Battle of Talavera order of battle

The Battle of Talavera (27–28 July 1809) saw an Imperial French army under King Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan attack a combined British and Spanish army led by Sir Arthur Wellesley. After several of their assaults were bloodily repulsed on the second day, the French retreated toward Madrid leaving the battlefield to the Anglo-Spanish army. Events soon compelled Wellesley, who was soon appointed Viscount Wellington, to fall back toward his base in Portugal. The following units and commanders fought at the battle, which occurred during the Peninsular War.

The British 48th Foot charges at the Battle of Talavera.

Anglo-Spanish Army

Commander-in-Chief of the Anglo-Spanish Army: Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley

British Army

Commander-in-Chief: Lieutenant General The Rt Hon Sir Arthur Wellesley KB

Total Anglo-Spanish forces: 52,735, 66 guns

Division[1][2] Brigade[1][2] Units[1][2] Strength[2] Losses 27th[3] Losses 28th[4]
1st Division
Major General
John Coape Sherbrooke
5,964
1st Brigade
Brigadier General
Henry Frederick Campbell (2,045)
1/2nd Foot Guards Regiment9703293
1/3rd Foot Guards Regiment1,0190322
5/60th Rifle Regiment, one company56**
2nd Brigade
Brigadier General
Alan Cameron (1,364)
1/61st Foot7787265
2/83rd Foot5350283
5/60th Rifle Regiment, one company51**
3rd Brigade
Brigadier General
Ernst Eberhard Kuno, Baron Langwerth von Simmern (1,388) [5]
1st Line Battalion, KGL6049291
2nd Line Battalion, KGL6783387
1st Light Battalion, KGL, two companies1063643
4th Brigade
Brigadier General
Sigismund, Baron Löw von Steinfurt (1,167)
5th Line Battalion, KGL61041255
7th Line Battalion, KGL557146110
Artillery Sillery's Company, RA (six light 6-pounders)RARARA
2nd Division
Major General
Rowland Hill
3,885
1st Brigade
Major General
Christopher Tilson (1,891)
1/3rd Foot7460142
2/48th Foot567368
2/66th Foot5260126
5/60th Rifle Regiment, one company52**
2nd Brigade
Brigadier General
Richard Stewart (2,014)
29th Foot59855132
1/48th Foot8078168
1st Battalion of Detachments60970203
Artillery Heise's Battery, KGA (six light 6-pounders)KGAKGAKGA
3rd Division
Major General
John Randoll Mackenzie of Suddie [5]
3,747
1st Brigade
Major General
Mackenzie (2,276)
2/24th Foot7879343
2/31st Foot733119131
1/45th Foot75625158
2nd Brigade
Colonel
Rufane Shaw Donkin (1,471)
2/87th Foot59919860
1/88th Foot5996485
5/60th Rifle Regiment, five companies273* 60th total: 27* 60th total: 50
Artillery Rettberg's Battery, KGA (six heavy 6-pounders)KGAKGAKGA
4th Division
Brigadier General
Alexander Campbell (WIA)
2,960
1st Brigade
Brigadier General Campbell (1,032)
2/7th Foot431065
2/53rd Foot537039
5/60th Rifle Regiment, one company64**
2nd Brigade
Colonel
James Kemmis (1,928)
1/40th Foot745058
97th Foot502053
2nd Battalion of Detachments625021
5/60th Rifle Regiment, one company56**
Artillery Lawson's Company, RA (six 3-pounders)RARARA
Cavalry Division
Lieutenant General
William Payne-Gallwey
2,969
1st Heavy Brigade
Brigadier General
Henry Fane (1,069 or 1,070)
3rd Dragoon Guards Regiment52503
4th Dragoon Regiment545012
2nd Brigade
Major General
Stapleton Cotton (989 or 1,189)
14th Light Dragoons464115
16th Light Dragoons525014
3rd Brigade
Brigadier General
George Anson (910)
23rd Light Dragoons4590207
1st Hussars, KGL451437
Artillery Reserve
Brigadier General Edward Howarth
1,011
Elliot's Company, RA (six light 6-pounders)RARARA
British (RA) totalsRA: 681RA: 2RA: 32
German (KGA) totalsKGA: 330KGA: 0KGA: 34
Total British forces: 20,735 (16,556 infantry, 3,168 cavalry, 1,011 artillery, 30 guns)

Spanish Army

Commander-in-Chief: Lieutenant General Don Gregorio Garcia de la Cuesta y Fernández de Celis, Captain-General of Castilla

