Battle of Vimeiro

Battle of Vimeiro
Part of the Peninsular War
Portuguese and British troops fighting the French at Vimeiro
Date 21 August 1808 Location Near Vimeiro, Portugal 39°10′30″N 9°19′0″W / 39.17500°N 9.31667°W / 39.17500; -9.31667 Result Anglo-Portuguese victory[1] Convention of Sintra France driven out of Portugal
Belligerents
French Empire	United Kingdom Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Jean-Andoche Junot	Arthur Wellesley
Strength
13,000–14,000[2][1] 23–24 guns[2]	17,000–20,500[2][1] 18–19 guns[2]
Casualties and losses
370–450 killed[3] 1,630–1,710 wounded[3][1] 13 guns lost	135 killed 593 wounded 51 missing[4]

Lisbon

Roliça

Vimeiro

Chaves

Braga

Grijó

Porto

Almeida

Bussaco

TorresVedras

Redinha

Sabugal

FuentesDeOñoro

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Peninsular war: Portugal
1807 1808 1809 1810 1811

In the Battle of Vimeiro (sometimes shown as "Vimiera" or "Vimeira" in contemporary British texts)^[5] on 21 August 1808, the British under General Arthur Wellesley (who later became the Duke of Wellington) defeated the French under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro (Portuguese pronunciation: [viˈmɐjɾu]), near Lisbon, Portugal, during the Peninsular War. This battle put an end to the first French invasion of Portugal.^[6][7]

Four days after the Battle of Roliça, Wellesley's army was attacked by a French army under General Junot near the village of Vimeiro. The battle began as a battle of manoeuvre, with French troops attempting to outflank the British left, but Wellesley was able to redeploy his army to face the assault. Meanwhile, Junot sent in two central columns but these were forced back by sustained volleys from troops in line. Soon afterwards, the flanking attack was beaten off and Junot retreated towards Torres Vedras, having lost 2,000 men and 13 cannon, compared to 700 Anglo-Portuguese losses. No pursuit was attempted because Wellesley was superseded by Sir Harry Burrard and then Sir Hew Dalrymple (one having arrived during the battle, the second soon after).^[6][7]