Spanish expeditionary army (Spanish American independence) order of battle

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In attempts to retain or re-assert control over its colonies in America, the Spanish Empire deployed several expeditionary forces during and after the Spanish American wars of independence. The largest of these forces, known as "the expeditionary army of Costa Firme", [1] and consisting of over 10,000 troops under General Morillo, undertook the Spanish reconquest of New Granada (1815–16). [2] Forces were also sent to New Spain between 1812 and 1817. [3] Later, after Mexican independence in 1821, a Spanish garrison was sent from Cuba to occupy Spain's last Mexican outpost, the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa; this force remained there until surrendering in 1825. [4] Finally, a force under Isidro Barradas Valdés attempted to regain control of Mexico in 1829. [5]

Contents

Viceroyalty of New Spain

Counter insurgency (1812-1821)

PeriodyearNumber of menUnits and Commanders (units changed names in 1820)
European Expeditions
1812 - 1817
flag Flag cross burgundy lessercoat.PNG
flag
year 1812
  • total men 3857
UnitsoldiersOfficers
Battalion Asturias (Mallorca)270 men-
Battalion Lobera (Infante Don Carlos)847 menFrancisco Bucelli, teniente coronel
Regiment América (Murcia)817 men,
one Battalion
Juan José Olazábal
Battalion Castilla (Voluntarios de Castilla)649 menFrancisco Hevia
Battalion Zamora910 menRafael Bracho
Battalion Fernando VII -expediciónario-364 menÁngel Díaz del Castro, teniente coronel
year 1813
  • men total 1895
Unitsoldiersofficers
Battalion Extremadura995 mencoronel Benito Armiñan
Battalion Saboya (Reina)900 mencoronel Melchor Álvarez
Year 1815
  • men total 1749
  • Brigadier Fernando Miyares y Mancebo, commander of expedition
unitsoldiersofficers
Regiment Órdenes Militares1126 men,
2 Battalions
Coronel Francisco LLamas
Battalion Voluntarios de Navarra (Barcelona)623 menCoronel José Ruiz
Year 1817
  • men total 1547
  • Mariscal de Campo Pascual Liñan, commander of expedition.
unitsoldiersofficers
Regiment Zaragoza2 Battalionsbrigadier Domingo Luaces

Defense of San Juan de Ulúa (1821-1825)

DateExpeditionsUnits
San Juan de Ulúa
Bandera de la flota naval y de las fortalezas espanolas Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg
Bandera de la flota naval y de las fortalezas españolas
Fortress San Juan de Ulua (Veracruz) San Juan de Ulua.jpg
Fortress San Juan de Ulúa (Veracruz)
August 7, 1821
  • Cuerpo expedicionario de la Isla de Cuba
  • Brigadier Juan Rodríguez de la Torre, comandante en jefe
UnitSoldiers
1º Company mixed form Regiments Habana and Luisiana, and Battalions Málaga, Cataluña and Tarragona.105 men
2º Company de Battalion Pardos de la Habana.75 men
3º Company de Battalion Morenos de la Habana.75 men
4º Company de voluntarios.105 men
August 1821
  • 1º reinforcement
  • 299 men
October 1822
  • 2º reinforcement
  • 1º Commander of fortress Brigadier Francisco Lemaur.
  • 834 soldiers y 44 officers, y 100 artillery men Battalion Cataluña and Málaga.
December 24, 1822
  • 1º relief
  • 354 soldiers y 8 officers Battalion Málaga
  • 75 soldiers Battalion Tarragona
March 1823
  • 2º relief
  • numbers similar to 1º relief from battalions Cataluña, Tarragona y Málaga.
August 1823
  • 3º relief
  • 200 men.
July 1824
  • 4º relief
  • 227 men from Battalions Cataluña and Málaga.
January 1825
  • 5º relief (last)
  • 300 men battalions Cataluña and Tarragona, plus 116 men from Battalion Pardos y Morenos de Cuba.
  • 2º Commander of fortress, brigadier José Coppinger.

Expedition of Isidro Barradas (1829)

Division of Vanguard (1829)
flag Flag cross burgundy lessercoat.PNG
flag
  • Total 3,000 men

Commander

Units

  • Regiment de la Corona (3 Battalions )
    • I Battalion Rey Fernando
    • II Battalion Reina Amalia
    • III Battalion Real Borbón
  • Squadron of cavalry (dismounted) (incomplete)
  • Company of artillery (short)

Expeditionary Army of Costa Firme

(Venezuela and New Granada)

Viceroyalty of Perú

(Perú, Chile and Upper Peru)

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References

  1. The Americas. Academy of American Franciscan History. 1961. p. 173.
  2. Lynch, Spanish American Revolutions, 209. Rodríguez, Independence of Spanish America, 122. Kinsbruner, Independence in Spanish America, 57.
  3. Small contingents from Spain had been arriving in the Americas since 1810. On August 25, 1810, a group of Spanish Marines arrived in Veracruz from Cádiz on the frigate, Nuestra señora de Atocha under the command of Rosendo Porlier and accompanying Viceroy Francisco Javier Venegas. These were the first Spaniards to have come from Europe in support of royalists. Frieyro de Lara. Guerra ejército y sociedad en el nacimiento de la España contemporánea. (2009, Universidad de Granada) p. 660.
  4. Jaime E. Rodríguez O. (2005). The Divine Charter: Constitutionalism and Liberalism in Nineteenth-century Mexico. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 205–6. ISBN   978-0-7425-3710-1.
  5. Ruiz Gordejuela Urquijo, Jesús (2006). La expulsión de los españoles de México y su destino incierto, 1821-1836. Universidad de Sevilla. ISBN   978-84-00-08467-7.