The Battle of Orthez (27 February 1814) saw the Anglo-Portuguese Army commanded by Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington attack an Imperial French army under Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult. Soult's army was posted on a ridge to the north of the town of Orthez in southern France and in the town itself. For over two hours the outnumbered French repulsed repeated Allied assaults on their right flank, forcing Wellington to order a general assault. After a struggle, the Allies overcame the French defenses and Soult was compelled to order a retreat. At first, the French divisions withdrew in good order, but as they approached the bridge over the Luy de Béarn at Sault-de-Navailles, many soldiers began to panic. The next day Soult decided that his army was too demoralized to resist more attacks and continued his retreat. Allied casualties were about 2,200 while the French lost about 4,000 killed, wounded and captured. The battle was fought near the end of the Peninsular War.

Orders of Battle Allied Army +Marquess Wellington's Army at Orthez Corps Division Strength Brigade Strength Units Losses Field MarshalWilliam Beresford 4th DivisionLieutenant GeneralLowry Cole 5,952 Major GeneralWilliam Anson 1,814 3rd Battalion/27th Infantry Regiment 6 1st Battalion/40th Infantry Regiment 5 1st Battalion/48th Line Infantry Regiment 14 Major GeneralRobert Ross 1,735 1st Battalion/7th Infantry Regiment 68 1st Battalion/20th Infantry Regiment 123 1st Battalion/23rd Infantry Regiment 88 Brigadier GeneralJosé Vasconcellos 2,385 11th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 148 23rd Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 122 7th Caçadores Battalion 25 7th DivisionMajor GeneralGeorge Townshend Walker 5,643 Lieutenant ColonelJohn Gardiner 1,865 1st Battalion/6th Infantry Regiment 145 2nd Battalion/24th Infantry Regiment 35 2nd Battalion/56th Line Infantry Regiment 31 Brunswick Oels Infantry Regiment 48 Major GeneralWilliam Inglis 1,420 51st Infantry Regiment absent 68th Infantry Regiment 31 1st Battalion/82nd Infantry Regiment 38 Chasseurs Britanniques Regiment 40 ColonelJohn Milley Doyle 2,358 7th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 0 19th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 0 2nd Caçadores Battalion 3 Lieutenant GeneralThomas Picton 3rd DivisionLieutenant GeneralThomas Picton 6,626 Major GeneralThomas Brisbane 2,491 1st Battalion/45th Infantry Regiment 132 5th Battalion/60th Infantry Regiment 42 74th Infantry Regiment 34 1st Battalion/88th Infantry Regiment 269 Major GeneralJohn Keane 2,006 1st Battalion/5th Infantry Regiment 40 2nd Battalion/83rd Infantry Regiment 58 2nd Battalion/87th Infantry Regiment 109 94th Infantry Regiment 15 ColonelManley Power 2,129 9th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 49 21st Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 37 11th Caçadores Battalion 23 6th DivisionLieutenant GeneralHenry Clinton 5,571 Major GeneralDenis Pack 1,415 1st Battalion/42nd Infantry Regiment 60 1st Battalion/79th Infantry Regiment absent 1st Battalion/91st Infantry Regiment 12 Major GeneralJohn Lambert 2,300 1st Battalion/11th Infantry Regiment 0 1st Battalion/32nd Infantry Regiment 0 1st Battalion/36th Infantry Regiment 0 1st Battalion/61st Infantry Regiment 7 ColonelJames Douglas 1,856 8th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 9 12th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 5 9th Caçadores Battalion 10 Lieutenant GeneralRowland Hill 2nd DivisionLieutenant GeneralWilliam Stewart 7,780 Major GeneralEdward Barnes 2,013 1st Battalion/50th Infantry Regiment 14 1st Battalion/71st Infantry Regiment 12 1st Battalion/92nd Infantry Regiment 3 Major GeneralJohn Byng 1,805 1st Battalion/3rd Infantry Regiment 2 1st Battalion/57th Infantry Regiment 0 2nd Battalion/31st Infantry Regiment 2 1st Battalion/66th Infantry Regiment 0 ColonelRobert O'Callaghan 1,664 1st Battalion/28th Infantry Regiment 0 2nd Battalion/34th Infantry Regiment 0 1st Battalion/39th Infantry Regiment 0 ColonelHenry Hardinge 1,856 6th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 0 18th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 0 6th Caçadores Battalion 0 Portuguese DivisionMajor GeneralCarlos Frederico Lecor 4,465 Brigadier GeneralHippolita Da Costa 2,109 2nd Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 3 14th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 0 Brigadier GeneralJohn Buchan 2,356 4th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 1 10th Port. Infantry Regiment, two battalions 1 10th Caçadores Battalion 10 Reserve Light DivisionMajor GeneralCharles, Count AltenLight Division organization is taken from Glover (2001) p. 383. Strength and losses are from Smith. 3,480 Major GeneralJames Kempt Britishtotal1,777 1st Battalion/43rd Infantry Regiment absent 1st Battalion/95th Infantry Regiment absent 3rd Battalion/95th Infantry Regiment 0 3rd Caçadores Battalion 26 Major GeneralJohn Ormsby Vandeleur Port.total1,703 1st Battalion/52nd Infantry Regiment 89 2nd Battalion/95th Infantry Regiment 0 17th Port. Infantry Regiment 0 1st Caçadores Battalion 47 Cavalry Cavalry DivisionLieutenant GeneralStapleton Cotton 3,373 Major GeneralEdward Somerset 1,619 7th Hussar Regiment 16 10th Hussar Regiment 1 15th Hussar Regiment 9 Major GeneralHussey Vivian 989 18th Hussar Regiment 0 1st Hussar Regiment, King's German Legion 0 Major GeneralHenry Fane 765 13th Light Dragoon Regiment 9 14th Light Dragoon Regiment 2 Artillery Not given 1,16254 guns Not given 1,16254 guns 6 British Batteries 28 1 King's German Legion Battery 0 1 Portuguese Battery 0 Engineers, etc. Not given 350 Not given 350 Staff 6 Engineers 2 Wagon drivers 0 Total strength and casualties Allied strength: 44,402 By nationality: 26,798 British 1,645 17,604 Portuguese 529

