V

THE PARTITION OF THE ARMY OF ESTREMADURA IN SEPTEMBER 1809

[N.B.—‘bon’ is Spanish contraction for batallón.]

The way in which the old army of Cuesta was divided in September 1809 has never been worked out; nor has the composition of Areizaga’s army of La Mancha, after it had been joined by the Estremaduran reinforcements, ever been reconstructed. A search in the Madrid War Office, in which I was assisted by the kindness of Captain Figueras, has produced the following two documents:—

(1) A list of Albuquerque’s army without any figures of strength save the general total, as follows:

Cuerpos que quedaron constituendo el Cuerpo de Ejercito de Estremadura, de 12,000 hombres. Oct. 1, 1809.
*Reales Guardias Walonas (4º batallón).[Late in garrison at Badajoz.]
‡Osuna (2 batallones).[Late of Iglesias’s Division.]
‡Velez Malaga (3 batallones).[Late of Iglesias’s Division.]
‡Voluntarios Extrangeros (1 bon).[Late of Iglesias’s Division.]
†Provincial de Burgos (1 bon).[Late of Iglesias’s Division.]
‡Tiradores de Merida (1 bon).[Late of Zayas’s Division.]
†Provincial de Truxillo (1 bon).[Late of Zayas’s Division.]
‡2ndo de Antequera (1 bon).[Late of Portago’s Division.]
†Provincial de Badajoz (1 bon).[Late of Portago’s Division.]
‡Leales de Fernando VII (2 bones).[Late in garrison at Badajoz.]
‡Voluntarios de Plasencia (1 bon).[Late in garrison at Badajoz.]
‡Voluntarios de Zafra (1 bon).[Late in garrison at Badajoz.]
‡Voluntarios de La Serena (1 bon).[Late in garrison at Badajoz.]
Caballería—Comandante General el Brigadier Baron de Carondelet.
*Calatrava, *Villaviciosa, *Voluntarios de España, ‡Cazadores Perseguidores de Andalucia, ‡Cazadores de Sevilla.
*Borbon, ‡Cazadores de Llerena and *Sagunto have marched for Ciudad Rodrigo under the Prince of Anglona.

(2) A second document gives, as having marched under Eguia to join the Army of the Centre in La Mancha, the following corps:

*Real Marina (1º y 2º batallones).[Late of Bassecourt’s Division.]
*Africa (3º bon).[Late of Bassecourt’s Division.]
*Murcia (1º y 2º bones).[Late of Bassecourt’s Division.]
*Reyna (1º bon).[Late of Bassecourt’s Division.]
*2ond de Mallorca (1º bon).[Late of Iglesias’s Division.]
*Cantabria (1º, 2º, 3º bones).[Late of Zayas’s Division.]
*Badajoz (1º, 2º bones).[Late of Portago’s Division.]
†Provincial de Toledo (1 bon).[Late of Portago’s Division.]
*Cazadores de Barbastro (1 bon).[Late of the Vanguard Division.]
*Voluntarios de Valencia (2º bon).[Late of the Vanguard Division.]
‡Tiradores de Estremadura (1 bon).[Late of the Vanguard Division.]
Provincial de Plasencia
Caballería
*Reales Carabineros, *Rey, *Reyna, *Infante, *Pavia, *Almanza, *1º y 2º Usares de Estremadura, ‡Cazadores de Madrid, ‡Cazadores de Toledo, ‡Carabineros y Lanceros de Estremadura.
30 piezas de Artillería.

This leaves unaccounted for, of Cuesta’s old army, the following corps: *2º de Voluntarios de Cataluña, *Campo Mayor, ‡Cazadores de Valencia y Albuquerque, ‡Canarias, †Provincial de Guadix, *Irlanda (two batts.), *Jaen, ‡3º de Sevilla, ‡2º de Voluntarios de Madrid, ‡Voluntarios de la Corona, †Provincial de Sigüenza, Granaderos Provinciales.

Of these Jaen, Corona, Madrid, and the grenadiers certainly went with Eguia to La Mancha. Irlanda went to Del Parque at Ciudad Rodrigo, 2º de Cataluña went to Cadiz to recruit. There are left Campo Mayor, Canarias, 3º de Sevilla, Provincial de Sigüenza, Provincial de Guadix, Cazadores de Valencia y Albuquerque. Probably they formed the division of 6,000 men which the Junta is said to have deducted from the army of Estremadura for its own protection, and to have withdrawn to the borders of Andalusia in September. At any rate we find in November Campo Mayor, Canarias, and Provincial de Guadix serving again in the army of Albuquerque. But I cannot be sure that some of the others did not accompany Eguia (like Jaen and Corona), though not mentioned in the document no. 2.

* Old regular units. † Old militia units. ‡ New levies.