ORDER OF BATTLE // September 12, 1813
Battle of Ordal
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 37,000 estimated
First French Empire
17,000
Medium-confidence figure
United Kingdom
20,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Ordal was a meeting engagement in the final phase of the Peninsular War, fought as Anglo-Allied forces under Lord William Bentinck operated along the eastern coast of Spain. Suchet's corps launched a night assault against Bentinck's advance guard, inflicting approximately 2,000 casualties on the larger Anglo-Allied force of around 20,000 against Suchet's 17,000. The engagement checked the Allied advance guard and demonstrated that French forces in eastern Spain retained the capacity to mount aggressive offensive action even as the wider Peninsular campaign moved toward its conclusion.
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