"Spanish Guerillas" Topic

Woukd they ever participate in a large battle alongside Spanish or allied troops?

Would they fight as skirmishers? A mob? In crude formations ? Mounted?

Are they on record as having used a banner or flag? What did it look like ?

I should think the few times they might tag along with regulars they would fight as skirmishers. No idea about flags or banners.

If memory serves me, Julian Sanchez and his guerilla band (organized)…were on "outpost duty" at Fuentes d' Onoro on the far British right flank. At Nave de Haver. Brushed aside by the French "flanking force" early on.
At Vitoria, there was several guerilla bands with the northern most flanking column under Graham. No direct action or involvement I know of….till the great French baggage train looting event post battle.

As for being in the main battle line..never. Didn't have the training, equipment or just the manpower to withstand any form of open terrain assault.

Irregulars at best…. no organized training for skirmish warfare. Some "mounted guerillas" became junta cavalry regiments late in the war…example Julian Sanchez's lancers.

Doubt if any unit flags, banners or even a camp flag. Maybe a "Guerilla leaders flag"…. with some written word or symbol carried by a "right hand guerilla type". Never seen any painting or other written text describing a flag or banner.

WR

Ta.

Might do one up anyway for a fictional leader. Something blood red or black with grim anti French tidings on it…

Maybe have the flag and/or standard holder on a base with a captured Frenchman being "led away". Dovetail your Guerilla leader with the SB base for extra effect.

Just a thought.. WR

I remember reading that the ranks of the guerillas were often heavily augmented after a major Spanish defeat.

Not necessarily by desertion as such, but by a number of the regular and militia units losing cohesiveness and having no option but to "melt" away into the hills to join the bands of guerillas.

A few of these bands became quite substantial, sometimes involving over a thousand or so personnel from memory which must have been a lot to have kept supplied.

As Wargamer Rabbit notes, they were present at a number of emgagements but were used mainly in outpost or pursuit roles. As such, I would base them as what you would normally do for either extended skirmish or irregular troops.

Although I wouldn't have thought to do it, I don't think it would be too far-fetched to include a flag with a religious icon or provincial device.

For my Spanish urban militia I sourced a few of the more obscure minor state flags for the Seven Years War and War of the Spanish Succession (eg Baden, Hesse-Kassel) which are so far out of place alongside the regular Spanish units that they actually look believable.

Later in the war, some of the larger guerilla bands were 'regularized,' that is, trained up into something resembling real troops. As many of them were former soldiers, this wasn't hard, although many of those who hadn't been soldiers objected. They would engage in stand-up fights with the French, sometimes reaching thousands of men on a side. Often they were supported by regular Spanish troops.

At least, that's what I'm picking up from my current reading of Esdaile's "The Peninsular War"

link

Seems to negate the whole idea of being a guerilla. HIs/her purpose was to instill chaos and terror in their targets. And they tie down the enemies resources. Fighting a pitched battle, which they did not train or prepare for (yeah.. we can find some exceptions), would jeoporadize the guerilla's role.