French Army +Marshal Jean de Dieu Soult's Army at Orthez Corps Division Strength Losses Brigade Units General of DivisionHonoré Charles Reille 5th DivisionGeneral of BrigadeClaude Pierre Rouget vice General of DivisionJean-Pierre Maransin 3,717 521 General of BrigadeÉtienne de Barbot 4th Light Infantry Regiment, one battalion 40th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 50th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion General of BrigadeClaude Pierre Rouget 27th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 34th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 59th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 4th DivisionGeneral of DivisionEloi Charlemagne Taupin 5,455 591 General of BrigadeJean-Pierre-Antoine Rey 12th Light Infantry Regiment, two battalions 32nd Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 43rd Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions General of BrigadeJoseph Gasquet 47th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 55th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 58th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion Detached from Harispe Not given 448 General of BrigadeMarie Auguste ParisSmith gave separate casualties for Paris' brigade, but did not list its strength or composition in Smith (1998) pp. 500–501. Paris' units come from Smith (1998) p. 483. They are removed from Baurot's brigade of Harispe, which was credited with seven battalions on p. 500. 10th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 81st Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 115th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion General of DivisionJean-Baptiste Drouet, comte d'Erlon 1st DivisionGeneral of DivisionMaximilien Sébastien Foy 3,839 349 General of BrigadeJoseph François Fririon 6th Light Infantry Regiment, one battalion 69th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 76th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion General of BrigadePierre André Hercule Berlier 36th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 39th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 65th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 2nd DivisionGeneral of DivisionJean Barthélemy Darmagnac 5,022 566 General of BrigadeLouis Jean-Baptiste Leseur 31st Light Infantry Regiment, two battalions 51st Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 75th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions General of BrigadeJean-Baptiste Pierre Menne 118th Line Infantry Regiment, three battalions 120th Line Infantry Regiment, three battalions General of DivisionBertrand Clausel 6th DivisionGeneral of DivisionEugène-Casimir Villatte 4,609 339 General of BrigadeLouis Paul Baille de Saint Pol 21st Light Infantry Regiment, one battalion 86th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 96th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 100th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion General of BrigadeÉtienne-François Lamorendière 28th Light Infantry Regiment, one battalion 103rd Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 119th Line Infantry Regiment, two battalions 8th DivisionGeneral of DivisionJean Isidore Harispe 5,084 834 General of BrigadeGuilhem Dauture 9th Light Infantry Regiment, two battalions 25th Light Infantry Regt., two battalions (at Lescar) 34th Light Infantry Regiment, two battalions General of BrigadeJean-Baptiste Charles Baurot 45th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 115th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion 116th Line Infantry Regiment, one battalion Cavalry General of DivisionPierre Benoît SoultFrench cavalry order of battle is listed under the Battle of Toulouse in Smith (1998) p. 518. For Orthez, Smith listed only seven squadrons from the 15th, 21st and 22nd Chasseurs. 2,000 266 General of BrigadeJean-Baptiste Breton 2nd Hussar Regiment (near Pau) 13th Chasseurs-à-Cheval Regiment 21st Chasseurs-à-Cheval Regiment General of BrigadeJacques-Laurent Vial 5th Chasseurs-à-Cheval Regiment 10th Chasseurs-à-Cheval Regiment 15th Chasseurs-à-Cheval Regiment 22nd Chasseurs-à-Cheval Regiment (at Pau) Artillery Not given 48 guns 59 Not given Not given Reserve General of DivisionJean-Pierre Travot 7,2673,750 Not given General of BrigadeBernard Pourailly "New conscript levies" General of BrigadeArmand Wouillemont de Vivier "New conscript levies" Total strength and casualties 34,993 3,985 6 guns were lost. Losses include 8 staff officers and 4 sappers.

Notes Footnotes

Citations

References This is an excellent source for the full names of French generals.

This source provided the full names of Allied generals.

Further reading