Battle of Vimeiro

Background

Wellesley's expedition landed in Portugal in the summer of 1808. On 30 July he met Admiral Cotton's convoy at Mondego Bay, and the landings of his 16,000 troops, and 6,000 more met off the coast, ran from 1 to 8 August. He marched from Leiria on 10 August and defeated Delaborde's French division at Roliça on 17 August. The French withdrew in good order.

On 18 August he learned that another 4,000 British troops had arrived off the coast, and he marched to cover their landing at Vimeiro rather than pursue Delaborde. Roliça cost the Anglo-Portuguese 487 casualties and the French about 700, by the article's text, though other figures differ. Wellesley also had about 6,000 Portuguese under Freire de Andrade, of whom 1,700 were detached under Trant. London's plans called for 15,000 more men, with Sir John Moore and a force from Gibraltar, and for command to pass to Sir Hew Dalrymple with Sir Harry Burrard as his second. Wellesley, who had won the first battle, was about to be superseded.

Jean-Andoche Junot commanded the French in Portugal. The battle at Vimeiro was fought on 21 August, four days after Roliça, with Wellesley covering the landing of the reinforcements. English Wikipedia says it ended the first French invasion of Portugal.

The armies

Wellesley had about 20,000 men, by the article's count: eight infantry brigades under Hill, Ferguson, Nightingall, Bowes, Catlin Craufurd, Fane, Anstruther and Acland, 17 guns, 240 light cavalry under Taylor and about 2,000 Portuguese under Trant. Only a few days before, Anstruther's and Acland's brigades had been landed. Riflemen of the 60th and 95th were on hand to deal with the French skirmishers.

Junot had about 14,000 in two infantry divisions and a cavalry division under Margaron, with 23 guns. Delaborde's division, which had fought at Roliça, had brigades under Brenier and Thomières; Loison's division had brigades under Solignac and Charlot. Kellermann commanded a 2,100-man grenadier reserve, formed from the grenadier companies of Junot's battalions. The French attacked in columns; the British met them in line.

The guns are close in number: 23 for the French, 17 or 18 for the British, depending on the source. The French also had Margaron's cavalry against the British light dragoons.

The battle

The plan. Wellesley placed Anstruther's and Fane's brigades in front of Vimeiro, with Acland in support, and held the western ridge with the others. Junot planned a frontal assault on Vimeiro by the brigades of Thomières, Solignac and Charlot, with Brenier's brigade making a wide turning move to the north-east ridge. Wellesley saw Brenier's move and shifted Nightingall, Ferguson and Bowes to that ridge. Junot then ordered the attack on the town at once rather than wait for the flanking move to develop. CDB90 times the battle from about 10 am until 7:30 pm; English Wikipedia gives no times of day, so the phases below are in order and not by the clock.

Thomières. Thomières's brigade advanced in column, supported by three guns and skirmishers. Fane sent riflemen of the 60th and 95th to deal with the skirmishers. The column ran into the 50th Regiment, whose volleys at about 100 yards broke it. Its three guns were captured.

Charlot. Charlot's narrow column struck one of Anstruther's battalions, hidden behind a crest, and a second battalion hit its flank. The brigade fled.

The grenadiers. Junot sent in Kellermann's grenadiers. The first two battalions were thrown back in the same area. Two others broke into Vimeiro but were counterattacked by Anstruther and Acland and driven out. Taylor's 20th Light Dragoons pursued but then charged out of control into Margaron's cavalry and were routed. Taylor was killed and the regiment lost about one man in four.

Solignac. Solignac's attack on the north-east ridge used a deep column. It marched into the volleys of Nightingall and Ferguson before it could deploy and fled.

Brenier. Brenier's men were delayed by their longer route around ravines. They arrived with four battalions abreast, drove back two British battalions and then met the 29th Regiment in line. The 29th and two other battalions that had rallied routed Brenier's brigade. Brenier was wounded and captured by the 71st Highlanders.

The day's losses. Junot's brigades had failed one after another. He left 13 guns on the field, and in the sources I saw his casualties run from about 2,000 to 2,160 against roughly 700 to 780 for the British and Portuguese.

The pursuit that did not happen. Wellesley urged a pursuit, but Burrard, who had come to take command, declined to interfere with the French retreat. Burrard's decision left the French army free to retreat. Burrard replaced Wellesley in command, and the next day Dalrymple replaced him.

Aftermath

Junot lost about 2,000 men and 13 guns against some 700 to 780 British and Portuguese casualties. The French were defeated, but Burrard would not pursue, and the next day Dalrymple replaced him.

The Convention of Sintra (spelt Cintra at the time) was signed on 30 August 1808 at the Palace of Queluz, negotiated by Dalrymple and Kellermann. It let the French leave Portugal; about 20,900 were carried to Rochefort by the Royal Navy, with their equipment and personal property. It also allowed a blockaded Russian squadron in Lisbon to sail home. In Britain it was received as a disgrace. A court of inquiry at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, 14 November to 27 December 1808, cleared Wellesley, Burrard and Dalrymple, but the army and public blamed Dalrymple and Burrard, who retired and never held a field command again. Wellesley, who had opposed the terms, went back to Portugal.

The English Wikipedia account is of line against column: in each phase the French column was broken by British volleys before it could deploy, or was routed on meeting a battalion in line.

Wargaming it

Vimeiro is a good battalion-level game at 1:20 or so, with the table dominated by the village and two ridges. The two armies are close in size (about 20,000 to 14,000) but they fight differently, and that contrast is the point: line against column, with the British meeting the French columns in line.

The key decisions are Junot's. He can follow his plan, sending a wide flank march and a frontal attack together, or he can put everything into the frontal attack as the French in the battle did when Wellesley spotted Brenier's move. Wellesley, for his part, must decide when to shift brigades from the western ridge to the north-east ridge. Timing is the central tension, as Brenier arrives late because of the ravines. A scenario can let the French player try to time the two attacks together.

The cavalry episode gives a good side-story. The 20th Light Dragoons' uncontrolled pursuit, which cost the regiment about a quarter of its men, is a classic reason to give cavalry a pursuit-control rule.

The what-if is Burrard's refusal to pursue. A game can end with a pursuit phase and score the Allies on how much of Junot's army they can cut off, an outcome the real battle did not produce.

Maps and pictures