I would take issue with the suggestion that 8pdrs were rare. Having dug through the French archives and looked for that information, i.e. the numbers and types of guns, though there were few 12pdrs, about half of the cannon were Gribeauval 8pdrs throughout the war in the Peninsula. In fact, NONE of the System of the Year XI guns ever seem to have gone there.


French Artillery Equipment 
by Corps and Division
December 1809

Royal Guard:
2-8pdrs
4-4pdrs
I Corps:
1st Division
2-8pdrs
4-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
2nd Division
2-8pdrs
4-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
3rd Division
2-8pdrs
4-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
Reserve:
2-12pdrs
4-8pdrs
2-6" howitzers
Park
2-4pdrs
II Corps:
1st Division
4-8pdrs
3-4pdrs
3-6" howitzers
2nd Division
4-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
3rd Division
4-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
Reserve/Park:
3-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
III Corps:
1st Division
2-8pdrs
4-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
2nd Division
2-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
3rd Division
1-8pdrs
1-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
4-4pdr carronades
Cavalry Brigade
4-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
Park
1-8pdrs
3-4pdrs
IV Corps:
1st Division
2-8pdrs
3-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
2nd Division
2-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-5.5" howitzers
3rd Division
2-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-5.5" howitzers
V Corps:
1st Division
2-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
2nd Division
2-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
3rd Division
4-8pdrs
2-6" howitzers
VI Corps:
1st Division
2-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
2nd Division
2-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
3rd Division
4-8pdrs
4-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
Reserve:
3-8pdrs
2-6" howitzers
VII Corps:
1st Division: Souham
2-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
2-6" howitzers
2nd Division: Pino
2-8pdrs
2-6" howitzers
Park
2-8pdrs
2-4pdrs
1-6" howitzers
Division: General Bonnet
3-3pdrs
1st Dragoon Division
2-8pdr
2-6" howitzers
2nd Dragoon Division
2-8pdr
2-6" howitzers
3rd Dragoon Division
4-8pdr
2-6" howitzers
4th Dragoon Division
2-8pdr
2-6" howitzers
5th Dragoon Division
1-4pdr
1-6" howitzer

French Archives, Carton C8 397