Vimeiro Part Two - Scenario Tweaks

This Sunday will see the second play through of Vimeiro with a different set of commanders and a change of objectives and set ups based on the playing of the first game.

The Vimeiro table with Vimeiro town and Ventosa farm identified as objectives and the British (to the left and behind the red line) and French (Between points A and B at start or arriving on roads C and D) set up positions marked.

It is interesting how the old maxim of "the plan changes on first contact with the enemy" can apply to wargame scenario construction, in that you only really get to see what works and doesn't when you see the game in play and how the commanders react to the situation the scenario presents them with.

As a confirmed player of historical scenarios, the thing that really interests me about playing out battles from the past is the test of asset management that comes with the constraints of the terrain and forces that were imposed on the historical commanders. In other words, can you do a better job than General A or B given the same circumstances.

With Rolica, the game parameters meant that the French had to withdraw from the table. The questions that the scenario presented was, could they stay on the table as long as General DeLaborde managed on the day and could they cause more damage before forced to leave? Likewise for the British, could they frustrate this French game plan and get a better result than Wellesley? The game was time limited based on how long DeLaborde managed historically.

With Vimeiro, the situation facing the French is about as difficult as they come. A smaller force is tasked with attacking an enemy on ground of their choosing with a quality force in defence that is more than capable of counterattack. The situation calls for circumspect and careful reconnaissance, all the qualities that General Junot lacked during this battle. Those sword blows the general took to the head probably didn't help.

If, based on the historical outcome and the situation, we conclude that it is very unlikely that the French force will be able to break the Anglo Portuguese army, then we need other parameters to compare the results to and that will challenge both commanders to match. Thus my original thinking had the best outcome seeing the French gaining control of the Eastern Ridge (the high ground between Vimeiro and Ventosa). Given the force disparity, this is an extremely tough ask for the French.

So, back to the drawing board.
1. The Battle is naturally time limited to about midday due to the arrival of Sir Harry Burrard, who on hearing the cannonade arrived to see the beating of the French attacks and to put a halt on any plans that Wellesley had of counterattacking. Thus we can build this end point into our scenario. In addition, with the arrival of Sir Huw Dalrymple, much later, the French get their "get out of jail card" as he set about agreeing to letting them leave Portugal with all their loot. Obviously the terms of this agreement will be heavily influenced by how well the French have done. Given that Junot plumbed new depths in how to get well and truly drubbed a long way from home without any hope of relief, the deal he got was a mark of the level of idiocy displayed by Sir Huw, and the level of negotiation displayed by General Kellermann, the architect of the Convention of Sintra.

2. In the actual battle, the French attempted to take control of Vimiero and Ventosa, managing to contest the former and give the 43rd Light infantry a tough fight. It would seem reasonable to see if our tabletop French commander can go one better and take and hold either or both of the objectives, within the time frame of the scenario. These two objectives would seem more practicable that asking the French to have more units than the British in occupation of the Eastern Ridge and the terrain benefits to a defender offered by the objectives make them defendable once taken by a smaller force.
The uncertainty of where the French attack will fall and with what strength will keep the British commander on his guard and force him to defend against either or both attempts. In addition any French attack on Ventosa would benefit from having a force arrive on road D, turning the Anglo Portuguese defence and reducing the impact of their reverse slope position. This should encourage a French commander to keep open the option of going for the flank attack, whilst pinning units to their front. Time is limited though.

3. Sir Arthur was concerned to protect his flank when he observed the French flanking manoeuvre and to reflect this in the game the British commander is forced to detach a brigade to support the Portuguese under Colonel Trant. I think it likely that Sir Arthur didn't detail the force he chose based on the precise strength and combat factors of the brigades under his command. He would have had an idea of which were his best brigades and then the rest that made up the majority, part of which he selected to move out. In an attempt to stop the wargamer in all of us selecting the brigade they can most afford to lose, we will randomise the choice of brigade to be ordered off excluding the obviously key brigades such as Anstruther's who would have formed the core of Sir Arthur's defence of the Eastern Ridge. This then provides a level of uncertainty for the British command.

