Why were the British so successful in the Peninsular War? Flashcards
Why did the ‘Role of Wellington’ create so much success for the Br in the P War?
Tactic:
- master of terrain & Fr always feared he would have more men than it seemed (reverse slope tactic)
- used reverse slope & line vs. column tactics regularly
- always active & in the thick of it (e.g. at Talavera popped up at just the right moment to plug the gap)
- Salamanca sometimes called his masterpiece
- cautious but prudent (lines of TV built & ready in case he needed it, retreated many times but never majorly defeated)
Relationship with his men:
- was cold & not ‘loved’ like Nelson but was greatly respected & men had faith in him
- reassuring presence on the battlefield (would sometimes pretend to sleep w a newspaper on his face to show that there was nothing to worry about)
- cared for his men even if he didn’t always show it (‘scum’ but cried at Badajoz)
- strict discipline & didn’t allow looting (made sure Sp pop. on side)
Why did the ‘Quality of the British Army’ create so much success for the Br in the P War?
- the Br army was truly excellent during the P War
- infantry in particular were the best in the world
- 3 rounds a minute & line vs. column meant Br firepower won the war
- all professionals, all volunteers, no conscripts
- e.g. fearlessness at Badajoz & skill at Fuentes de Onoro
Cav was good but unreliable & would gallop at anything
(W said he fancied 1 Br cav to beat 2 Fr cav BUT not 4 vs. 4 bc lacked the discipline)
Why did the ‘Other British Commanders’ create so much success for the Br in the P War?
W wasnt alone!
all excellent commanders & junior officers also excellent
- Roland Hill (Daddy Hill)
- Sir Thomas Picton
- Robert Crauford
- John Moore
Why did the ‘French Mistakes’ create so much success for the Br in the P War?
- overreliance on column
- Junot underestimating the Br at Vimeiro
- Massena just letting his army starve at Torres Vedras
- fleeing in panic from Vitoria
- conscript armies
- letting soldiers “live off the land” (enraged the Spanish as the Fr behaved very poorly - encouraged the guerrillas)
Why did the ‘Spanish Guerrillas’ create so much success for the Br in the P War?
- spanish regulars were a bit rubbish
- BUT spanish guerrillas weren’t
- it is estimated there were 20,000 active guerrillas
- they were directed by local Juntas & led by men with titles such as “El Pastor” (the Shepard) or “El Abuelo” (the Godfather)
- they were incredibly important to allied victories
(e.g. the Fr would send whole battalions w messages as anything less would just be killed by the guerrillas) - Fr called Spain the “Spanish ulcer”
Why did the ‘Portuguese Army’ create so much success for the Br in the P War?
the Portuguese army basically became part of the Br army
- had Br officers & training some times
- fought as part of the Br formations
- an infantry bridge was often 3 Br & 1 Portuguese
- they were excellent!
Why did the ‘Other Factors’ create so much success for the Br in the P War?
- Br naval strength = could supply Torres Vedras, withdraw from Corunna & continental system didn’t work
- Br econ strength = winning war isn’t just abt battles
- Br allies beyond the Peninsular
e.g. Prussia, Austria, Russia etc. (Napoleon’s defeat in Russia in 1812)
