"Coraceros Espanoles (Spanish Cuirassiers) 1810-11" Topic

I am wanting to paint up this regiment for my DBN Spanish army. However I am not sure if they were a true heavy cavalry regiment or a cavalry regiment with the first of the two squadrons equipped with the cuirass? Their determination decides how they would be based, i.e. 3 or 4 figures to a base.

I have been trying to find some specifics as to the unit and how they fought, but so far have not found much beyond their uniform.

Does anyone have anything finite or a reference they can refer me to?

Thanks,

Terry

This may help:

TMP link

Cheers,
Robert

Hi Robert,

That is just excellent and I sure couldn't turn any of those links up in my search. Thank you very much. I can't wait to read through them in detail!

Terry

Cuirass and title do not heavy cavalry make. Spanish horse was the weak link of their armies. I'm not one of those who thinks all Spanish troops should be rated levy. At Albuera (and other battles) Zayas' division should be rated as veterans, certainly better than line troops. Spanish artillery was usually well served if not well supplied with draft animals.

But their cavalry was not great. Spanish defeats usually started when their outnumbered and outclassed cavalry were chased off, leaving the infantry alone.

The resources I have on the Spanish Army show their cavalry regiments were small as vtsaogames points out. Usually being a single squadron at most. I hope the group you game with does not hold you to this historical deficiency and allows you to place a force to match the French in battle. The Spanish Army is a wonder of different uniforms from the end 1808 through 1812. It would be a grand site to see the variety of colors and styles on the gaming table. From the brown, blue and gray and a mixture of shakos and round hats of the infantry to the dark blue of the heavy cavalry and yellow of the dragoons.

If you haven't got it already, may I recommend Osprey's Men-At-Arms 332. It also contains some information on this cuirass unit.

I have been intrigued by this regiment too, but I don't think they ever actually saw any real active service. I vaguely remember that they saw mainly ceremonial escort duties and in any case the Spanish lost their last footholds in Catalonia (where the 13e Cuirrassiers were) soon after the unit was formed. They don't feature in the Orbats for either Battle of Castalla (1812 & 1813) or at Sagunto (end 1811) or in the siege of Valencia (Jan 1812). When the Spanish abandoned Catalonia, the infantry were embarked but the cavalry took an extremely circuitous route through Aragon, Cuenca etc to Murcia (in which the French never set foot). These cuirassiers MIGHT have been with them.