On 21st of August 1808, the 39-year-old Sir Arthur Wellesley (later to become the Duke of Wellington) stood at the head of an Anglo-Portuguese army numbering approximately 14,000.
His army was positioned on the blind side of a slope, awaiting the advance of a French Army under General Jean-Andoche Junot, that outnumbered him by between 3,000 and 6,000.
He held his men steady and waited until the French crested the hill and descended on this side to within range. Only then did he open fire.
This deployment of an army on the blind side of a hill became known as the ‘reverse slope tactIc’. At Vimeiro, it proved to be immensely successful and Wellesley subsequently made frequent use of it throughout the Peninsular War.
That the future Duke of Wellington should be in command of the combined British and Portuguese forces at this juncture, however, was an accident of Fate.
Up Next in People Who Made History
-
Rise Of Napoleon
He was the man who would define the start of the 19th century. He has more documented victories than any other battlefield commanders in history. From a relatively humble background, he rose to become master of Europe. This is the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. Featuring historians Dr Michael Rowe, ...
-
The Making of Wellington: The Lines o...
In this film, military historian Mike Loades investigates one of the most impressive and successful creations of the Napoleonic Wars: The Lines of Torres Vedras. Mike explores the spectacular lines of forts that ran from coast to coast across the neck of the Lisbon Peninsular, defending the Portu...
-
Who Killed the Princes in the Tower?
In 1483, the twelve-year-old King Edward V and his younger brother were put in the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard, the Duke of Gloucester. Weeks later, Richard pronounced himself King. The boys were never seen again.
For more than 500 years it has been assumed that Richard III killed hi...
33 Comments