Army of Aragon (France)

Army of Aragon & Catalonia Army of Aragon III Corps, Army of Spain
Armée d'Aragon
General, later Marshal of the Empire Louis-Gabriel Suchet was commander of the Army of Aragon for its entire existence and only Marshal created in the Peninsular War.
Active	1809–30 May 1814
Country	First French Empire
Branch	France Army
Type	Field Army
Army HQ	Zaragoza
Areas of Responsibility	Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia
Engagements	First Siege of Zaragoza Second Siege of Zaragoza First Siege of Tarragona Battle of María Siege of Lérida Siege of Tortosa Second Siege of Tarragona Battle of Saguntum Siege of Valencia Battle of Arapiles

The Army of Aragon (French) was one of several field armies of the French Imperial Army formed during the Peninsular War. The army was first formed in 1809 under command of General (later Marshal of the Empire) Louis-Gabriel Suchet, and would command the army until its disbandment in 1814. The army became one of the few field armies which escaped Spain relatively in-tact and was the only one to launch a counter-offensive into Spain before the end of the war.

History

The Army of Aragon was formed as the 3rd Army Corps (3ème Corps d'Armée) of the Army of Spain and subsequently detached though kept it's designation as '3rd Army Corps, Army of Spain'. The now separate corps was tasked with continuing the bloody and lengthy Second Siege of Zaragoza, which began on 19th December 1808 and lasted until 20th February 1809. The corps was formed under command of the up-and-coming General Louis-Gabriel Suchet, part of General Jean-Andoche Junot's Army.

After formation, the corps was quickly re-designated under the cover name of the Army of Aragon, though consisted soley of the old III Army Corps. The Army, following the Siege of Zaragoza, was reduced to a strength of around 9,000 men, whom Suchet quickly reorganised into two divisions under the command of Generals Anne Gilbert de Laval and Louis François Félix Musnier de La Converserie. When new reinforcements arrived, the army was expanded into three divisions, with the new 3rd Division commanded by General Pierre Joseph Habert. The staff was now expanded with General Habert becoming the second-in-command, and General Jean Isidore Harispe becoming Chief of Staff (Chef d'État). By the end of 1809, the Army of Aragon doubled its strength, with an strength of 18,000 men.

In 1810, the army was expanded to a strength of 22,000 though it was later further expanded to 25,000 personnel. In 1810, the army was expanded to the strength of two corps: III Corps and the new VII Corps, commanded by Marshal Étienne Macdonald, the latter under the guise of the 'Army of Catalonia'. Soon after, the army was renamed as the Army of Aragon and Catalonia.

In 1811, at the start of the Siege of Tarragona, the Army of Aragon was doubled in strength to 40,000 troops, and by September was divided into three 'echelons'. The three echelons became the field force divided into give infantry divisions: three French, one Italian, and one Neapolitan; the cavalry division; and the garrison force of 7,000 men commanded with manning the garrisons in Aragon and Catalonia. The army also now included around 1,800 guns and 600 pioneers.

Campaigns

Portrait showing the French Army of Aragon launching their assault on Tarragona during the First Siege of Tarragona. General Suchet is seen on the white horse in the bottom ordering the assault.

After formation, the Army of Aragon was immediately in action during the Siege of Zaragoza, which was commanded by Spanish General Joaquín Blake y Jones. After the siege, the army continues its campaign against the Spanish Army of Aragon and fights at the later Battle of María and Battle of Belchite. In early 1810, the army was sent west to participate in the Andalusian Campaign and notably the attacks into Valencia. Five days later, the army took the city of Teruel, and later took part in the Siege of Lérida, which fell on May 14th. In July 1810, the army took part in the Siege of Tortosa, and after two failed rescue attempts by the armies of Generals Enrique José O'Donnell and Pedro Caro y Sureda, the city capitulated on 2nd January 1811.

