the British Army (1793-1815) Flashcards
where did the BA fight until 1802?
in the Caribbean
why did the BA target French Caribbean territories?
they were hubs of piracy against British merchant ships
they had plantations
when did the BA capture Cape Colony?
1795
when did the BA defeat the French in Egypt?
1801 at the Battle of Alexandria
who was the East India Company at war with in India?
the Kingdom of Mysore supported by France
who captured Seringapatam in 1793?
Lord Cornwallis
when did W arrive in India?
1797
when and where did W defeat Doondia?
Conagul in September 1800
what were W’s major victories in India?
at Assaye and Argaum
Battle of Assaye
British victory despite being outnumbered
7000 vs 40,000
Battle of Argaum
British victory despite being outnumbered
11000 vs 30000
what battle proved that British lines were superior to French columns?
Battle of Maida 1806
how many BA troops sent to Flushing to create a distraction in 1809?
44,000
when was Cape Colony recaptured?
1806
which country was still trading with Britain despite the Continental System being in place?
Portugal
who does Napoleon send to invade Portugal?
Junot
when did Charles and Ferdinand abdicate in Spain?
April 1808
who became the new Spanish King?
Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother
why was Junot cut off from the Spain in 1808?
in June 1808, Spanish got angry by the abdication and began to resist the French in Spain
why was Junot pushed back to Lisbon?
the Portugese see the Spanish rebellion and also rebel against Junot to push him back to Lisbon
why did the British govt decide to attack the French in Portugal?
they saw the rebellions as the perfect time to push the French out of the Peninsula
where was W stationed before the Peninsular War?
Cork
when did W leave Cork?
12 July 1808
where do the BA troops land in Portugal?
Mondego Bay
why did the Duke of York replace W?
he believed that he was too inexperienced
who did the DofY replace W with?
Dalrymple and Burrard
when was the Battle of Rolica?
17 August 1808
when was the Battle of Vimeiro?
21 August 1808
what tactic did W use at Vimeiro?
reverse slope tactic
surprised the French which forced them to retreat back to Lisbon
what was the Convention of Cintra?
an Anglo-French armistice which allowed 24000 French to return to France
what happened to Bullard and Dalrymple after the Convention of Cintra?
they were never given command again
how many men did Moore command when he invaded Spain?
35,000
when did Moore march into Spain?
October 1808
how many troops did Napoleon send to Spain to retake it?
200,000
why did Moore retreat to Corunna?
he was notified that Napoleon was marching his troops north
when did Moore reach Corunna?
11 January 1809
when was the Battle of Corunna?
16 January 1809
result of the Battle of Corunna?
French victory
Moore dead
how many BA troops returned to England after Corunna?
26,000
why can Corunna be seen as a positive?
prevented French troops from attacking Portugal and South Spain
who did Napoleon put in charge to chase Moore to Corunna?
Soult
when was W put in charge of the BA in Portugal?
April 1809
who was put in charge of the Portugese Army?
Beresford
how many men did Soult hold Porto with?
20,000
when was the Battle of Porto?
12 May 1809
how did W get his troops into Porto?
he ferried 600 across the River Duoro in wine barrels provided by Portugese
how many men did Soult lose at Porto?
4,000
why were there no more French reinforcements in Spain in 1809?
Austria declared war on France so all French troops were occupied
when did W march into Spain?
July 1809
who led the Spanish troops in Spain?
General Cuesta
when was the Battle of Talavera?
21 July 1809
how were the Spanish troops at Talavera?
they were rubbish
2,000 fled at the sound of gunfire
the rest hid behind walls in fear
who was Roland Hill?
popular general who supported the men
known as daddy
drove back a French night attack at Talavera
result of the Battle of Talavera?
W retreated to Portugal in the winter
W became Viscount Wellington
how many French died at Talavera?
7300
why was the British victory at Talavera also a loss?
they lost 5400 men
why did W retreat to Portugal after Talavera?
gave time for Beresford to train the Portugese troops to British standards
by 1810 how many Portugese troops were ready to fight?
25,000
who did Napoleon appoint to invade Portugal in 1810?
Massena
how strong was Massena’s Portugese Army?
138,000
when did Cuidad Rodrigo surrender to Massena?
10 July 1810
when did Almeida surrender to Massena?
28 August 1810
what policy did W use when retreating from Massena?
scorched earth policy
what was the Portugese home guard?
the Ordenanza
when was W forced to retreat to Lisbon?
