Vimeiro 1808: Wellesley's first victory in the Peninsular

Description

On 2 August 1808 a British army of 14,000 men began landing north of Lisbon under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington. They were coming to assist the Portuguese, Britain's oldest ally, to liberate their country from its French occupiers. Within a month Wellesley was to win two victories over the French at the battles of Rolica and Vimeiro. General Andoche Junot, the French commander, was forced to surrender and evacuate Portugal. Rene Chartrand examines the first of Wellesley's string of victories in the Peninsular War.

Rene Chartrand was born in Montreal and educated in Canada, the United States and the Bahamas. A senior curator with Canada's National Historic Sites for nearly three decades, he is now a freelance writer and historical consultant. He has written numerous articles and books including almost 20 Osprey titles and the first two volumes of Canadian Military Heritage. He lives in Hull, Quebec, with his wife and two sons. Patrice Courcelle, born in northern France in 1950, has been a professional illustrator for some 20 years. His previous work for Osprey includes MAA 328 and 335 'Emigre & Foreign Troops in British Service' Vols. 1 and 2, Campaign 76 'Ticonderoga 1758' and Campaign 79 'Louisbourg 1758'.