Battle of Saguntum and Siege of Valencia orders of battle

The Battle of Saguntum (25 October 1811) saw the Imperial French Army of Aragon under Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet defend against a Spanish army led by Captain General Joaquín Blake. The Spanish attempt to raise the siege of the Sagunto Castle failed when the French, Italians, and Poles drove their troops off the battlefield in rout. The 20,000 French inflicted 6,000 casualties on their more numerous opponents, including many prisoners, while sustaining only about 1,000 casualties.

Suchet hoped to quickly seize Sagunto Castle, but the 2,600-man Spanish garrison repulsed two of his assaults with several hundred casualties. Blake hoped to force Suchet to retreat by cutting off his supplies. The guerillas inflicted two stinging defeats on the French-Allied forces, but ultimately failed to shake Suchet's resolve. Blake reluctantly ordered his army to relieve the siege, even though he was not confident in the ability of his soldiers to face Suchet's veterans. Blake heavily weighted his left wing while keeping his best troops in the weaker right wing. The Spanish left wing attacked the much weaker French right flank and was completely routed by French infantry and Italian cavalry. The Spanish right wing gave a much better account of itself, forcing Suchet to commit all his reserves before forcing it to withdraw. Eventually, the French cavalry put the whole Spanish army to rout. Their hopes of relief dashed, the garrison of Sagunto Castle quickly surrendered. The action took place during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars. Sagunto lies a short distance from the east coast of Spain, about north of Valencia, Spain.

The Siege of Valencia (3 November 1811 – 9 January 1812) saw Suchet's army envelop and besiege most of Blake's army in the city of Valencia. The 30,000 French troops compelled 16,000 Spanish soldiers to surrender at the conclusion of the siege, although another 7,000 Spaniards escaped from the trap. Suchet quickly converted Valencia into an important base of operations. Valencia, modern-day capital of the Valencian Community, is located on the east coast of Spain.

Blake army waited passively in a line of fortifications outside Valencia. Reinforced by 13,000 Franco-Italian troops, the bulk of Suchet's army marched around the Spanish left flank and rolled up Blake's lines. Another Imperial French division managed to break through the Spanish right flank. The right and left Imperial pincers closed around Valencia. Two-thirds of Blake's army retreated within the city while the remainder withdrew to the west. After an abortive attempt to break out, Blake surrendered after a two-month siege.

Orders of Battle French-Allied Army +Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet's Imperial French Army at Saguntum and Valencia Division Strength atSaguntum Strength atValencia Brigade Units Strength atSaguntum 1st DivisionGeneral of DivisionLouis François Félix Musnier 4,829 3,727 General of BrigadeLouis Benoît Robert 114th Line Infantry Regiment, three battalions 1,637 1st Legion of the Vistula, two battalions 863 General of Brigade Florentin FicatierGuarding line of communications (LOC) 121st Line Infantry Regiment, three battalions 1,200 2nd Legion of the Vistula, two battalions 1,129 2nd DivisionGeneral of DivisionJean Isidore Harispe 4,762 4,828 General of BrigadeMarie Auguste Paris 7th Line Infantry Regiment, four battalions 1,639 116th Line Infantry Regiment, three battalions 1,147 General of BrigadeJózef Chłopicki 44th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 1,226 3rd Legion of the Vistula, two battalions 750 3rd DivisionGeneral of DivisionPierre-Joseph Habert 3,459 3,150 General of BrigadeLouis François Élie Pelletier,Count Montmarie 5th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 802 16th Line Infantry Regiment, three battalions 1,317 General of BrigadeNicolas Bronikowski 117th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 1,340 Italian DivisionGeneral of DivisionGiuseppe Federico PalombiniThree battalions guarding LOC 6,219 3,591 General of BrigadeVertigier Saint Paul 2nd Light Infantry Regiment, three battalions 2,200 4th Line Infantry Regiment, three battalions 1,660 General of BrigadeÉloi Charles Balathier 5th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 930 6th Line Infantry Regiment, three battalions 1,429 Neapolitan DivisionGeneral of DivisionClaude Antoine Compère 1,391 1,092 unbrigaded 1st Light Infantry Regiment, one battalion 446 1st Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 560 2nd Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 385 CavalryGeneral of BrigadeAndré Joseph Boussart 2,405 1,839 unbrigadedTwo squadrons (500) of4th Hussars guarding LOC 4th Hussar Regiment, four squadrons 750 24th Dragoon Regiment, two squadrons 436 13th Cuirassier Regiment, four squadrons 584 Napoleone Dragoon Regiment 466 2nd Chasseur Regiment 169 Artillery & Engineers 3,068 2,368 General of DivisionSylvain Charles Valée Artillery 1,805 General of DivisionJoseph Rogniat Engineers 600 unknown Military Equipment, Gendarmes 663 Grand Total 26,133 20,595 – – 26,133 Division ReilleGeneral of DivisionHonoré Charles Reille – 2,834 General of BrigadeClaude Marie Joseph Pannetier 10th Line Infantry Regiment – 81st Line Infantry Regiment – 3,961 General of BrigadeJean Raymond Charles Bourke 20th Line Infantry Regiment – 60th Line Infantry Regiment – Division SeveroliGeneral of DivisionFilippo Severoli – 4,370 unbrigaded 1st Light Infantry Regiment, three battalions – 1st Line Infantry Regiment, three battalions – 7th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions – Cavalry Reille's Corps – 543 unbrigaded 9th Hussar Regiment – 262 unbrigaded 1st Chasseur Regiment – Artillery Reille's Corps – 1,153 unbrigaded Artillery, etc. – Total Reille's Corps – 13,123 – – –

