Carlist Infantry

The basic Carlist infantry unit was the battalion which had 6 fusilier companies plus a Light and a Grenadier company. The entire battalion tended to be raised from the same local area. The special Guerrilla units had only 'center' companies which were all trained to fight as light infantry. Carlist units were authorized a higher percentage of NCOs to allow for easier control of skirmishers and detached squads. The term Guides (Guias) was often used to designate an elite unit.

Higher formations included a three battlion Brigade and a six to eight battalion Provincial Division. These higher formations tended to be comprised of battalions from the same province so may vary in size. In difficult situations battalions from different Provinces may be brigaded together but this was the exception rather than the norm.

Carlist Cavalry

The Carlist cavalry branch always comprised a very small percentage of the army. While the average Carlist cavalryman fought on the same level as his Cristino counterpart for most of the wars, the Carlist numbers were always significantly smaller. . The practice of having a unit recruited from the small area often resulted in very small Carlist Troops and Squadrons. Some formations were as small as 25 men. Another problem was the lack of horses which meant that some units had a large number of troopers who fought dismounted.

The Carlist did have a large number of cadres which accompanied raids and could be used to quickly form additional units from local 'volunteers'. These raw formations often disappeared as quickly as they were raised after only a few weeks of campaigning or after a significant battle. Cristino units were able to replace losses while losses would often completely destroy a Carlist formation.

Carlist Artillery

Artillery was always a weakest branch in the Carlist Army. Almost all of its guns were newly forged in the Basque area while rewards were given to soldiers who captured enemy artillery pirces. Also there was always a problem obtaining ammunition for the few guns that they did have. Carlists troops in particular would scout a battlefield afterwards and recover round shot and muskets for later use. A lack of trained personel was a third problem.

The shortage was so bad that Cristino artillerymen and sappers were spared when they were captured, if they would agree to fight for the Carlist. The Carlist Army in 1836 had four field companies manning 64 guns and two companies manning 19 guns attached to forts. The main field gun sizes were the same as the Cristino with 4pdr, 8 pdr and a few 7" howitzers being the most common. Sections (2 guns) of 4pdr Mtn guns would be the most common way to deploy artillery in a field battle.

Carlist Foreign Legion

The Carlist faction also received a number of foreign volunteers. Most of these were employed in the technical fields of artillery and engineering. A number of Portuguese volunteers served with Spanish troops in Portuguese companies assigned to Spanish units. A Carlist Foreign Legion of about 1000 men was created from captured foreign POWs and deserters from the French Foreign Legion. It was destroyed in 1838.

The Carlist Army of the Centre which was based in Aragon was of a slightly different character than the Army of the North located in the Basque region. In Aragon the Carlist relied on lightly controlled units of volunteers, guerrillas, for a longer period of time. These guerrillas were hard targets for the Cristinos to pin down and destroy. These forces also remained irregular in appearance with uniforms, mainly captured items, not being issued on a wide basis until 1837. (Maybe as a result of the merger with the Royal Expedition that year.) For example troops wore a mix of the basque beret and the tophat which was common in that region.

It was generally regarded as a war of volunteers. Both sides did not want to alienate the general populace by strictly enforcing conscription laws. Even National Guard, militia, units consisted mainly of volunteers or paid surrogates rather than the entire male population of a city as allowed by law. Most militia units were only called to arms when the city was under an immediate threat of attack. Otherwise they were inactive and undergoing little if any training. Involvement in the Basque and Aragon areas was more universal as many men joined one side or another in an effort to settle vendettas with rival families from their area.

Tactics

In regards to tactics, warfare was conducted using many of the manuals written during or even prior to the Napoleonic wars. Many officers and senior NCOs had served either during the Napoleonic Wars themselves or the recently concluded Latin Wars of Independence where these tactics were practiced. However the rough terrain which dominated most of the battlefields heavily influenced the tactics which were used.

Cavalry's role was often limited to raids, flank guards during a battle or foraging actions. The lack of horses limited the number of units which could be fielded by either side. The lack of weapons (or money for them) resulted in most units regardless of type being equipped with lances. At different times during the war both sides cavalry dominated the other. The Cristino cavalry was always more numerous and demonstrated consistent superiority during the later stages of the war.

On the battlefield, the presence of even a small cavalry force prevented the enemy from being aggressive and limited their actions. Cavalry proved to be the most effective when they were deployed late in the battle after the enemy was tired, disrupted and often out of ammunition.

Artillery was another arm which had limited influence on the Carlist battlefield. The Carlist forces started with no cannon and struggled to improve that arm throughout the war. The lack of heavy guns prevented the Carlist from breaching the defenses of most fortified towns. Most of the Cristino's heavy guns were deployed in their forts and towns. Most of the field pieces had to be light because of a severe lack of draft animals. Having to depend on oxen pull many guns tended to slow the columns too much and having to depend on mules limited the size of the guns and the amount of ammunition carried. As a result the most common gun on the battlefield was the light (often 4pdr) mountain gun.

In the Basque sector where the Cristino did have some heavy guns, most of it's ball shot proved ineffective against Carlist troops deployed in trenches. The British supplied naval support used rounds, spherical case, which exploded over the trenches which did prove effective but the rounds were hard to get and the naval support was only effective along the coast.

While Napoleonic manuals were used, Spanish troops on both sides seldom used the firing line formation. The rough terrain of the war zone caused the officers to rely on the column as a means to control a unit. The other dominant formation was the dispersed skirmish line which allowed easier movement among the rocks. The best troops were regarded as those which could fight in both a column and the skirmish line.

The ideal tactical situation would be one where the presence of your cavalry kept the enemy in dense easy to hit columns while a swarm of skirmishers fired at the enemy from the rocks. These troops would be supported by your few cannon and mass of reserve troops in column ready to advance. This formula often resulted in lopsided victories for one side or the other. However, many of the battle involved the assault of an enemy occupying entrenched positions. Such positions lessened the affect of cavalry and artillery.

The key in many of these situations was the effectiveness of your firepower. Intense and accurate fire could both weaken the object of a charge and later break any counterattacking enemy formations.

Spain's First Carlist War

Historical Background
British, French, and Portuguese Troops
Carlist Troops
Comments on Standards and Colours