History of the war in the Peninsula and in the south of France from the year 1807 to the year 1814, vol. 6Napier, William Francis Patrick
History
History of the war in the Peninsula and in the south of France from the year 1807 to the year 1814, vol. 6
Napier, William Francis Patrick
Peninsular War, 1807-1814
I said in my History, you had more than two thousand cavalry in the
field, and in my Justification I gave reasons for believing you
had nearly three thousand; you now acknowledge two thousand; my
history then is not far wrong. But your lordship does not seem to
know the composition of your own divisions. General Long’s morning
states, now before me, do not include general Madden’s cavalry. That
officer’s regiments were the fifth and eighth, and if I mistake not
the sixth and ninth also were under him; those in general Long’s
division are the first and seventh. I find from general Madden’s
own account of his services, given in the Military Calendar, that
a part of his brigade, namely, the eighth regiment, under colonel
Windham, was in the battle of Albuera. Now taking the eighth to
be between two hundred and seventy and two hundred and eighty-one
troopers, which were the respective strengths of the first and
seventh regiments in Long’s Division on the 29th of May, I have above
eighteen hundred troopers, namely, fifteen hundred and eighty-seven
in Long’s division, and two hundred and seventy-five in the eighth
regiment, and to these I add about two hundred and fifty officers and
sergeants, making in all more than two thousand sabres. In general
Long’s states of the 8th of May, those two Portuguese regiments
had indeed fewer under arms than on the 29th, but then six hundred
and eighty-nine men and forty-four serjeants and trumpeters were
on command, of which more than four hundred belonged to those two
Portuguese regiments. Many of these men must surely have joined
before the battle, because such an unusual number on command could
only be temporary. Again I find in the state of the 29th of May, one
hundred and fifteen serjeants trumpeters and troopers returned as
prisoners of war; and when the killed and wounded in the battle are
added, we may fairly call the British and Portuguese cavalry above
two thousand. Your lordship admits the Spaniards to have had seven
hundred and fifty; but I will for clearness place this in a tabular
form:
GENERAL LONG’S STATES.
8th May.
Serjeants, trumpeters, and troopers.
Present under arms 1576
On command 733
Prisoners of war 115
————
2424
29th May.
Present 1739
Command 522
Prisoners of war 127
————
2388
————
Median estimate for the 16th of May.
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