These three points will be play tested on Sunday and just as in the first game will stand or fall based on "contact with the enemy".

If you have any thoughts on these ideas or the scenario as a whole please share them on the blog and add to the discussion for the weekend. A full AAR will follow the game on Sunday together with an updated scenario briefing and all the labels for Carnage & Glory II available in my downloads.

Vimeiro 1808 - Carnage & Glory II

Well the first Vimeiro game was played yesterday and much fun was had by all.

For regular followers of the blog, this game is the culmination of twelve months work putting together the units and terrain items necessary to re-fight a battle that saw about 20,000 British and Portuguese troops take on 13,000 French troops. The end result of the actual battle saw the convincing defeat of the French force although not complete as the British commander was restrained from pursuit. The French reported losses of about 1,800 men killed, wounded or taken prisoner of whom about 300 to 400 fell into the latter category. The Allies had far fewer losses at 720 officers and men with 131 men killed, 534 wounded and 51 missing.

My preferred set of rules, Carnage & Glory II, was set up to run the game. These rules, in my experience, really tick the "simulation vs game", box for me and once you understand the thinking behind the design, which Nigel Marsh happily explains in the rules and communication queries he receives from people like me, you really get the full on experience of just playing the tactics of the period rather than the game system. The computer takes on all the force/game management, allowing the commanders to direct the model units. The "granularity" I am looking for is all there, with numbers of men, ground scale, named officers, casualties in numbers of men with prisoners recorded separately, just perfect for a Napoleonic fan like me but still a game with all the entertainment value that description implies. Just because it provides a simulation doesn't stop it from being fun.

As an umpire, the pleasure of seeing events unfold on the screen that the commanders are very often unaware of at first, but soon experience as units start to react to situations, is a real delight. I know computer rules are not for everyone, and there is a time commitment involved in setting up the game, but I think that investment in time, after putting the models and terrain together, well worth it, and if you are in two minds about trying these rules, just give them a go.

So to the battle. The scenario "Vimiero Full Fat" is and has been available as a PDF down load in my downloads bar on the right column of the page for some time now and feel free to have a look to understand the set up and victory requirements. This was the first playing of this scenario and I learnt things from it which I will include in a second version of the PDF together with all the ID tags and other stuff I used to run the game. So if you do decide to do your own version you will have everything you need.

The map captured from Cyberboard showing the British hidden set up

Part of the set up for our game included the use of "blinds" to represent un-spotted brigades on the table. Given the British are staying out of sight behind a ridge and the French may attempt a flank march, this is quite a key element to simulate. However I decided that the British had a distinct advantage from their ridge line position in that they would see the French movements more readily and that their units behind the ridge should remain completely hidden with no blinds giving away their likely positions.

So I turned to my trusty "Cyberboard" software and transferred my game map to it and produced scaled blind markers to allow the British commander to place his blinds on the computer rather than the table as the French would do. The map above is a screen capture of that map with my additions of names and French direction of attack arrows to show you that initial set up From it you will see that Sir Arthur was concerned about a French flank attack and thus weighted his brigades more to the centre and his left to counter this threat with the Allied cavalry out of sight in the valley on the extreme Allied left. The flag placement is a simple way of indicating formation and facing. Thus if the flag is in the centre broadside on the brigade is in line facing that direction. If the flag is at the end of the marker, the brigade is in column of march facing in the direction of the position of the flag marker. Simples!!

The table interpretation of the map above looking to the North corner

I asked both commanders, Sir Arthur Wellesley (Steve H) and General Junot (Vince) to write a description of their battle plan. I have attempted to capture the salient thoughts of their plan in the style of the two very different historical counterparts.

Sir Arthur' s Plan:
So Gentlemen, as you know I don't hold much with French methods, and my plan is simple. Deploy behind the ridge line and wait for the French to crest the hill, then shoot them until they run away. I want all guns and light troops deployed forward, "woughing them up" as they come on.
Note; Sir Arthur, always a man of few words, shows his thinking in his deployment and the map above illustrates his concerns.

