Wellesley Wins Vimeiro: Peninsular War's First Victory
General Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington) defeated a French army under General Junot at Vimeiro on August 21, 1808, scoring the first significant Allied land victory of the Peninsular War. Wellesley employed the defensive tactics that would become his signature: positioning infantry on a reverse slope to shield them from artillery, then delivering devastating close-range volleys when the French columns crested the ridge. The battle demonstrated that well-disciplined British line infantry could consistently defeat French column attacks. Wellesley was prevented from pursuing the defeated French by his superiors, who negotiated the controversial Convention of Cintra allowing the French to evacuate Portugal with their weapons and loot intact.
August 21, 1808
218 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Portugal
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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
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United Kingdom
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Peninsular War
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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
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Portuguese people
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Military of France
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Jean-Andoche Junot
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Battle of Vimeiro
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Vimeiro
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French
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Battle of Vimeiro
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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
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Portuguese people
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Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
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French Armed Forces
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Jean-Andoche Junot
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Vimeiro
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Peninsular War
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French army's invasion of Portugal
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History of Portugal
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Portuguese Empire
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