The OOB for Los Castillejos

As posted previosuly, the battle or combat of Castillejos was a minor affaire if only the size and quality of the involved forces are considered. Its significance was due to the delay that this mini-campaign Gazan-Ballesteros imposed on the Soult’s plans to take Badajoz (See the previous post).
For the OOB of t I have collated the information found in the bibliography given below. There is only a text specifically devoted to the battle and the campaign “La Batalla de los Castillejos y la Guerra de la Independencia en el Andévalo Occidental” containing very interesting information as well as the only existent military map of the battle. The Ballesteros’s force was around 5,000 men strong included around 1,000 combatants, the Cazadores de Barbastro and 400 cavalrymen, from the Condado de Niebla division of the general Copons. On the other side, Gazan was reinforced by the column Remond composed by one battalion of the 16e Legere, the 9e Regiment de Dragons and two light guns, so he was near 7,000 strong. For the statistics of the units, I have followed the Lasalle rule-set almost to the, using the 'Peninsula' lists for both contenders. My final proposal is:

Spanish Army Moral 18 Break point 6
7 Battalions/2 Regiments/C-i-C Ballesteros (-1/-)

First Line Moreda (-1/-)
Lena R/E/SK1
Pravia U/A/SK1
Barbastro U/A/SK2

Reserve Gastelu (-1/*)
León U/A/SK1
Cangas de Tineo R/E/SK1
Castropol S/A/SK1
Infiesto U/A/SK1

Cavalry Sisternes (-/-)
Reg. Provisional de Santiago S/A
Húsares de Castilla S/A

French Army Moral 30 ; Break point 10
13 Battalions/1 Regiments/2 Batteries
C-i-C Gazan (-/-)

1st Brigade Pepin(-/*)
1/21 Leg. Reg. R/E/SK2
2/21 Leg. Reg. R/A/SK1
3/21 Leg. Reg. R/A/SK1
1/100 Ligne Reg. R/E/SK2
2/100 Ligne Reg. R/A/SK1
3/100 Ligne Reg. R/A/SK1

2nd Brigade Maransin (+1/*)
1/28 Leg. Reg. R/E/SK2
2/28 Leg. Reg. R/A/SK1
3/28 Leg. Reg. R/A/SK1
1/103 Ligne Reg. R/E/SK2
2/103 Ligne Reg. R/A/SK1
3/103 Ligne Reg. R/A/SK1

Artillery Foot/2 cannons/ Medium/ 1 How

Column Remond (-/-)
1/16 Leg. Reg. R/E/SK2
9th Dragoon Reg. R/E/Sh/Pu
Artillery Horse/1 cannon/Light

As Lasalle normal 4-bases units represent about 500 men for infantry and 400 men for cavalry, the final numbers of both sides are very similar to the given in the bibliography, i.e. 5,000 Spanish and 7.000 French.

The difference in numbers and quality between the contenders made this combat a very French-biased affaire. This can be modulated by taking in account the different goals pursued by the two C-i-C. Thus, whereas Ballesteros was only playing a delaying action before retreating towards Portugal, on the other side Gazan wanted the destruction or dispersal of the Spanish force. So some home-rules must be devised to give a chance to Ballesteros!

P.S. A funny note. Amongst the Ballesteros units stand the Cazadores de Barbastro, the real unit that inspired the Armand d'Arc's fictitious 'Cazadores de Balbastro', that is fighting in the Armand's colonial campaign commanded by my great-great-great... father Rafael Pardo!


Bibliography
- Gómez de Arreche y Moro, José
Guerra de la Independencia. Historia militar de españa de 1808 a 1914
Tomo IX
Depósito de la Guerra, Madrid, 1895

- Lamare, Jean-Baptiste Hippolyte
Relation des siéges et défenses d’Olivença, de Badajoz et de Campo-Maior en 1811 et 1812
Anselin et Pochard Editeurs, Paris 1825

- Mira Toscazo, Antonio, Villegas Martín, Juan y Suardíaz Figueres, Antonio
La Batalla de los Castillejos y la Guerra de la Independencia en el Andévalo Occidental
Diputación de Huelva, Huelva 2010

- Queipo de Llano y Ruiz de Saravia, José María (Conde de Toreno)
Historia del levantamiento, guerra y revolución de EspañaTomo III
Martín Alegría, Madrid 1847

- Sañudo, J.J. 'Base de Datos sobre las Unidades Militares en la Guerra de la Independencia', Ministerio de defensa, Madrid, 2007

- Victoires, conquêtes, desastres, revers et guerres civiles des français de 1792 a 1815
C.L.F. Panckoucke Editeur
Volume 20, Paris 1820

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