28 September 1810
what were the Lines of Torres Vedras?
3 rings of walls enclosing Lisbon which ran for 30 miles
who constructed the Lines of Torres Vedras?
the Royal Engineers in 1809
who led the Royal Engineers?
Colonel Richard Fletcher
how many BA men defended Torres Vedras?
60,000
when did Massena give up trying to attack the walls?
mid November 1810
why did W not attack the retreating Massena?
he knew that starvation and disease would hurt the French more than the British
when did Massena retreat to Spain?
March 1811
how many men had Massena lost in his campaign in Portugal?
30,000 men
when was the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro?
3 May 1811
who replaced Massena?
Marshal Mormont
how many men did Beresford besiege Badajoz with?
20,000
when was the Battle of Albuera?
16 May 1811
why did the allies abandon Badajoz
French reinforcements arrived
when did Wellington take Cuidad Rodrigo?
January 1812
how did Wellington take Cuidad Rodrigo?
he made 2 breaches in the wall and attacked
when did Wellington take Badajoz back?
6 April 1812
how did Wellington retake Badajoz?
he made 3 breaches in the walls
how many Brits were lost in the Siege of Badajoz?
5,000
when was the Battle of Salamanca?
22 July 1812
why were the French weaker in 1812?
they were having a terrible time in their invasion of Russia
how many French were lost at the Battle of Salamanca?
14,000
when did W march into Madrid?
12 August 1812
why did W abandon his siege of Burgos?
he was threatened at his rear by French armies
where did W retreat after Burgos?
to Portugal
why did morale amongst the British troops increase?
they received new clothes and equipment
more reinforcements
news of French struggles in Russia
how many miles did W march in 30 days?
300 miles
how did the Spanish help W at the Battle of Vittoria?
Spanish guerrillas would scout ahead and inform W about the positions of French troops
when was the Battle of Vittoria?
21 June 1813
who led the French at the Battle of Vittoria?
Joseph Bonaparte
which 3 French strongholds remained in Spain after the Battle of Vittoria?
Pamplona
Vera
San Sebastian
how long did it take for W to take Pamplona?
9 days
when did W take San Sebastian?
31 August 1813
why was W reluctant to invade France after pushing the French out of Spain?
he wanted to be certain that Napoleon would lose against the allies in the rest of Europe
which river did the allies cross to enter France?
Bidasoa
when was the Battle of Leipzig and what was its outcome?
19 October 1813
Napoleon forced to retreat to the Rhine and fall back to France
when did the British cross the River Nivelle?
10 November 1813
why did W send his Spanish troops back to Spain?
he knew that they would likely seek retribution for French atrocities in Spain by plundering
W wanted the French civilians on his side
when did Napoleon abdicate?
6 April 1814
throughout the Peninsular Wars, how many enemy troops did W’s forces kill?
200,000
throughout the Peninsular Wars, how many troops did W lose?
36,000
when was the Treaty of Ghent signed?
October 1814
when did Napoleon escape exile?
February 1815
who became King of France after Napoleon abdicated?
Louis XVIII
what did Napoleon do once he retook power?
he marched his troops north and looked to defeat the British and Prussian armies in one sweep
how large was W’s Anglo-Belgian-Dutch-Hanoverian army?
90,000 strong
who was in charge of the Prussian army at Waterloo?
Marshal Blucher
how large was Napoleon’s army at Waterloo?
75,000
when was the Battle of Ligny?
16 June 1815
what was the outcome of the Battle of Ligny?
Napoleon had defeated the Prussians
what was the outcome of the Battle of Quatre Bras?
the British had managed to hold of the French
who did Napoleon send to attack the Prussians?
Grouchy
why was the French attack at Waterloo delayed?
heavy rainfall made artillery difficult to move
to what time did Napoleon delay the French attack at Waterloo?
11:30 am
how large was W’s army at Waterloo?
68,000
what were the 3 main points at Waterloo?
Hougemont
La Haye Sainte
Papelotte
when did Blucher’s Prussians arrive?
1:30 pm
what failures did Ney lead at Waterloo?
he led many stupid cavalry charges which were destroyed by British squares
what was the last French attack?
the Imperial Guard led one final attack which was repelled by British forces
how many British died at Waterloo?
15,000
how many French died at Waterloo?
25,000
when did Napoleon surrender?
15 July 1815