General Junot's Plan:
These Rostbeeefs always head for the boats at the slightest of attacks so we will have nothing to fear from being bold going forward. I intend to stretch the British line with an all out frontal attack on Vimiero Hill and the Eastern Ridge, relying on my Reserve Grenadiers to turn the British flank and roll them up. Vive L'Empereur.

General Loison's division was soon spotted by the British pickets as the French moved up the Lisbon road at 9.30am.
However the blinds on show indicate that the French numbers were not entirely confirmed.

With plans made, briefings complete we started play at 10.17am GMT or 9.30 am game time and the first French blinds were placed on and around the Lisbon road between points A and B on the map. The spotting process was simple. All blinds were automatically spotted within twelve inches of the ridge lines, it was assumed that British pickets and Generals would be observing from that position. Thus a d6 was rolled for ranges over twelve inches normally requiring a 3 or 4 to spot when first entering the table.

As the French advanced into the valley it became clear they were in force, supported by cavalry

The initial French moves revealed their intent to press the British right and centre, and with French troops seen heading to the British left, a flank attack had to be anticipated. Sir Arthur ordered General Acland's brigade (2nd & 20th Foot) to support Colonel Trant's Portuguese brigade off table and thus out of our scenario.

The 1/70me Ligne (unit 101), under GdB Brenier move into Toledo village with the 3/82me Ligne (unit 112) and the 3/32me Ligne (unit 111) of GdB Charlot off to their left approaching the outskirts of Vimiero.

The French forces of General de Division's DeLaborde and Loison supported by the cavalry of General de Brigade Margaron moved out towards Vimiero Hill and the Eastern Ridge. It became clear that the French commander had no interest in contesting Vimiero itself, contenting himself with the thought that defeating the British on the slopes around the town would force the garrison to quit its hard cover and narrow streets.

The Dragoons of GdB Margaron support the infantry of GdD DeLaborde

The first sign the French forces had of British positions were the placement of skirmish battalions and artillery batteries. The Royal Artillery striking first with round shot ploughing lanes through the French columns.

The voltigueur screen of the 86me Ligne (units 105 and 106) about to move up an on to the Eastern ridge above Toledo to their left.

Royal Artillery Battery B's medium six pounders support Fane's Light battalion as they screen Vimiro Hill

The first of many British round shot plough through the ranks of DeLaborde's infantry and on into Margaron's Dragoons

The first contact between the opposing skirmish lines occurred on the lower slopes of Vimiero Hill as the riflemen there started to pick off officers and NCO's in the French ranks as the advance pressed their positions.

As the French main force attack develops on the British right and centre, the British defence in depth becomes clear

As the French columns reached the foot of the hills and ridge lines the going became more difficult (the terrain was classed as disruptive) thus forcing the French to half speed as their columns struggled to maintain their dressing whilst moving over the broken ground, all the while being plagued by British skirmish fire and round shot.

The British Light battalions really fulfilled their role perfectly, withdrawing in the face of the French columns whilst skirmishing and then reforming behind the infantry lines behind. The only mishap occurring when Bowe's Light battalion was nearly caught by a sudden charge of French dragoons, and although near enough to its infantry supports to get clear, lost its nerve and lost several men as they threw down their arms and surrendered to the onrushing French cavalry. General Bowe's tried desperately to recover his Light Bobs, but they never got over this scare and dispersed to the rear.

The battle for Vimiero Hill in full swing with Fanes Rifle Brigade (60th Rifles, 95th Rifles) silently waiting the French advance with the skirmish battle getting very "up close and personal". The unit nearest to camera is the 1/32nd foot of General Bowe's brigade with the brigade light battalion ahead in open order.

