The Armies at Talavera, 27-28 July 1809
Summary of strengths
| |
Infantry |
Cavalry |
Guns |
Total |
| British |
16,661 |
2,969 |
five batteries, 1,011 gunners |
20,641 |
Spanish
Present |
35,000
28,000 |
7,000
6,000 |
30 guns
800 gunners, 30 guns |
42,000
34,800 |
| French |
37,735* |
8403 |
|
46,138 |
British and French figures are for the troops present at Talavera. The first Spanish figures are Cuesta'a official returns, the second figures the numbers present with the army at Talavera.
* French infantry figures include the divisional gunners.
Allied Armies
British Army
Commander: Sir Arthur Wellesley
Second-in-command: Sir John Coape Sherbrooke
Cavalry Division: Lieutenant-General William Payne
Fane's Brigade: Sir Henry Fane
3rd Dragoon Guards
4th Dragoons
Cotton's Brigade: Sir Stapleton Cotton
14th Light Dragoons
16th Light Dragoons
Anson's Brigade: George Anson
23rd Light Dragoons
1st Light Dragoons, King's German Legion
Total Strength: 2,969
First (Sherbrooke's) Division:
H Campbell's Brigade
1st battalion, Coldstream Guards
1st battalion, 3rd Guards
One company 5/60th Foot
Cameron's Brigade: Sir Alan Cameron of Erracht
1/61st Foot
2/83rd Foot
One comapany 5/60th Foot
Langwerth's Brigade (Killed in action)
1st Line battalion, King's German Legion
2nd Line battalion, King's German Legion
Light Companies, King's German Legion
Low's Brigade
5th Line battalion, King's German Legion
7th Line battalion, King's German Legion
Total Strength: 5,964
Second (Hill's) Division: Sir Rowland Hill
Tilson's Brigade
1/3rd Foot
2/48th Foot
2/66th Foot
One company 5/60th Foot
R Stewart's Brigade: Richard Stewart
29th Foot
1/48th Foot
1st battalion of Detachments
Total Strength: 3,905
Third (Mackenzie's) Division: Sir Alexander Mackenzie
Mackenzie's Brigade
2/24th Foot
2/31st Foot
1/45th Foot
Donkin's Brigade: Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin
2/87th Foot
1/88th Foot
Five companies 5/60th Foot
Total Strength: 3,747
Fourth (Campbell's) Division: Sir Alexander Campbell
A Campbell's Brigade: Sir Alexander Campbell
2/7th Foot
2/53rd Foot
One company 5/60th Foot
Kemmis's Brigade
1/40th Foot
97th Foot
2nd battalion of Detachments
One company 5/60th Foot
Total Strength: 2,960
Artilley:
British
Lawson's Battery
Sillery's Battery
Elliot's Battery
Germany
Rettberg's Battery
Heyse's Battery
Total Strength: 1,011
Spanish Army of Estremadura
Second in Command: Lieutenant General Francisco de Eguia
Officer Commanding Artillery: Brigadier-General G. Rodriguez
Officer Commanding Engineers: Brigadier-General M. Zappiono
Major General of Infantry: Major General J. M. de Alos
Vanguard: Brigadier General José Zayas
2nd Voluntarios of Catalonia
Cazadores de Barbastro (2nd battalion)
Cazadores de Campo-Mayor
Cazadores de Valencia y Albuquerque
Cazadores Voluntarios de Valencia (2nd battalion)
1st Division: Major-General Marques de Zayas
Cantabria (three battalions)
Granaderos Provinciales
Canarias
Tiradores de Merida
Provincial de Truxillo
2nd Division: Major General Vincente Iglesias
2nd of Majorca
Velez-Malaga (three battalions)
Osuna (three battalions)
Voluntarios Estrangeros
Provincial de Burgos
3rd Division: Major-General Marques de Portago
Badajoz (two battalions)
2nd of Antequera
Imperial de Toledo
Provincial de Badajoz
Provincial de Guadix
4th Division: Major-General R. Manglano
Irlanda (two battalions)
Jaen (two battalions)
3rd of Seville
Leales de Fernando VII (1st battalion)
2nd Voluntarios de Madrid
Voluntearios de la Corona
5th Division: Major-General L. A. Bassecourt
Real Marina, 1st Regiment (two battalions)
Africa (3rd battalion)
Murcia (two battalions)
Reyna (1st battalion)
Provincial de Sigüenza
Major General of Cavalry: Major General R. de Villalba, Marquis de Malapina
1st Division: Lieutenant General J. de Henestrosa
Rey
Calatrava
Voluntaris de España
Imperial de Toledo
Cazadores de Sevilla
Reyna
Villaviciosa
Cazadores de Madrid
2nd Division: Lieutenant-General Duque de Albuquerque
Carabineros Reales (one squadron)
Infante
Alcantara
Pavia
Almanza
1st and 2nd Hussars of Estremadura
Total strength: 35,000 infantry, 7,000 cavalry and 30 guns
French Army
1st Corps: Marshal Victor
1st Division: Ruffin
9th
Léger (three battalions)
24th of the Line (three battalions)
96th of the Line (three battalions)
2nd Division: Lapisse (killed in action)
16th Léger (three battalions)
8th of the Line (three battalions)
45th of the Line (three battalions)
54th of the Line (three battalions)
3rd Division: Villatte
27th Léger (three battalions)
63rd of the Line (three battalions)
94th of the Line (three battalions)
95th of the Line (three battalions)
Corps-Cavalry: Beaumont
2nd Hussars
5th Chasseurs
Total Strength: 19,310
4th Corps: General Sebastiani
1st Division: Sebastiani
28th of the Line (three battalions)
32nd of the Line (three battalions)
58th of the Line (three battalions)
75th of the Line (three battalions)
2nd Division: Valence
4th Polish Regiment (two battalions)
3rd Division: Leval
Nassau (two battalions)
Baden (two battalions)
Hesse-Darmstadt (two battalions)
Holland (two battalions)
Frankfort (one battalion)
Merlin's Light Cavalry
10th Chasseurs
26th Chasseurs
Polish Lancers
Westphalian Chevaux-Légers
Total Strength: 15,456
Reserve Cavalry
1st Dragoon Division: Latour-Maubourg
1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th, 14th and 26th Dragoons
2nd Dragoon Division: Milhaud
5th, 12th, 16th, 20th, 21st Dragoons
3rd Dutch Hussars
Total Strength: 5,635
Troops from Madrid
12th Léger (three battalions)
51st Line (three battalions)
King's Guard Infantry
King's Guard Cavalry
27th Chasseurs (two squadrons)
Total Strength: 5,737
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How to cite this article:
Rickard, J (13 March 2008), The Armies at Talavera, 27-28 July 1809, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/armies_talavera.html
A History of the Peninsular War vol.2: Jan.-Sept. 1809 - From the Battle of Corunna to the end of the Talavera Campaign, Sir Charles Oman. Part two of Oman's classic history falls into two broad sections. The first half of the book looks at the period between the British evacuation from Corunna and the arrival of Wellesley in Portugal for the second time, five months when the Spanish fought alone, while the second half looks at Wellesley's campaign in the north of Portugal and his first campaign in Spain. One of the classic works of military history.