Spanish cavalry units ending in a number (Nr.) are regular units and so is the Carabineros Reales Regiment. Other cavalry units are probably newly-raised volunteers. Regular units titled Cavalry are heavy cavalry while units titled Cazadores are light cavalry. Units labeled Regiment are probably regular infantry from the old army, though Badajoz, Canarias, Mallorca, Osuna and Salamanca are not in Charles Oman's list. Units labeled Cazadores Regiment are regular light infantry. Infantry units titled Granaderos or Provincial are the standing militia units from the old army. All other infantry units are probably newly-raised volunteers.[6]

Division[7][8] Regiments[7][8]
Vanguard Division
Brigadier General Don José Pascual de Zayas y Chacón
2nd Voluntarios de Cataluña Regiment
Cazadores de Barbastro Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Cazadores de Campo Mayor Regiment
Cazadores de Valencia y Albuquerque
Cazadores de Valencia Regiment, 1st Battalion (Oman: 2nd)
Tiradores de Estremadura (Oman: excluded)
Lanceros de Andalusia (cavalry) (Oman: excluded)
Michelena's Battery (6 guns)
1st Infantry Division
Major General Don Juan Berthuy, Marquis de Zayas
Cantabria Regiment, three battalions
Voluntarios de Castilla Regiment (Oman: excluded)
Canarias Regiment, one battalion
Tiradores de Mérida
Provincial de Trujillo
Granaderos Provinciales
Tiradores de Cádiz (Oman: excluded)
Artillery Battery (6 guns)
2nd Infantry Division
Major General Don Vicente Iglesias
Mallorca Regiment, 2nd Battalion
Velez-Malaga Regiment, three battalions
Osuna Regiment, two battalions
Voluntarios Estranjeros
2nd Provincial de Burgos (Oman: omit 2nd)
Salamanca Regiment
Artillery Battery (6 guns)
3rd Infantry Division
Major General Don Francisco Gómez de Terán y Negrete, Marquis de Portago
Badajoz Regiment, 1st and 2nd Battalions
Cazadores de Antequera (Oman: 2nd)
Imperiales de Toledo, one battalion
Provincial de Badajoz
2nd Provincial de Guadix (Oman: omit 2nd)
Artillery Battery (6 guns)
4th Infantry Division
Major General Don Rafael Manglano (WIA)[9]
Irlanda Regiment, two battalions
Jaén Regiment, two battalions
Sevilla Regiment, 2nd Battalion (Oman: 3rd)
Leales de Fernando VII, 1st Battalion
2nd Voluntarios de Madrid
Voluntarios de la Corona Regiment
Artillery Battery (6 guns)
5th Infantry Division
Major General Don Luis Alejandro de Bassecourt y Dupire
1st Real Marina Regiment, two battalions
Africa Regiment, 3rd Battalion
Murcia Regiment, two battalions
Reina Regiment, 1st Battalion
Provincial de Siguenza
Artillery Battery (6 guns)
1st Cavalry Division
Lieutenant General Don Juan de Henestrosa
Rey Cavalry Regiment Nr. 1
Calatrava Cavalry Regiment Nr. 10
Imperiales de Toledo Regiment
Cazadores de Sevilla Regiment
Reina Cavalry Regiment Nr. 2
Villaviciosa Cazadores Regiment Nr. 5
Cazadores de Madrid Regiment
2nd Cavalry Division
Lieutenant General
Don José María de la Cueva y de la Cerda, Duke of Albuquerque
Carabineros Reales Regiment, one squadron
Infante Cavalry Regiment Nr. 4
Pavia Cazadores Regiment Nr. 4
Almansa Cazadores Regiment Nr. 3
Alcantara Cavalry Regiment Nr. 7 (Oman only)
1st Husares de Estremadura Regiment
2nd Husares de Estremadura Regiment
Borbón Cavalry Regiment Nr. 5 (Oman: excluded)
Sevilla Regiment (part) (Oman: excluded)
Madrid Regiment (part) (Oman: excluded)
Total Spanish forces: 32,000, 36 guns (Lipscombe)[8] or 28,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, 800 artillery, 30 guns (Oman)[7]