General Margaron directs his dragoons to the left of Vimiero hill to help support General Solignac's infantry attack

The attack on Vimiero Hill was the first clash to reach a climax at about 10.15 game time the French columns met the British line as the two sides skirmishers retired to the rear. Thomas, my eldest son, home this weekend from University, was in command of the two British brigades on the hill and the two rifle battalions let rip with devastating volleys at close range. The two French battalions, 3/15me and 3/58me Ligne, reeled as they were struck each losing about 80 men each. As they staggered under this fire the riflemen charged forward and the French battalions broke back down the hill causing their supporting unit, 3/12me Ligne, to fall back in disorder.

Meanwhile the French dragoons supporting this attack charged in on the flank of the hill driving off and dispersing Bowe's Light battalion but being met by a volley from the corner of the square formed by the 32nd (Cornish) Foot losing about 30 of their number to French sabres but dishing out 60 casualties on the dragoons and forcing them to retire in disorder.

In the centre the French bring up the bulk of their guns to mass them on the Eastern Ridge, whilst the skirmish battle is in full sway.

Meanwhile the French attack was developing along the Eastern Ridge as the columns preceded by their skirmish lines trudged slowly up the slopes. They too were being subjected to British skirmish fire and round shot and tried desperately to drive off the British "Light Bobs" by shooting at their open order supports, but being in open order the British units sustained light casualties.

Behind the French infantry in this sector the French commander had decided to support his attack by massing his foot artillery. As always, attacking with artillery, especially foot artillery, proved how difficult it can be to get the guns into the action when required. Eventually an imposing gun line was set up on the spur of the Eastern ridge beside Toledo village, but a combination of the British brigade commanders keeping their lines back on the rear slope and French infantry impeding their gunners view of the action prevented this gun line having much effect.

The guns cannot advance until the French infantry have cleared the slopes of British "Light Bobs"

And so it was that British doctrine trumped French doctrine in that it was the French columns that arrived on the crest of the Eastern Ridge shocked and peppered by skirmish and artillery fire to be met by a steady imposing line of British redcoats. As an impartial observer I could almost feel the French commanders bracing themselves for the shock, having already experienced the repulse on Vimiero Hill. This time it was even worse!



The brigade of General Anstruther in two lines with the brigade light battalion forward in open order and the 2/52nd Light Infantry supporting the 2/9th nearest to camera. Further on the 97th Foot support the 2/43rd Light Infantry

As the 1/86me Ligne crested the ridge supported on their right by the 4me Suisse and on their left by the 2/86me Ligne they were met by a crashing volley from the 2/9th Foot of Anstruther's brigade killing and wounding about 180 French infantrymen in the front ranks. The 2/9th gave an immediate cheer and bore down on the hapless Frenchmen who to their credit attempted to form line. However the charge of the redcoats proved much too much and the 1/86me broke in rout down the slope.

The French commander ordered his two supporting battalions to charge at the same time. The Swiss battalion was having none of it and stood firm but would not advance without the General coming with them. The 2/86me Ligne just said "Non" and refused to charge.

General Anstruther in the centre of his brigade observes the French attack on his end of the line

The advance in the centre by the other brigade of General DeLaborde's division, General Brenier's brigade did not press its attack fully into the British line and had some success by forcing the RA battery to its front to limber and retire. The battery commander was slow in retiring his guns and the battery was caught by the 1/70me Ligne whilst pulling out, losing about 30 gunners and two guns in the process, but managing to rally in the rear under Colonel Robe's command.

By the time Brenier's brigade were getting close to being able to attack the British centre, both French flanks were in rout and retreat, with French General Officers galloping from unit to unit trying to restore order.

Royal Artillery Battery A supports the defence of Vimiero Hill (extreme right) with General Nightingale's brigade holding Vimiero

The attack on Vimiero Hill reaches its climax. The 5/60th Rifles (502), 2/95th Rifles (503) are supported by the 50th Foot (501) of General Fane's brigade

The French artillery is able to deploy as the infantry of GdB Thomiere press forward towards the British line

With turn 7, game time 11.00am the battle had turned in favour of the British and the arrival of General Kellermann's force on the road at point C did little to rekindle any French hopes of snatching anything positive from it. The British army was as steady as ever and with two brigades in reserve, and fresh, was in complete control of the situation.

