The 18th of September the French army was posted in the following manner:
| Right wing. Marshal Bessieres. under arms. | 15,595 | } | Three divisions of infantry in front of Pancorbo, at Briviesca, Santa Maria, and Cuba; light cavalry behind Burgos. |
| Centre. Marshal Ney. under arms. | 13,756 | } | Logroña, Nalda, and Najera. |
| Left wing. Marshal Moncey. under arms. | 16,636 | } | Milagro, Lodosa, Caparosa, and Alfaro. The garrison of Pampeluna was also under Moncey’s command. |
| Reserve of the king. Gen. Saligny. | 5,413. | ┐ | |
| Imperial guard. Gen. Dorsenne. | 2,423. | │ | Miranda, Haro, and Puente Lara. |
| Total | ——— 7,833. | ┘ | |
| Garrisons. | 6,004. | Pampeluna. | |
| Gen. Monthion. | 1,500. | Bilbao. | |
| Gen. La Grange. | 6,979. | { | Composed of small garrisons and moveable columns, guarding the communications of Biscay, Alava, and Guipuscoa. |
| Grand reserve. Moveable cols. | 1,984. | ┐ | |
| Stationary. | 20,005. ——— | │ | Bayonne, and watching the valleys of the Pyrenees opening into Navarre. |
| Total, comm. by Gen. Drouet, | 21,989. | ┘ |
Total 90,289 present under arms, exclusive of the troops in Catalonia. Hence the communication being secured, the fortresses garrisoned, and the fort of Pancorbo armed, there remained above fifty thousand sabres and bayonets disposable on a line of battle extending from Bilbao to Alfaro.
To oppose this formidable force the Spanish troops were divided into three principal masses, denominated the armies of the right, centre, and left.
| Infantry. | Cavalry. | Guns. | 1st Line. | ||||
| The first, composed of the divisions of St. Marc and O’Neil, numbered about | 17,500 | 500 | 24 | ┐ | Men. | Guns. | |
| The second, composed of the divisions of La Pena, Llamas, and Caro | 26,000 | 1,300 | 36 | │ | 75,400 | 86 | |
| The third, consisting entirely of Gallicians, about | 30,000 | 100 | 26 | ┘ | |||
| 2d Line. | |||
| In the second line the Castillians were at Segovia | 12,000 | ┐ | |
| The Estremadurans at Talavera | 13,000 | │ | |
| Two Andalusian divisions were in La Mancha | 14,000 | │ | 57,000 |
| And the Asturians (posted at Llanes) were called | 18,000 | ┘ |
This estimate, founded upon a number of contemporary returns and other documents, proves the monstrous exaggerations put forth at this time to deceive the Spanish people and the English government. The Spaniards pretended that above one hundred and forty thousand men in arms were threatening the French positions on the Ebro, whereas less than seventy-six thousand were in line of battle, and those exceedingly ill-armed and provided. The right, under Palafox, held the country between Zaragoza and Sanguessa, on the Aragon river; the centre, under Castaños, occupied Borja, Taranzona, and Agreda; the left, under Blake, was posted at Reynosa, near the sources of the Ebro.
The relative position of the French and Spanish armies was very disadvantageous for the latter. From the right to the left of their line, that is, from Reynosa to Zaragoza, was twice the distance between Bayonne and Vittoria, and the roads more difficult; the reserve under Drouet was consequently in closer military communication with king Joseph’s army, than the Spanish wings were with another. The patriots were acting without concert upon double external lines of operation, and against an enemy far superior in quickness, knowledge, and organization, and even in numbers. The French were superior in cavalry, and the base of their operations rested on three great fortresses, Bayonne, St. Sebastian, and Pampeluna; and they could in three days carry the centre and the reserve to either flank, and unite thirty thousand combatants without drawing a man from their garrisons. The Spaniards held but one fortress (Zaragoza), and being disseminated in corps under different generals of equal authority, they could execute no combined movement with rapidity or precision, nor under any circumstances could they unite more than 40,000 men at any given point.
Correspce. of Captain Carrol.
Ibid. General Broderick.
In this situation of affairs, general Blake, his army organized in six divisions (each five thousand strong), of which four were numbered, and the other two called the advanced guard, and the reserve, broke up from Reynosa on the 17th of September. One division advanced on the side of Burgos, to cover the march of the main body, which, threading the valley of Villarcayo, turned the right of marshal Bessieres, and reached the Ebro. Two divisions occupied Traspaderna and Frias, and established a post at Oña, on the right bank of that river; a third division took a position at Medina, and a fourth held the town of Erran and the Sierra of that name. A fifth halted in the town of Villarcayo, to preserve the communication with Reynosa, and at the same time, 8,000 Asturians under general Acevedo, quitted the camp at Llanes, and advanced to St. Ander. General Broderick now arrived in the Spanish camp; Blake importuned him for money, and obtained it, but treated him otherwise with great coldness, and withheld all information relative to the movements of the army.