The "Fighting Third"
at Salamanca, 1812

Order of Battle

By Neil Carey, UK

Allied

(From East to West)

Skirmish Screen

    3 Companies, 5/60th (Rifles): 254
    3 detached light companies: c. 160
    12th Cacadores: 600 est

First Column

Wallace's Brigade

    1/45th Foot: 442*
    74th Foot: 443*
    1/88th Foot: 642*

From Power's Brigade

    9th Portuguese Line (2 btns): 800**

Second Column

Campbell's Brigade

    1/5th Foot: 902
    2/5th Foot: 308
    2/83rd Foot: 319
    94th Foot: 347

From Power's Brigade

    21st Portuguese Line (2 btns): 800**

battery of 8th Btn Royal Foor Art. (Capt. Douglas)

    5 x 9-pounder guns and 1 5.5-inch howitzer

Third Column

Alten's Light Cavalry Brigade

Under Col. Arentschildt

    1st Hussars KGL (3 sqdns): 399
    14th Light Dragoons (2 sqdns): 175
      2 squadrons of the 14th remained on the allied left wing, where Alten has been wounded and forced to quit the field.

Fourth Column

D'Urban's Brigade

    1st and 11th Portuguese Dragoons: 482

Total Strength: 5847 infantry, 1228 cavalry, 6 guns

* Less the detached light companies
** By some accounts, the Portuguese Brigade advanced between the British units. But others claim that the two line regiments were allocated to the end of Wallace's and Campbell's formations. Pakenham himself wrote that the Third Division advanced in just two columns. Total brigade strength was 2,200.

French

Curto's Light Cav Division

1st Brigade

    3rd Hussar, 3 escadrons: 248
    22nd Chasseurs, 2 escadrons: 253
    26th Chasseurs, 2 escadrons: 294
    28th Chasseurs, 1 escadron: 94

2nd Brigade

    13th Chasseurs, 5 escadrons: 516
    14th Chasseurs, 4 escadron: 322
    Escadron de marche: 152

Pico de Miranda:

    101st Ligne, 3 bttns: 1449
    Divisional Artillery: 6 x 4-pounder guns***

Monte de Azan:

    1st Ligne, 3 bttns: 1763
    62nd Ligne, 2 bttns: 1723

*** It might be thought strange for a divisional battery to use such small caliber guns, but he allies captured mainly 4-lbers at Salamanca. The French in Spain used the "unreformed" Gribeauval range of 4-, 8-, and 12-lbers, the former prized for their mobility and not only by horse artillery. Marmont's Army was anyway particularly short of healthy teams to pull heavier ordnance.

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