As the Battle for Vimiero Hill develops General Margaron's (106) French Dragoons move out to the flank whilst General Solignac (109) observes the progress of his men

RA Battery A fire on the 3/32me Ligne (111) and the 3/82me Ligne (112) under the control of GdB Charlot (110) as they climb the Eastern Ridge above Vimiero

As the French Generals managed to halt the withdrawal of their infantry General Junot issued orders for a retreat back to Lisbon covered by the Dragoons and Reserve Grenadier Division plus their artillery. At this stage there was still an army to salvage and General Junot had decided discretion was the better part of valour.

The French break under the mass volley fire of the rifles on Vimiero Hill

General Anstruther steadies his men as the French cross the ridge line to meet a wall of Redcoats

The French attack all along the line as they feel for a weak point above Toledo village

The 1/78th Highlanders (518) calmly await the French as Lt Col Robe (510) oversees the withdrawal of Btty A RA (510) as they come under French skirmish fire.

The second wave of French dragoons sweep around Vimiero Hill as the French infantry falter in front of the Rifle Brigade and the first wave of dragoons falls back to regroup having met the 32nd Foot in square. The 32nd and 9th foot in square protect the flank of the line.

New arrivals! General Kellerman's Grenadier Division finally appears on the road at point C. Too little too late.

Colonel Taylor's Anglo Portuguese cavalry brigade (20th Light Dragoons & Portuguese Light Dragoons) supported by General Crauford's brigade (1/45th & 1/91st) hold the valley behind the Eastern ridge ready if needed.

The French attack breaks in front of Anstruther's position at Ventosa Farm, the 4th Swiss bottom left retire down the ridge

The French are stopped all along the line, with Junot and his staff desperately trying to control the morale of their men

Vimiero town never threatened by the French was securely under British control

With the attack on Anstruther stopped the French in the centre were looking stranded



One last French attack is stopped in its tracks

And so our game ended on Turn 8, 11.30 am game time, 5.30pm GMT and it was time for all concerned to assess the days events.

The game had run smoothly and once everyone had got use to the sequence of events, had moved along at a good pace allowing for four turns in the morning and afternoon with an hour's break for lunch.

The common consent was that Vimiero is very hard battle for the French to get anything from. The contempt for his enemy that Juno displayed together with a lack of adequate reconnaissance and being significantly outnumbered, forces our modern day French commanders to deal with a very unfavourable position.

The Reverse Slope Tactics modelled in Carnage and Glory and covered in a tutorial on this blog worked perfectly during the game and left our table-top commanders scratching their heads pretty much like Juno, Loison, Delaborde et al on how to overcome it. As Nigel Marsh mentioned in a comment to a previous post, "Carnage & Glory II, Peninsular War Training Mission" posted on the 28th of May this year, the French spent the Peninsular War thinking about ways of neutralising British tactics with limited success; Albuerra and Fuentes d'Onoro being battles where, by turning the British flank, they came close.

British Post Battle Summary

French Post Battle Summary



Victory Result

As mentioned at the start of the report, a simulation of events together with an entertaining day of war gaming was the objective. I think the events modelled, the casualties, and timings bear a very similar relationship to the historical event and I found myself remembering passages of books that I have read about the battle as the game events played out yesterday. As for the entertainment, well everyone said they had fun and the banter and laughs were as good as ever. So many thanks to Vince and Ian who led the French and to Steve H, Steve M and Tom who led the British for a very good day that will live long in the memory.

The game will have a second play next month with different commanders bringing their ideas to bear on the problem of beating the British in a Reverse Slope Defence. Once that game is completed I will release a revised version of the scenario.


Vimeiro Set Up and Ready To Go

Hi all, I am really looking forward to tomorrow as the Vimeiro game is set up and ready to go. This game will be the culmination of twelve months work and I will be running it again next month.

As you will know, the last few weeks have been taken up getting the Generals and terrain finished off and I can now reveal on the eve of the game everything now done.

