To add to what I last wrote, I believe that when "en colonnes d'attaque" the individual battalions are each in attack column formation and, thus, ready to deploy (on the center, if there is no other information).

The individual battalions within the larger column (say regimental or brigade or division attack column) would unfold would be by battalion.

This seems to be what Ney and Mortier intended. So, yes, for the divisional columns, there would have been the expectation that the individual battalion attack columns would have been at deployment distance. The information is lacking, though - in Mortier's case - if ordered when the division came off the march, the heads of the battalions would be separated to be close to that distance. This is speculation as the journal for Mortier as well as the reports for Ney are silent on this aspect.

Back to Albuera, I do not have sufficient information although I would expect the battalions should be at deploying distance from each other. In the heat of the day and excitement of battle, this may well have been lost.

One last remark, though. First some background: The Vth Corps infantry at Albuera was the Vth Corps of Lannes at the battle of Pultusk on 26 December 1806 (only the 17e Légère was also present at Pultusk). The 34e, 40e, 64e and 88e Ligne had all served under Suchet. Gazan commanded his division at Pultusk with the same units: 21e & 28e Légère and 100e & 103e Ligne. Much of the Vth Corps, though then under Savary, fought at Ostrolenks on 16 Febraury 1807, where Gazan did great service. Those occurred several years before Albuera.

Still, given the background, I suspect Marazin is adding to a broad of "jeune officier-général" (Lapène's words) Girard by contrasting with the veteran Gazan - who used "colonnes d'attaque par bataillon" - Girard's more clumsy "colonnes d'attaque" (the number of such columns and composition of these columns being unspecified - though with implication that the battalions within each are in attack columns).

For now. - R