After a period of light suppression and garrison duties in Aragon, and on 4th May 1811 took part in the Siege of Tarragona, which later fell on June 28th. After the siege, Suchet sent his army after General Blake and took part in the Battle of Saguntum where Blake's army was finally destroyed. Suchet's army was further sent to the regional capital and take part in the Siege of Valencia. After received reinforcements from all armies in Spain, the Siege of Valencia beings, and after two assaults the garrison finally surrenders on January 10th.

In 1812, the army took part in the Battle of Castalla, and then merged with the recently defeated Army of the Center, commanded by King of Spain and the Indies Joseph Bonaparte, after the famed Battle of Salamanca.

In 1813, the army was sent south and took part in the Siege of Tarragona. After the decisive Battle of Vitoria, all French armies were evacuated from Spain, and the Army of Aragon was evacuated from the recently liberated Kingdom of Valencia. However, on 8th July 1813, the Spanish began sieging Zaragoza, however the army retreated from the area and retreated towards Lleida. After the complete loss of Aragon, the army evacuated southern Catalonia, and destroyed the Fortress of Tarragona and entrenched themselves behind the Llobregat river.

After some small skirmishes with British General Lord William Bentinck's Anglish-Spanish Army, Suchet takes the decision to abandon Spain and retreats past the Girona, less a large garrison under General Pierre Joseph Habert which took part in the Siege of Barcelona. In April 1814, the Army of Aragon and Catalonia re-crossed the border into Spain, but news of the Treaty of Fontainebleau caused and end to the operations.

Orders of Battle

May 1809

The order of battle of the III Army Corps in May 1809 was as follows:

• III Corps; General of Division Louis-Gabriel Suchet
  • 64th Line Infantry Regiment – 1 x battalion – detached from V Corps
  • Voltigeur Company, 40th Line Infantry Regiment – detached from V Corps
  • Cavalry Brigade; Brigade General Waltier (1,652)
    • 4th Hussar Regiment (326)
    • Polish Lancer Regiment (80) – 1 x squadron
    • 13th Cuirassier Regiment (390)
  • Corps Artillery
    • 7th Company, 5th Horse Artillery Regiment (6 x 6-pdr field cannons and 2 x 5.5-inch howitzers)
    • 5th Company, Train Battalion of the Imperial Guard
• 1st Division; Division General Anne Gilbert de Laval
  • 14th Line Infantry Regiment (1,080) – 2 x battalions
  • 44th Line Infantry Regiment (1,069) – 2 x battalions
  • 2nd Vistula Infantry Regiment (880) – 2 x battalions
  • 3rd Vistula Infantry Regiment (964) – 2 x battalions
  • Division Artillery
    • 18th Company, 3rd Foot Artillery Regiment (6 x 6-pdr field cannons and 2 x 5.5-inch howitzers)
    • 4th Company, Guard Train Battalion
• 2nd Division; Division General Louis François Félix Musnier de La Converserie
  • 116th Line Infantry Regiment, in Castile
  • 117th Line Infantry Regiment, in Castile
  • 121st Line Infantry Regiment, in Aragon – 3 x battalions
  • 5th Light Infantry Regiment (490) – 1 x battalion
  • Division Artillery
    • 7th Company, 5th Foot Artillery Regiment (6 x 6-pdr field cannons and 2 x 5.5-inch howitzers)
    • 6th Company, Guard Train Battalion

References

• Hulot, Frédéric (2009) (in fr). Le Maréchal Suchet. Paris, France: Pygmalion. ISBN 978-2756402345. OCLC 318872029. 
• Pigeard, Alain (2002) (in fr). Dictionnaire de la Grande Armée. Bibliothèque Napoléonienne. Paris, France: Tallandier. ISBN 978-2847340099. OCLC 918099406. 
• Tulard, Jean (1999) (in fr). Dictionnaire Napoléon. Fayard. ISBN 978-2213604855. OCLC 1203879024.