ORDER OF BATTLE // May 25, 1811
Battle of Arlabán
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 4,600–6,100 estimated
French Empire
1,600
Medium-confidence figure
Spain
3,000–4,500
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The structured facts supplied for this entry conflict with the overview text: the structured data describes a Peninsular War engagement in May 1811 under Francisco Espoz y Mina, while the overview describes a First Carlist War action in January 1836 involving Liberal forces under Luis Fernández de Córdova and Baldomero Espartero against Carlist defenders at the heights of Arlabán, on the border of Álava and Guipúzcoa. Based strictly on the overview, the battle saw Liberal forces, supported by the British Legion and French Legion, seize the heights of Arlabán and the town of Legutiano across two days before being driven back by a Carlist counterattack on the third day with significant Liberal casualties. The engagement illustrated the difficulty of holding mountainous terrain even after an initial successful assault, and demonstrated the Carlists' capacity to recover ground lost to the Liberal coalition despite its multinational composition.
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