The table hasn't changed greatly other than the ridge line markers and the River Maciera added toVimeiro  town, with my new bridge from TimeCast Scenics.

The River Maciera with the new "TimeCast" bridge on the left

The table below shows both the French and British armies set out in their brigades. This is the first time both forces have been fielded complete and helps illustrate the size of these two armies. The figure scale for the game tomorrow is about 1:30.

The little sealed bags contain my new laminated order chits that I will be trying out for the first time. Carnage & Glory, like other rule sets, requires players to declare their charges and reactions together. The writing down of these declarations is a bit of a chore and so I have produced chits that can be placed next to the affected unit and turned over at the declaration phase. Of course some of them are dummies so no one will be quite sure what the other chap is intending to do.

In addition there are range sticks, fire templates and casualty markers to note units under movement restrictions due to morale reactions and all the unit labels are attached. Job done. Now I just have to get the catering arrangements sorted out.

As always a post and battle report on tomorrows game will follow with plenty of pictures to capture the action.

Wellington against Junot, David Buttery - Book Review

Ok, so for the second book in my post birthday reading pile, I selected, well what else could it be, given the focus of this blog for the last nine months?

So what are the claims for this book, proclaimed on the back of the dust cover?

• Compelling study of the opening campaign of the Peninsular War
• Reassessment of two great Peninsular Generals
• Vivid reconstructions of the battles of Rolica and Vimeiro  
• Insight into Napoleonic warfare from eyewitness accounts
• Covers the guerrilla war against the French
• Reconsiders the impact of the campaign on the outcome of the Peninsular War

As you can see, it's quite a list, and after reading the book, I think it achieves the claims in the main.

The book consists of nine chapters, preceded by a chronology of events starting in 1750 with the birth of Sir Hew Dalrymple though to the death of the Duke of Wellington in 1852.

There are eight well laid out and clear maps that help illustrate where particular events were occurring together with the battles of Rolica and Vimeiro. In the centre of the book are the illustrations and modern day pictures of some of the main characters involved, the places and events as portrayed at the time or soon after, and specific places mentioned in the text with recent photos of how they look today.

The last chapter, covering "Touring in the Peninsula", contains some handy information about finding your way around some of the main sites in Portugal and what to particularly look out for. I found myself wishing I had had this book with me when I walked around Obidos, Rolica and Vimeiro in the early 90's.

For those of you who want to know on what references the author is relying on when marshalling his facts, there is an extensive list of references listed by chapter with a corresponding number printed in the body of each chapter. I like this and found it straight forward to flick between it and the text to see where a particularly interesting "nugget" was taken from.

Lastly there is an extensive list of primary and secondary sources listed in the "Bibliography" section, followed by a very useful index, all making the book a useful launch pad for further reading.

When I first saw the title of the book, my first reaction was Wellington wasn't involved in the first invasion of Portugal as Sir Arthur Wellesley didn't assume the ducal title until after his victory at Talavera in 1809, and I smiled when Buttery deals with that point in his preface, pointing out that the choice of title is in keeping with the plan to write a series of books on Wellington's campaigns and that he is not the only author to choose this option; Jac Weller's "Wellington in India" for example.

The layout of the book is logical and easy to follow, starting with a description of the events that lead up to 1807 and Napoleon's rise to power in Europe. The text sets up the issues that would lead to the confrontation with the Portuguese, namely enforcement of the Continental System against Britain. The pressure on the Portuguese to satisfy the demands of France, the most powerful nation on land, matched by the demands of their oldest ally Britain, the most powerful nation at sea, upon which Portuguese trade, significantly with Britain and connections with her colony Brazil relied, are covered in detail. The balancing act of being a neutral small country is described as she desperately tried to manage the expectations of both. In the end Napoleon forced the issue by demanding Portuguese authorities confiscate British traders goods and monies as part of their compliance, something that would have greatly damaged Portuguese trade and forced a war with Britain. As is now known, the struggle to placate Napoleon was in vain, as the Emperor had already decided to annexe both Portugal and Spain and plans were in motion to effect that decision.

