Mesas de Ibor - Pre-battle Maneuvers in the Classic Style

 Extremadura, Western Spain, March 16th, 1809 - 5000 Spanish infantry, under General Duke del Parque, have taken refuge in the small village of Mesas de Ibor, roughly halfway between Madrid and Portugal.  After a brief stay, they have decided the village is too unprotected to provide a suitable defense.  A forbidding ridgeline is just 1.5 kilometers away guarding the main approach to Portugal.  General del Parque abandons the village to await the French vanguard on the heights.  Eight small battalions of German infantry in French service under General Leval, the vanguard of Victor's 1st Corp of 15,000, are in hot pursuit.

General Parque's cavalry and artillery lead the way.  The type of cavalry he had is actually unknown, but is listed as a small detachment, so I have opted for a squadron of Minifig s-series Spanish Lancers.  The artillery would likely have been mule drawn and the muleteers in native garments, but I have modelled a later period artillery train equipped with uniforms and horses.  The artillery pieces would likely have been older French style cannons, as Britain is not recorded as having supplied any artillery.  The carriages of the cannon were painted a light blue grey, which would likely have faded to grey over time.

A General of Brigade leads the artillery and cavalry out of Mesas de Ibor.

Detached Cazadores in skirmish order emerge from the vineyards, while a regiment of Marines on the hilltop forms up for departure.

A unit of local guerillas is taking up position in support of the army, while the Regimiento de Santiago takes the road to the West.

An overview of the village.  Four more Spanish regiments are still due to depart (ie, still need to be spruced up and based before the battle)

For this battle, the Marechal de Campo will be playing the part of General del Parque.

Regimiento del Santiago on the road out, with their cigar wielding Colonel to the fore.

I was very glad to have an excuse to use this bridge, that I designed and built using the old Linka plaster casting system for HO scale buildings.

Next up, constructing the ridge!