XIII

FRENCH LOSSES AT BUSSACO

Killed
or prisoners.
Wounded.Total.
Officers.Men.Officers.Men.
2nd CORPS.
Merle’s Division
Sarrut’s Brigade:
2nd Léger28116209308
36th Ligne617822277483
Graindorge’s Brigade:
4th Léger111189110248
Graindorge’s Brigade:22
Divisional Total19377475981,041
Heudelet’s Division
Foy’s Brigade:
17th Léger26020271353
70th Ligne65411246317
Arnaud’s Brigade:
31st Léger3677219296
47th Ligne336
Artillery66
Divisional Total1118141745978
Corps Troops:
Engineers123
Train11
Grand Total30560881,3452,023
[Signed: Barbot, Saldere, Oct. 1.]

This return from the Archives du Ministère de la Guerre omits the État-Major, which had one officer killed and four wounded, and the Cavalry, which, though in reserve, had some slight losses, for Martinien’s Liste des Officiers shows that the 8th Dragoons and the 1st Hussars had each one officer wounded, and that Pierre Soult, the general commanding the brigade, was also hit; probably ten or a dozen casualties among the men are implied. But the casualties must have been very few in the mounted arm. Fririon, Masséna’s chief of the Staff, says that the prisoners of the second corps came to 15 officers and 349 rank and file, many of them wounded. If so, the killed must have amounted to 15 officers and 211 men.

Killed
or prisoners.
Wounded.Total.
Officers.Men.Officers.Men.
6th CORPS.
Marchand’s Division
Maucune’s Brigade:
6th Léger27012281365
69th Ligne24418416480
Marcognet’s Brigade:
39th Ligne193213235
76th Ligne738393
Divisional Total4140369931,173
Mermet’s Division
Bardet’s Brigade:
25th Léger32023
27th Ligne11
Labassée’s Brigade:
(50th, 59th) no losses
Divisional Total312024
Loison’s Division
Simon’s Brigade:
26th Ligne63715225283
Légion du Midi1325273311
Légion Hanovrienne4265182217
Ferey’s Brigade:
32nd Léger213395113
66th Ligne51515123158
82nd Ligne3184145170
Divisional Total21141471,0431,252
État-Major:77
Grand Total25284912,0562,456

No return from the Artillery, part of which was engaged beside Moura, and must have had a few casualties, like that of the 2nd Corps.

8th CORPS. Junot’s corps having been in reserve, we should not have expected to find any casualties, but Martinien’s lists show a few officers—five in all—hit, in the 28th and 86th Ligne, besides an aide-de-camp of Clausel wounded. This must mean that the corps caught a few stray shells when it was brought up to cover the retreat of Ney’s routed divisions. It would be a minimum to estimate the losses at sixty. Three of Masséna’s adjoints de l’État-Major, and an officer from the Grand Park, are also mentioned as wounded in Martinien’s lists.

The total of the French losses therefore must have been quite 4,600 killed, wounded, and missing. The return accounts for no prisoners from the 6th Corps. But General Simon was certainly captured, and he is not likely to have been the sole prisoner.