Spanish Army +General Joaquín Blake's Spanish Army at Saguntum and Valencia Corps Division Strength atSaguntum Surrenderedat Valencia Units ExpeditionaryCorps DivisionGeneralJosé de Lardizábal 2,972 3,550 Murcia Infantry Regiment, two battalions 2nd Badajoz Infantry Regiment, two battalions Campo Mayor Light Infantry Regiment, one battalion Tiradores de Cuenca Battalion DivisionGeneralJosé Pascual de Zayas y Chacón 2,550 1,415 2nd Spanish Guards Infantry Regiment, one battalion 4th Spanish Guards Infantry Regiment, one battalion Walloon Guards Infantry Regiment, one battalion Toledo Infantry Regiment, one battalion Ciudad Rodrigo Infantry Regiment, one battalion Voluntaros de la Patria Regiment, one battalion Legion Estrangera Regiment, one battalion Independent Cazadores companies CavalryGeneral Loy 294 – Horse Grenadier Regiment, two squadrons Rey (King's) Regiment, one squadron Castilla Hussar Regiment, one squadron Artillery 225 – Horse Artillery, two batteries Valencian Corps2nd ArmyLieutenant GeneralCharles O'Donnell DivisionGeneralJosé Miranda 3,964 5,750 Valencia Infantry Regiment, three battalions Avila Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion Volunteers of Castile Regiment, two battalions Cazadores of Valencia Regiment, 2nd Battalion DivisionGeneralJosé Obispo 3,400 – Carineña Infantry Regiment, two battalions Avila Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion Daroca Infantry Regiment, one battalion Volunteers of Aragon Regiment, 1st Battalion Tiradores of Doyle Regiment, one battalion DivisionGeneralPedro Villacampa 3,352 – Princesa Infantry Regiment, two battalions Soria Infantry Regiment, two battalions Molina Infantry Regiment, one battalion Volunteers of Aragon Regiment, 2nd Battalion Cazadores of Valencia Regiment, 1st Battalion ReserveGeneral Velasco 3,670 3,301 Volunteers of Castile Regiment, 3rd Battalion Avila Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion Don Carlos Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion Cazadores of Valencia Regiment, 3rd Battalion CavalryGeneral San Juan 1,721 895 Alcantara Cavalry Regiment Reina (Queen's) Cavalry Regiment Rey (King's) Dragoon Regiment Valencia Cazadores Regiment Aragon Hussar Regiment Españoles Hussar Regiment Grenada Hussar Regiment Numancia Hussar Regiment Cuenca Cavalry Regiment Artillery 361 – Horse Artillery, one battery Foot Artillery, two batteries Murcian Corps3rd ArmyLieutenant GeneralNicolás Mahy BrigadeGeneralJuan Creagh 2,218 – Corona Infantry Regiment, one battalion Alcazar Infantry Regiment, one battalion Tiradores of Cádiz Regiment, one battalion BrigadeGeneralEugenio Palafox,Conde de Montijo 2,410 – 1st Badajoz Infantry Regiment, one battalion 1st Cuenca Infantry Regiment, one battalion Volunteers of Burgos Regiment, one battalion Sapper Battalion Cavalry 826 – Reina (Queen's) Cavalry Regiment, two squadrons Pavia Cavalry Regiment, two squadrons Granada Cavalry Regiment, two squadrons Madrid Cavalry Regiment, one squadron Ferdinand VII Hussar Regiment, one squadron Artillery 81 – Horse Artillery, one battery Valencia Garrison Artillery – 1,654 Artillery Sappers – 421 Engineers and sappers Grand Totals – 28,044 16,986 – Saguntum Garrison BrigadeColonel Luis Andriani 2,663 – Savoya Infantry Regiment, 2nd and 3rd Battalions Don Carlos Infantry Regiment, 1st and 2nd Battalions Volunteers of Orihuela Regiment, 3rd Battalion 150 Gunners and Sappers, 17 guns

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