The 16th Infantry Regiment "Castilla" (since 2015, Armored Regiment) is a multirole unit of the Spanish Army, although until the latest organic reform of the Army, it was always part of the infantry branch. It was established at the initiative of Pedro de Alcántara Álvarez de Toledo, 13th Duke of the Infantado, who also served as its first colonel. On 3 April 1793, a request for the Regiment's creation was submitted to King Charles IV, who approved it on 15 April of the same year. Its initial designation was the Volunteers of Castile Regiment, as notified by the War Minister on 25 April 1793, conveying the King's wish for this name. The Regiment was founded with three battalions, each comprising four companies of fusiliers.
It earned the nickname "The Hero” due to its bravery against the French during the Second Siege of Zaragoza, particularly in the bayonet assault on Monte Torrero and the defense of the Convent of Jesús on 21 December 1808. As noted by infantry captain Antonio Gil Álvaro in 1893, “this nickname stems from the Regiment’s actions during the Second Siege of Zaragoza.” The Supreme Central Junta, then located in Cádiz, decreed that these forces be called “Meritorious of the Homeland” for their “heroic and eminent service.”
On 26 July 1852, Queen Isabella II awarded the collective Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand to the Regiment, along with the corresponding “tie” for its banner, for its “heroic merit” in actions on 23 May 1839 at the quarries of Utrillas, in the province of Teruel, against Carlist forces. The Volunteers of Castile Regiment was the precursor to the later 16th Infantry Regiment "Castilla", which in turn evolved into the current 16th Mechanized Infantry Regiment "Castilla", once the first tanks and other mechanized assets arrived at its Badajoz garrison, with its first commander from 17 February 1966 being Lieutenant Colonel Adolfo Rovira Recio.
Its coat of arms features a golden castle, crenelated, with three donjons and adorned with sable on a gules field, with the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand hanging from the lower point; the castle reflects the region of its designation.
Background
When King Louis XVI was guillotined in January 1793—a culminating event of the revolution that began in France four years earlier—and given that he was a relative of Charles IV, the King of Spain at the time, a sense of horror gripped all levels of Spanish social, political, and religious establishments. Within the political class, however, opinions were sharply divided: some, like the Count of Aranda, a former minister under King Charles III, opposed interference in the internal affairs of the neighboring country, while others strongly favored declaring war on France. The appointment in May 1793 of the Badajoz native Manuel Godoy, a member of the pro-war faction, as Captain General and thus the political and military leader of the war, tipped the balance of opinions toward intervention.
The army's structure at that time was highly unusual, with a large number of senior officers but a severe shortage of lower-ranking officers and soldiers, a situation described as “macrocephalic,” as each lieutenant general commanded approximately 150 soldiers out of a total of 50,000 troops.Historia de España. Labor. pp. Tomo n.º 7, p. 255. When the army went into the field, the scarcity of material and human resources, ammunition, provisions, and artillery and infantry equipment became starkly evident.
Documents of its creation
The complete texts of the three documents that marked the creation of the Volunteers of Castile Regiment are preserved.
Request by the 13th Duke of the Infantado to the King
Acceptance by His Majesty the King
Response from the War Minister in Aranjuez on 15 April 1793:
Designation of the Regiment
On 25 April, the War Ministry wrote to the Duke of the Infantado:
History
Before the Regiment was established, the line infantry's uniform included a hat with a galloon and a white wool braid loop. The hair was styled with a curl on each side and gathered into a greased and powdered queue at the back. Breeches, justacorps, and waistcoats were made of white cloth, with crimson facings, collars, cuffs, and linings. The uniform of a fusilier of the Volunteers of Castile Regiment at the time of its creation, in accordance with the Royal Order of 22 June 1791, was as follows: the justacorps, waistcoat, and breeches were to be white, with crimson facings, collars, cuffs, and piping—the decorative braid, cord, or trim on the edges or seams of clothing. The buttons were to be white, inscribed with “Voluntarios de Castilla.” The hat, a tricorn, was to have no braid but a white loop and white buttons. The cockade was to be made of red wool, the crossbelts of white or slightly buffed leather, with a black calfskin cartridge pouch. The gaiters were made of raw canvas, fastened on the side, with black calfskin garters. The shoes were to have three soles, made of black calfskin, with a white metal buckle.
At the start of the Roussillon Campaign, the uniform changed significantly, consisting of brown cloth, a short cassock, and boots reaching mid-thigh in black cloth. The poncho for warmth was also brown, worn rolled and slung from left to right when not in use. The hat was round with one brim turned up, secured with a yellow woolen loop. The evolution of the uniform continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, until 1988, when the entire unit adopted a camouflage uniform suited to the terrain, following the trend of most modern European armies.
Once the decision was made to intervene in the war against France, the nobility contributed money and men, while the Church and cities provided economic and material resources to form army corps. In June 1793, the Duke tasked Sergeant Major Joaquín Blake with organizing the regiment. Blake trained and formed the first battalion in Leganés and Vicálvaro, both of which are on the outskirts of Madrid. The Regiment then marched to the Royal Site of Aranjuez, where King Charles IV reviewed it and praised “the fine and splendid bearing of the Volunteers of Castile.”
