Peninsular Wars Simplified Battles Flashcards
1
Q
Battle of Rolica
A
- 17th August 1808
- Wellesley vs Junots 15,000
- British win - he drove back 5000
2
Q
Battle of Vemeiro background
A
- Wellesley reinforced with 4000 men
- 20th August 1808 Burrard arrived but slept on board
- Junot advancing with 14,000 men
3
Q
Battle of Vemeiro
A
- 21st August 1808
- Reverse Slope Tactic
- French retreated and British won
- 2000 French deaths vs 720 British
4
Q
Battle of Vemeiro Aftermath
A
- Convention of Cintra 30th Aug 1808
- 24,000 French troops home on British ships
- Burrard and Dalrymple never given command
- John Moore with 350,000 troops to help the Spanish
5
Q
Battle of Corunna background
A
- Moore reached Salamanca Nov 1808
- Napoleon entered Spain with 200,000
- Moore did not know whether to retreat, in this time French captured Madrid
- Moore went to Burgos to get French to pull back (gamble)
- Had to retreat to Corunna with Soult after him
- Arrived in Corunna 11th Jan 1809 before troop transport
6
Q
Battle of Corunna
A
- 16th Jan 1809 Battle begins, on the 15th troop transports took away sick and wounded troops
- Both sides 15,000 and 800 casualties each
- Moore died, 7,000 Br lost in retreat and 26,000 escaped
- French win
7
Q
Background to Oporto
A
- Wellesley given command w/ Beresford
- Left 12,000 soldiers in Lisbon before he went to go deal w Soult
- Soult had 20,000 men
- Victor had 40,000 men
8
Q
Oporto
A
- 12th May 1809
- Wellesley crossed the river Douro in wine barges with 600 troops
- Soult was asleep and thought it was Swiss bathers
- Portuguese civilians helped British and the British occupied a seminary building
9
Q
Background to Battle of Talavera
A
- June 1809 2,000 troops in Spain under Wellesley with 34,000 from Cuesta
- Spanish kept causing delays in initiating battle
10
Q
Battle of Talavera
A
27th July 1809
- 2,000 Spanish fled from dear
- Victor night attacks held back by the ‘daddy’ Rowland Hill
- British Win after Victor could not launch offensive
- Wellesley lost a 1/4 men French lost 7,300
11
Q
Aftermath of Battle of Talavera
A
- Wellesley = Viscount Wellington
- Beresford trained troops due to little fighting in Winter
- May 1810 French beseige Cuidad Rodrigo
- August 1810 Almeida is surrendered to French
- Wellington pursues scorched earth policy and use of Ordenanza
12
Q
Lines of Torres Vedras features
A
- Massena reached them in Oct 1810
- Network of defence North of Lisbon that Wellesley had ordered carried out by royal engineers under Fletcher using Portuguese labour
- 3 defensive rings of linked forts and earthworks
- Semaphore system of communication
- manned by 25,000 Portuguese, 8,000 Spanish, 2.500 British
13
Q
Effects on Massena of Lines of Torres Vedras
A
- 1810 his army was suffering shortages but he did not retreat
- Feb 1811 500 French dying of starvation per week
- March 1811 Massena retreated to Spain, losing 20,000-30,000 men and equipment
14
Q
Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro
A
- 3-5th May 1811
- British held control and took Almeida
- French retreated with lack of ammo
- Br Win
15
Q
Battle of Albuera
A
- 16th May 1811
- Soult outmanoeuvred Beresford
- Eventually Soult withdrew
- 6,000 Br died so Wellington did not give Beresford command again
16
Q
Cuidad Rodrgio and Badajoz
A
- Jan 1812 Wellington besieged Cuidad Rodrigo, captured the town in 2 hrs
- British rampaged, drinking, looting and raping
- 6th April 1812 Walls of Badajoz were breached in 3 places with 60,000 men and taken quickly by Br
17
Q
Battle of Salamanca
A
22nd July 1812
- Wellington vs Marmont
- Armied marched and counter-marched and then Wellington struck when they were overextended
- Br Win
18
Q
Wellington enters Madrid
A
August 1812
19
Q
Battle of Vitoria background
A
- May 1813 Wellington advances 300 miles through the Pyrenees in less than 30 days
20
Q
Battle of Vitoria
A
- Wellington attacked Joseph Bonaparte’s 66,000 man army
- French retreat, lost 8,000 men, 3,000 convoy wagons
21
Q
Battles at Maya, Sorauren and San Sebastian
A
- 25th July 1813 Br win at Maya
- 28-30th July Battle of Sorauren, 18,000 Br block 30,000 Fr from relieving Pamplona and win
- 31st Aug 1813 allies storm San Sebastian
22
Q
Wellington enters France
A
- 7th Oct 1813 crosses the Bidsoa River and enters France
- He sends back Spanish troops so they do not seek revenge for French atrocities
23
Q
Battle of Nivelle
A
- 10th Nov 1813
- Br cross River Nivelle and take strong French positions
- Wellington called it ‘my best work’ in the Peninsular wars
24
Q
Napoleon abdicates
A
6th April 1814
25
Napoleon Returns
- Escaped abdication on island of Elba
- 26th Feb 1815 landed in France and gathered a small army
- 20th March 1815 Napoleon entered Paris and King Louis XVIII fled
26
Battles of Ligny and Quatra Bras
- 16th June 1815- Fr army of 120,000
- Napolean defeats Prussians at Ligny
- Ney failed to defeat Wellington at Quatre Bras
27
Battle of Waterloo
- 18th June 1815
- Fr attack postponed till 11:30am (wet ground, Napoleon unwell and uphill attack)
- Ney wasted cavalry (sent all cavalry in pursuit when he thought Wellington was retreating and allies used square formation to kill horsemen)
- 13:30 72,000 Prussians under Blucher come to support
- Br win and Napoleon surrenders on HMS Bellerophon
