French Cavalry for Spain

Somewhere in Spain, 1810…

The war in Spain was a brutal and grueling conflict for the cavalry of Napoleon’s Grande Armée. Unlike the sweeping charges of the open battlefields of Central Europe, the jagged sierras and winding roads of the Iberian Peninsula offered little room for grand maneuver. The Spanish and their British and Portuguese allies harassed French columns at every turn, and guerrillas made the countryside a graveyard for the unwary. Yet, in this chaos, the horsemen of Girard’s reinforced division—a fictitious but plausible formation in Marshal Soult’s 5th Corps—carved out a name for themselves with steel and fire.

The Cavalry of Girard’s Reinforced Division

Though primarily an infantry general, General Jean-Baptiste Girard was reinforced in 1810 with a powerful cavalry contingent under the command of three aggressive and daring leaders: General Édouard Jean-Baptiste Milhaud, General Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle, and General François Étienne de Kellermann. Working alongside the independent light cavalry brigade of Colonel Jean-Baptiste Marbot, these cavalrymen were a crucial force in the French operations in middle and southern Spain.

Kellermann’s Dragoon Brigade

• 26th Dragoons
• 27th Dragoons

Lasalle’s Dragoon Brigade

• 20th Dragoons
• 22nd Dragoons

Milhaud’s Cuirassiers

• 13th Cuirassiers
• 4th Dragoons
  

 

• Marbot’s Light Cavalry Brigade
• 21st Chasseurs à Cheval
• 10th Hussars
  
• Vistula Lancers (Polish cavalry known for their ferocity and discipline)

The Campaign of 1811: A Fictional Account

By early 1811, as Marshal Soult’s forces maneuvered to consolidate French control over Andalusia and Extremadura, the British and Spanish armies, under the Duke of Wellington and local Spanish commanders, were mounting increasingly bold offensives. Guerrilla bands disrupted supply lines, and isolated French garrisons were under siege. Against this backdrop, Girard’s reinforced division was tasked with securing key roads, crushing local resistance, and preventing enemy forces from linking up.

The Charge at La Sierra Rojas

 

In April, Girard’s division received orders to move westward toward Badajoz, securing key supply routes along the Guadiana River. As the column moved through the rugged terrain near the fictional town of Sierra Rojas, it encountered a mixed force of Spanish and British cavalry, supported by light infantry. This force, consisting of the British Light Dragoons and Spanish hussars, had been harassing French supply convoys for weeks.

Realizing the threat, Girard unleashed his cavalry. Marbot’s light cavalry led the advance, with his chasseurs and hussars skirmishing along the rocky slopes, forcing the British to retreat to a ridge. The Vistula Lancers, exploiting the terrain, maneuvered around the enemy’s flank, cutting off their retreat to the main British lines.

At this moment, Milhaud’s cuirassiers and dragoons stormed forward. The 13th Cuirassiers, their breastplates gleaming, shattered the Spanish cavalry, while the 4th Dragoons, mounted on their striking black horses, rolled over the fleeing light troops. Lasalle’s and Kellermann’s dragoons followed in echelon, driving the remnants of the British force from the field.

The French held the ground, securing vital supply lines and striking fear into the local resistance.

The Skirmish at Arroyo del Diablo

Later that summer, a detachment of Lasalle’s and Kellermann’s dragoons was ambushed near a rocky pass known as Arroyo del Diablo by a combined force of Spanish lancers and Portuguese caçadores. The ambush was swift, with the enemy’s light cavalry swooping in to cut off the French horsemen from their infantry support.

With little time to organize a proper battle line, Lasalle himself led the 22nd Dragoons in a brutal counterattack. Fighting saber to saber, the dragoons managed to hold their ground until reinforcements arrived. Marbot’s 21st Chasseurs à Cheval, racing ahead of the main column, charged into the enemy's rear, breaking the ambush. The skirmish left scores of Spanish and Portuguese cavalry dead or captured, but it was a grim reminder of the dangers of fighting in Spain.