From the Roussillon Campaign to the Spanish War of Independence
Battles of Roussillon and Coll de la Creu del Principi
For the impending military action, three army corps were formed: two defensive ones positioned in Gipuzkoa and Aragon, and a third, offensive one in Catalonia, commanded by General Antonio Ricardos. This third corps included 1,501 men from the Volunteers of Castile Regiment. Its first combat action took place during the War of the Pyrenees of 1794–1795. The Volunteers of Castile Regiment was assigned to the corps operating in the highlands of Vallespir, and on 19 May 1794, at the outset of hostilities, the “Castilla” engaged in combat at the Coll de la Creu del Principi, under the command of the Count of Puerto. The general-in-chief of the Spanish forces, Count of the Union, made an extensive and highly favorable mention of the Volunteers of Castile Regiment for its bravery and achieved objectives.Servicio Histórico Militar. Campañas en los Pirineos (1793-95). pp. Tomo III; 267-268.
Battles of Terradas and La Jonquera
During the period when the Regiment was in the Muga mountains under General Juan de Courten, its tactical experience was already recognized due to its prior exploits in the War of the Pyrenees. Luis de Marcillac praised the unit for its valiant actions at the foot of the Terrades mountain, stating:
In that bloody action, Sergeant Major Blake was wounded. On the night of 17 August, the first and second battalions advanced toward La Jonquera. The first battalion captured La Jonquera at dawn on 21 August but had to retreat, unable to withstand the French counterattack. Months earlier, on 19 November, French forces attacked the Spanish position at Figueres, where, after fierce and bloody combat, the Spanish commander-in-chief, the Count of the Union, was killed, and the “Castilla” Regiment withdrew to its barracks in Girona.
Battles of Bañolas and Pontós
In early 1795, the “Castilla” took the stronghold of Roses, but in March, the French appeared with 7,000 soldiers and 300 cavalry in Besalú. In an offensive maneuver, the Volunteers of Castile, under General Gonzalo O'Farrill, marched on Bañolas to attack the French and secured victory. The Regiment also participated in the battle of Pontós on 13 July of that year, under the command of the Marquis of La Romana.Conde de Clonard. Historia orgánica de la Infantería y Caballería.
Capture of Fort Manuel
Days after the Battle of Pontós, the Volunteers of Castile Regiment and other infantry units were tasked with capturing a heavily fortified position called Fort Manuel, located on extremely rugged and difficult terrain, where soldiers had to climb a narrow path single-file. The assailants surprised the sentries and, while the French troops were in reserve, took the fort alongside another infantry corps without casualties. However, seeing the position taken before his orders, the commanding general ordered the column to retreat immediately, disregarding the mission's success. As the French observed the Spanish withdrawing and becoming easy targets on the rugged, defenseless path, they decimated the Spanish soldiers with successive volleys, causing heavy casualties. The retreating chiefs, officers, and soldiers shouted, “This is an outrage, a betrayal!” The general's anger was such that he ordered soldiers who lost their weapons to carry distaffs until they could arm themselves with enemy rifles, an action interpreted more as humiliation than punishment, a stance no other commander or officer would have taken, especially given the Volunteers of Castile Regiment's valiant performance. Feeling undeserving of this treatment, soldier Pedro Álvarez wrote a document that the official chronicler omitted to respect the general's memory.
Peace of Basel and Treaty of San Ildefonso
On 22 July 1795, the Peace of Basel was signed, whereby the French returned occupied territories. Under General Moncey, the French had reached Miranda de Ebro toward the Pancorbo pass in the Province of Burgos, while the royal family prepared to flee to America. Simultaneously, the Archbishop of Toledo issued a pastoral letter urging the clergy to secure religious treasures to prevent them from falling into French hands. With the peace achieved through the Treaty of Basel, the Regiment marched to garrison in Madrid.Museo Militar. p. 470; tomo III.
Manuel Godoy, a native of Badajoz and newly titled Prince of the Peace, signed another treaty with France, the Treaty of San Ildefonso, obligating Spain to provide France with numerous troops. This treaty was a new version of the Family Pacts of the previous century. Under it, Spain was required to supply France with fifteen ships, 18,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, and corresponding artillery. This reinforcement enabled war against England in October 1796. Consequently, the Volunteers of Castile Regiment was stationed in Extremadura, near the Portuguese border, to counter England if necessary. It remained there for eleven months before moving to Catalonia, where it was assigned the number “40.” In November 1798, the British occupied Menorca, so in May 1799, 110 soldiers from the second company of the first battalion of “Castilla” embarked from Barcelona for the Balearic Islands. With the 1802 Treaty of Amiens, which restored Menorca in exchange for the Trinidad Island, these soldiers returned, and the Regiment was stationed in Valencia as a garrison, with the number “35.”
Spanish War of Independence