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 Revolutions
-
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...
-
The True History of Dick Turpin and t...
Mike Loades goes behind the mask to uncover the brutal truth about the myth of the highwayman. Unlike many other criminals, they've been glamorised and idolised, their names enduring as legends. They are considered by many as dashing romantic heroes, courageous adventurers and champions of the un...
-
Powerhouse: Reckoning
For nearly two hundred years, the north led the way in developing new technologies and industries that would completely re-shape societies, economies and the world order.
Presented by northern writer Daniel Gray, Powerhouse; Industrial Revolution in the North tells the story of the birth of the ...
28 Comments