X
THE FRENCH ARMY AT VITTORIA
ARMY OF THE SOUTH. Return of May 29, 1813.
[From Paris Archives, lent me by Mr. Fortescue.]
| Officers. | Men. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Division, Leval: | |||
| Brigade Mocquery: 9th Léger, 24th Line | 63 | 2,516 | 2,579 |
| Brigade Morgan: 88th Line, 96th Line | 43 | 2,056 | 2,099 |
| Divisional battery and train | 3 | 163 | 166 |
| Divisional Total | 109 | 4,735 | 4,844 |
| 2nd Division, Cassagne: lent to Army of the Centre. | |||
| 3rd Division, Villatte: | |||
| Brigade Rignoux: 27th Léger, 63rd Line | 39 | 2,539 | 2,578 |
| Brigade Lefol: 94th Line, 95th Line | 50 | 3,063 | 3,113 |
| Divisional battery and train | 4 | 179 | 182 |
| Divisional Total | 93 | 5,781 | 5,874 |
| 4th Division, Conroux: | |||
| Brigade Rey: 32nd and 43rd Line | 78 | 3,591 | 3,669 |
| Brigade Schwitter: 55th and 58th Line | 47 | 2,670 | 2,717 |
| Divisional battery and train | 4 | 189 | 193 |
| Divisional Total | 129 | 6,460 | 6,589 |
| 5th Division, brigade Maransin only: | |||
| 12th Léger, 45th Line | 58 | 2,869 | 2,927 |
| 6th Division, Daricau: | |||
| Brigade St. Pol: 21st Léger, 100th Line | 53 | 2,658 | 2,711 |
| Brigade Remond: 28th Léger, 103rd Line | 45 | 2,939 | 2,984 |
| Divisional battery and train | 3 | 237 | 240 |
| Total | 101 | 5,834 | 5,935 |
| Total 4½ Infantry Divisions | 490 | 25,679 | 26,169 |
| Cavalry: | |||
| Pierre Soult’s Division: | |||
| 2nd Hussars, 5th, 10th, 21st Chasseurs | 74 | 1,428 | 1,502 |
| One battery H.A. and train | 4 | 165 | 169 |
| Tilly’s Division: | |||
| 2nd, 4th, 14th, 17th, 26th, 27th Dragoons | 88 | 1,841 | 1,929 |
| Digeon’s Division: | |||
| 5th, 12th, 16th, 21st Dragoons | 80 | 1,612 | 1,692 |
| One battery H.A. and train | 3 | 174 | 177 |
| Total cavalry | 249 | 6,220 | 6,469 |
| Artillery Reserve: two batteries and train | 5 | 365 | 370 |
| Artillery Park: two companies Field Artillery, one company pontoniers, artificers, train | 17 | 696 | 713 |
| Engineers: two companies sappers, two miners, and train | 11 | 619 | 630 |
| Gendarmerie | 4 | 101 | 105 |
| Wagon train | 2 | 63 | 65 |
| Total auxiliary troops | 39 | 1,844 | 1,883 |
| État-Major of the Army and the divisions | 115 | — | 115 |
| General Total of Army of the South | 893 | 33,743 | 34,636 |
ARMY OF THE CENTRE AT VITTORIA
Return of May 29 for Cassagne’s Division; of May 1 only for the rest, except for the Royal Guards and Spaniards, as see note.
| Officers. | Men. | Total. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Division, Darmagnac: | ||||
| Brigade Chassé: 28th & 75th Line | 35 | 1,759 | 1,794 | |
| Brigade Neuenstein: 2nd Nassau, 4th Baden, Frankfort | 101 | 2,577 | 2,678 | |
| Divisional Total | 136 | 4,336 | 4,472 | |
| 2nd Division, Cassagne: | ||||
| Brigade Braun: 16th Léger, 8th Line | 95 | 5,114 | 5,209 | |
| Brigade Blondeau: 51st Line, 54th Line | ||||
| Total Infantry | 231 | 9,450 | 9,681 | |
| Cavalry: | ||||
| Treillard’s Division: 13th, 18th, 19th, 22nd Dragoons | 44 | 994 | 1,038 | |
| Avy’s Light Cavalry: 27th Chasseurs, Nassau Chasseurs | 22 | 452 | 474 | |
| Total Cavalry | 66 | 1,446 | 1,512 | |
| Artillery (3 batteries) and train | 13 | 488 | 501 | |
| Engineers (1 company sappers) | 2 | 129 | 131 | |
| Wagon train, &c. | 3 | 195 | 198 | |
| Total Auxiliary Arms | 28 | 812 | 830 | |
| The King’s Spanish Army:[1070] | ||||
| Royal Guards, General Guy: | ||||
| Grenadiers, tirailleurs, voltigeurs of the Guard | 80 | 2,300 | 2,380 | |
| Hussars and Lancers of the Guard | 25 | 400 | 425 | |
| Line: | ||||
| Regiments of Castile, Toledo, Royal Étranger | 70 | 2,000 | 2,070 | |
| Cavalry: 1st & 2nd Chasseurs, Hussars of Guadalajara | 70 | 600 | 670 | |
| Artillery: one battery | 3 | 90 | 93 | |
| Total King’s Army | 248 | 5,390 | 5,633 | |
| Total Army of the Centre | 603 | 17,098 | 17,691 | |
ARMY OF PORTUGAL
No Return available later than May 1.
