Battle of Vimeiro

Overview

In the Battle of Vimeiro on 21 August 1808, the British under General Arthur Wellesley defeated the French under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro, near Lisbon, Portugal, during the Peninsular War. This battle put an end to the first French invasion of Portugal.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Vimeiro ended the first French invasion of Portugal. Wellesley's British force, numbering up to 20,500, inflicted over 1,600 casualties on Junot's army of 13,000–14,000 and drove it from the field near Lisbon. The defeat compelled France to abandon its initial occupation of Portugal, marking the first significant British land victory of the Peninsular War and establishing a foothold from which operations against French forces on the Iberian Peninsula would continue.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)