The story then moves on to consider the leader of French forces selected to spearhead the invasion, General Jean-Andoche Junot. The career of Junot is laid out from his birth in 1771 on the feast day of St Andoche to his meeting with Napoleon at the Siege of Toulon and his subsequent rise through the ranks serving in all three arms, but finding his talents best suited in the cavalry. He was a fighting soldier, fearless in a fight, and totally loyal to his friend and Emperor. It would also be true to say that he was not the brightest of Napoleon's leaders, but his limitations may have been part of the reason for him being chosen for such an independent command, as someone very unlikely to threaten Napoleon's authority and leadership with any political ambitions of his own.

The next chapter covers the march on Lisbon and the events leading up to the occupation of the city.
This made fascinating reading as Buttery describes the harrowing march through Spain with the starving bedraggled survivors staggering into Lisbon. The reputation of the all conquering armies of France cowed the Portuguese capital into submission, even though the men that arrived before their city were in such a poor state and in desperate need of rest and supplies. For the success of this expedition Junot received the title Duc d'Abrantes, although it seems he was disappointed not to get his Marshals baton.

Even at this early stage of the war in the Peninsula the barbaric excesses of the French army when un-supplied and finding forage hard to come by are observed with even their supposed allies, the Spanish, having civilians raped and murdered along the route in their desperate attempt to gain relief from their sufferings.

With the arrival in Portugal the story moves on covering the occupation and subjugation of the wider country with the rise of Portuguese resistance. With this resistance came reprisals and the murderous excesses by both sides are covered. However given the power of French arms at this stage, the brutality of the French against the Portuguese civilians is well documented and with these excesses came the universal hostility threatening the French ability to hold what they had.

General Loison

In particular General Loison became  Junot's "enforcer" leading his punitive expeditions north and south of the capital leaving a trail of death and destruction. He became known to the Portuguese as "Maneta", or "One Hand" a reference to him having lost a hand in battle. Even today the Portuguese have a saying, "to be brought before Maneta" indicating a person in big trouble.

The resistance growing in Portugal and Spain to French occupation began to arouse a response in Britain and the political and public discussions to react to the situation are then covered. The narrative develops the reasons why the British expeditionary force ended up with three commanders, the strengths and weaknesses of the force and the success in choosing one commander who would, in time, stand out above all others as the greatest British General since the Duke of Marlborough.

The landings of the British and the co-operation with Spanish and Portuguese forces bring the book towards its climax as the French forces start to feel the pressure of trying to maintain control of a country growing in hostility to their presence, whilst having to react to the threat of an organised disciplined army arriving in their midst with overwhelming naval support. This, added to insecure supply lines through Spain, and demands from Napoleon to support the forces in Spain. No wonder Junot's reaction to the British landing seems somewhat uncoordinated with his dispatch of General Delaborde to hold up the British at Rolica whilst French forces were massed. The problem of losing control of Lisbon whilst his forces headed north to deal with the British seemed to paralyse Junot's response, and only added to his haste when he eventually chose to act and arrived before Wellesley's army at Vimiero. The brutality of French arms against the Portuguese had one final payback to make, for although the French enjoyed a cavalry superiority, the British enjoyed better intelligence due to the help they received on French numbers and movements. It was Junot who ended up attacking a superior force that he believed to be weaker in numbers.

The book concludes with events following the French defeat at Vimiero and the subsequent evacuation of French forces, together with their loot and arms back to France in British shipping. The Convention of Sintra is covered together with the response in Portugal, Britain and France. The British commanders involved, Dalrymple, Burrard and Wellesley and their actions are discussed together with the enquiry set up to investigate where the responsibility lay and what the various parties had to say about it. In France the reaction by Napoleon to Junot's exit from Portugal was more positive, given the recovery of his troops and arms from what had been a failure. The reaction by the British also helped take the pressure off Junot.