French Army of the Centre

Total French forces: 46,180, 84 guns

I Corps d'Armée

Marshal of France Claude Perrin Victor, Duke of Belluno

Division/Brigade[10][11][8] Strength[10][11] Units[11][8] Losses[12]
Headquarters Staff 47 -1
1st Division
General of Division
Count François Amable Ruffin
5,286 9th Légère Infantry Regiment457
24th Ligne Infantry Regiment567
96th Ligne Infantry Regiment606
Foot Artillery Battery (8 guns)*
2nd Division
General of Division
Pierre Belon Lapisse, Baron of Sainte-Hélène [9]
6,862 16th Légère Infantry Regiment407
8th Ligne Infantry Regiment437
45th Ligne Infantry Regiment388
54th Ligne Infantry Regiment532
Foot Artillery Battery (8 guns)*
3rd Division
General of Division
Eugène-Casimir Villatte, Count d'Oultremont
6,135 27th Légère Infantry Regiment189
63rd Ligne Infantry Regiment40
94th Ligne Infantry Regiment145
95th Ligne Infantry Regiment27
Foot Artillery Battery (8 guns)*
Cavalry Brigade
General of Brigade
Louis Chrétien Carrière, Baron de Beaumont
980 2nd Hussar Regiment16
5th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment23
Horse Artillery Battery (6 guns)*
Reserve Artillery Included above Foot Artillery Battery (8 guns)* 64 - total artillery
Foot Artillery Battery (8 guns)*
Total I Corps d'Armée: 19,310

IV Corps d'Armée

General of Division Horace-Francois-Bastien Sebastiani de La Porta

Division/Brigade[10][11][8] Strength[10][11] Losses[12] Units[11][8]
Headquarters Staff 13 unknown-
1st Division
General of Brigade
Louis Liger-Belair (vice Sebastiani)
8,118 2,180 28th Ligne Infantry Regiment, three battalions
32nd Ligne Infantry Regiment, three battalions
58th Ligne Infantry Regiment, three battalions
75th Ligne Infantry Regiment, three battalions
Foot Artillery Battery (8 guns)
2nd Division
General of Division
Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Timbrune de Thiembronne, Count of Valence
1,600 40 4th Polish Infantry Regiment, two battalions
3rd Division
General of Division
Jean Francois, Baron Leval
4,537 1,007 Nassau Infantry Regiment, two battalions
Baden Infantry Regiment, two battalions
Hesse-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment, two battalions
Holland Infantry Regiment, two battalions
Frankfurt Infantry Regiment, one battalion
Foot Artillery Battery (8 guns)
Cavalry Brigade
General of Brigade
Christophe Antoine, Count Merlin
1,188 48[13] 10th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment
26th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment
Polish Lancer Regiment
Westphalian Chevau-léger Regiment
Horse Artillery Battery (6 guns)
Reserve Artillery included above included above Foot Artillery Battery (8 guns)
Foot Artillery Battery (8 guns)
Total IV Corps d'Armée: 15,456

Reserves

King Joseph Bonaparte

Division[10][11][8] Strength[10][11] Losses[13] Units[11][8]
Madrid Garrison
General of Division
Jean-Joseph Paul Augustin, Marquis Dessolles
5,737 0 12th Légère Infantry Regiment, three battalions
51st Ligne Infantry Regiment, three battalions
King's Guard Infantry Regiment
27th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment
King's Guard Cavalry Regiment
1st Dragoon Division
General of Division
Marie-Victor-Nicolas de Fay, Marquis de La Tour-Maubourg
3,279 83 1st Dragoon Regiment
2nd Dragoon Regiment
4th Dragoon Regiment
9th Dragoon Regiment
14th Dragoon Regiment
26th Dragoon Regiment
Horse Artillery Battery (6 guns)
2nd Dragoon Division
General of Division
Count Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud
2,356 6 5th Dragoon Regiment
12th Dragoon Regiment
16th Dragoon Regiment
20th Dragoon Regiment
21st Dragoon Regiment
3rd Dutch Hussar Regiment
Horse Artillery Battery (6 guns)
Total Reserve: 11,372

Notes

  1. Glover 2001, pp. 374–375.
  2. Oman 1995, pp. 645–646.
  3. Oman 1995, p. 649.
  4. Oman 1995, pp. 650–651.
  5. Oman 1995, p. 555.
  6. Oman 2010, pp. 608–611.
  7. Oman 1995, p. 647.
  8. Lipscombe 2010, pp. 361–365.
  9. Oman 1995, p. 556.
  10. Glover 2001, p. 389.
  11. Oman 1995, p. 648.
  12. Oman 1995, p. 652.
  13. Oman 1995, p. 653.

References

  • Glover, Michael (2001). The Peninsular War 1807-1814. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-141-39041-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Lipscombe, Nick (2010). The Peninsular War Atlas. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 1-84908-364-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Oman, Charles (2010) [1902]. A History of the Peninsular War Volume I. 1. La Vergne, Tenn.: Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1432636820.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Oman, Charles (1995) [1903]. A History of the Peninsular War Volume II. 2. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole. ISBN 1-85367-215-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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