CASUALTY RECORD // August 17, 1808
Battle of Roliça
Estimated casualties — killed, wounded, captured, and missing — by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Casualties by side
2 sides catalogued · combined 1,087–1,187 estimated
Empire français
600–700
Medium-confidence figure
Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande
487
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
Roliça was the first engagement fought by the British army in the Peninsular War, establishing an early British presence on the Iberian Peninsula. Wellesley's Anglo-Portuguese force, numbering roughly three times the strength of Delaborde's division, succeeded in dislodging the French position, though Delaborde's command withdrew in good order, limiting the operational damage. The engagement demonstrated that British forces could contest French-held Portugal but also signaled the resilience of French defensive discipline even when heavily outnumbered. As the opening action of what would become a six-year campaign, Roliça set the conditions for the subsequent fighting at Vimeiro and the broader contest for Portugal.
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