| Officers. | Men. | Total. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Division, Sarrut: | ||||
| Brigade Fririon: 2nd Léger, 36th Line | 146 | 4,656 | 4,802 | |
| Brigade Menne: 4th Léger, 65th Line | ||||
| Divisional field battery and train | ||||
| 6th Division, Lamartinière: | ||||
| Brigade Gauthier: 118th Line, 119th Line | 71 | 2,496 | 2,567 | |
| Brigade Menne: 120th Line, 122nd Line | 102 | 3,866 | 3,968 | |
| Divisional field battery and train | 3 | 173 | 176 | |
| Total Infantry Divisions | 322 | 11,191 | 11,513 | |
| Cavalry: | ||||
| Division Mermet: | ||||
| Brigade Curto: 13th & 22nd Chasseurs | 39 | 863 | 902 | |
| Brigade ? : 3rd Hussars, 14th & 26th Chasseurs | 42 | 857 | 899 | |
| Division Boyer: | ||||
| 6th, 11th, 15th, 25th Dragoons | 67 | 1,404 | 1,471 | |
| Total Cavalry | 148 | 3,324 | 3,472 | |
| Reserve Artillery: | ||||
| One H.A., four field batteries | 11 | 379 | 390 | |
| One company Pontoniers, train, artificers, &c. | 10 | 763 | 773 | |
| Engineers: two companies sappers | 5 | 190 | 195 | |
| Gendarmerie | 5 | 169 | 174 | |
| Wagon train, mule train, &c. | 35 | 898 | 933 | |
| Total auxiliary arms | 66 | 2,389 | 2,455 | |
| General Total of Army of Portugal | 536 | 16,904 | 17,440 | |
Allowing for wastage May 1 to June 21, there may probably have been 14,000 of all arms at Vittoria—say 9,500 infantry, 2,800 cavalry, 1,700 auxiliary arms.
Adding the totals of the three armies as above, we should get 2,032 officers and 68,231 men. But deductions of course must be made:
(1) For decrease from May 1 to June 21 in the Armies of Portugal and the Centre, and from May 29 to June 21 in the Army of the South by normal wastage, and in the two former by drafts sent back to France in May.
(2) For casualties in action since the campaign opened.
The latter would not be large, only Digeon’s Dragoons and Villatte’s and Sarrut’s infantry divisions having been seriously engaged during the retreat. The Burgos explosion cost Villatte over 100 men. We need not allow more than 1,500 as an ample estimate for casualties in action.
The normal wastage, and the deduction for drafts sent to France in May are more difficult to calculate, but I think we shall not be far out in taking 3,000 as an outside allowance for the latter—which affects only the Armies of Portugal and the Centre, since we have a May 29th Return for Gazan’s Army, which of course sent nothing away after that date. And in healthy months, such as May and early June, the deficit from extra sick would not be large—indeed as many men may have rejoined as convalescents as went into hospital, since (except Villatte at Salamanca) the troops had never been pressed or overmarched. It would be generous to allow 5,000 for ‘wastage’.
If so, the French had 63,000 men at Vittoria, but deducting non-combatants (train, artificers, &c.) there would be 9,000 horse, over 46,000 men in the infantry divisions, and about 1,300 gunners with the field and horse batteries not included in the infantry divisions, also 1,000 sappers. This makes over 57,000 fighting men actually available. There must also be a small addition for stray units of the Army of the North known to have been present—not less than 500 nor more than 1,000. All attempts to bring down the French force present to 45,000 men (Victoires et Conquêtes, vol. xxii) or 39,000 infantry and 8,000 horse (Jourdan) or ‘barely 50,000 men’ (Picard) are inadmissible.