistula Uhlans | 591 | ||
| 27th Chasseurs | 431 | ||
| 4th Spanish Chasseurs | 195 | ||
| Total cavalry | 4,012 | ||
| Artillery | Brig-Gen Charles-Étienne-François Ruty Charles-Étienne-François Ruty Charles-Étienne-François Ruty , count, was a French artillery officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, who rose to the rank of general of division.-Early career:... |
||
| V Corps batteries | 618 men | ||
| Other Batteries | 625 men | ||
| Total artillery | 1,243 men 8 batteries |
||
| Sources: Unless specified, numbers taken from . | |||