Wellington’s tactics in the Peninsular War showcased his skill in defensive warfare, making his campaigns highly significant.
Evidence:
Reverse slope tactic → infantry hidden from artillery fire, French forced to attack uphill (Talavera, Salamanca).
Effective use of bayonets to break French assaults.
Battle of Salamanca (1812) → used hills to conceal movement, launched surprise attack, left French scattered with heavy losses.
Fuentes de Oñoro (1811) → square withdrawal saved the army when the 7th Division was exposed.
Analysis: These methods allowed Wellington to win against larger forces, demonstrating tactical flexibility and keeping French armies tied down in Spain/Portugal.
Wellington’s organisation of supplies and discipline was central to sustaining the Peninsular campaigns, making them his most important contribution.
Secure supply lines from Lisbon with Royal Navy support.
Fortifications at Torres Vedras (1809–10) → ensured British could be supplied by sea, French unable to break through without siege equipment.
Strict discipline on officers and soldiers → cracked down on slackness, prevented alienation of Portuguese/Spanish civilians.
Analysis: His ability to maintain an effective, disciplined army with reliable supplies gave Britain a permanent land foothold in the peninsula, tying down hundreds of thousands of French
Wellington’s leadership at Waterloo was more decisive than his Peninsular campaigns because it ended Napoleon’s threat permanently.
Battlefield: about four miles across, with natural cover (hedges, hummocks) and three key strongpoints (Hougoumont château, La Haye Sainte farmhouse, Papelotte farm) where Wellington carefully placed troops.
Coordinated with the Prussians → deployed his army in a way that bought time for their arrival, ensuring a combined victory.
Created and trained a new army (different from his Peninsular force), showing adaptability and leadership under pressure.
The defeat at Waterloo was final → Napoleon exiled, French military threat ended.
Analysis: While the Peninsular campaigns tied down French forces, they did not defeat Napoleon outright. Waterloo, by contrast, was a decisive battle that permanently removed him from power, making it Wellington’s most significant contribution.
Where were one of the key points that Wellington employed his troops
Hougoumont Farmhouse. Where 2600 troops resisted 12,000 troops. slowed down the French attacks and also reduced morale of French as there large troops were not enough. Contributed to the final end
What was the supply used at Lisborn
Torres Vedras (1809-10)
Why was square withdrawal used by the British.
7th division was isolated and needed to withdraw so they used square withdrawal which allowed the english to fight another day and continue to spain and Portugal
What criteria are we using
- Did the campaign have a large impact on the French threat on land?
- Did his campaign directly lead to a reduction of the French threat?
- Was it strategically significant?
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random7
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English test1
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English11
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cycle test3
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How far do you agree that Lord Raglan was primarily responsible for the problems the British army experienced in the Crimean War?7
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‘The photography of Roger Fenton and the reportage of William Russell were primarily responsible for changing the attitudes of the public in Britain to the conduct of the Crimean War.’7