I really enjoyed this book. As the author points out in his preface, there is a distinct lack of recent books covering this early period of the Peninsular War and the problems that were to beset French forces throughout the war are in evidence even at this early stage. Namely French excesses against the civilian population, leading to reprisals and guerrilla warfare, and Napoleon's inability to grasp the issues facing his commanders in this theatre. Starting with his selecting an inadequate force to occupy and subjugate Portugal, his lack of planning to supply that force and then his demands placed on that force to support others operating in Spain. I learnt a lot about the occupation and fighting in Portugal before British involvement and the political events leading up to the invasion.

My only criticism of the text, and its a small one, is in its covering of the battles of Rolica and Vimiero. The description of events were familiar to me from other sources and I don't think there was much new to me in them. However I did feel that other texts have given more information about the forces and their movements. As a war-gamer, I want to know about how the armies set up and fought, and I kept thinking that I was glad to have read Jac Weller's version of events based mainly on Oman to give me a mental picture of how the armies set up and fought on the day. That said, the book having gone into detail about the strategic issues facing Junot at this time, did give me a much better understanding as to why his command abilities at Vimiero seemed so poor on the day.

If you are at all interested in the Peninsular War and particularly the early stages of it then this book is a great read and well worth getting a copy of.

British & French General Officers - Vimeiro

As part of finishing off the forces for Vimeiro, I've needed to put together a few extra command figures. Probably the most important one was General Junot himself. As far as I am aware there are no 18mm or 28mm models of Junot, which is surprising, as the General is often depicted in his General Officer of Hussars uniform and is very much the epitome of the Napoleonic beau sabre.

General Jean-Androche Junot

One of Napoleon's most colourful subordinates, General Jean-Androche Junot, Duc d'Abrantes was a law student at the beginning of the Revolution. He joined a volunteer battalion, was twice wounded and owed his first advancement to an incident at Toulon when, as a sergeant, his cool courage under fire while taking dictation from Napoleon impressed the young officer.

He served as Napoleon's ADC in Italy, receiving a head wound at Lonato which may have contributed to his later mental problems.

General de brigade from January 1799, he survived the Egyptian campaign but was wounded in a duel and was captured by the British as he tried to return home. On that return, he was appointed commandant of Paris and General de division in November 1801.

One version of General Junot's appearance

After serving as ambassador to Portugal and as Napoleon's aide in the 1805 campaign, as governor of Parma and Piacenza and of Paris, Junot lead the invasion of Portugal in 1807. early success was rewarded with a dukedom of Abrantes, though Junot greatly resented not being appointed as a Marshal; and it was followed by defeat at Vimiero.

The inspiration for my interpretation came from the excellent showcase of large scale models one of which shoes General Junot.
http://www.leforumlafigurine.com/t6910-vitrine-du-duc-de-abrantes

My figure is based on one of the AB French ADC's that I picked up from Ian Marsh of  Fighting 15's  at Colours a week ago. It required a head transplant from a French hussar and a few additions of Milliput, and overall I am quite pleased with the look.

I have modelled the general with an Imperial ADC and an officer from the 1st Hussars, Junot's regiment, when he joined the cavalry.

In addition, although Junot "side-lined" his divisional commanders at Vimiero, I will need four French Divisional commanders just in case our Junot stand in chooses not to, and these three gentlemen bring the French army up to strength. Again these are from AB and really look the part.

Next up was Sir Arthur Wellesley himself plus some extra Brigade commanders

The model of Wellesley and his ADC's are Warmodelling figures from Warmodelling uk. The model depicts Wellesley as he would have looked as Duke of Wellington with his ostrich feather bedecked bicorne. At Vimiero as a junior Lieutenant General, I imagine he may well have been dressed in full dress uniform, as above, after his meeting the evening before with his recently arrived boss, General Sir Harry Burrard.

I, however, plan to use this figure in future games where the "Duke" will need to be more appropriately dressed as the supreme allied commander.

One particular brigade commander I wanted to model, was Lt Colonel Taylor of the 20th Light Dragoons who effectively commanded the Allied cavalry of British and Portuguese light dragoons.
For this commander I adapted the AB Royal Horse Artillery officer.