Anglo-Portuguese Army
Encyclopedia
The Anglo-Portuguese Army was the combined British
and Portuguese
army
that won the Peninsular War
, under the command of Arthur Wellesley
. The Army is also referred to as the British-Portuguese Army and, in Portuguese
, as the Exército Anglo-Luso or the Exército Anglo-Português.
The Anglo-Portuguese Army was established with the British Army deployed to the Iberian Peninsula
under the command of General Arthur Wellesley, and the Portuguese Army
rebuilt under the leadership of British General William Beresford
and the Portuguese War Secretary Miguel Pereira Forjaz
.
Besides already becoming Commander-in-Chief
of the British Army, on 22 April 1809, Wellesley was appointed, by the Portuguese Government, to Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese Army. He them came to have the two armies under his command, transforming them into a single integrated army.
The Army was organised into divisions
, most of them including mixed British-Portuguese units. Usually, each one had two British and one Portuguese brigade
s. In the elite Light Division, the brigades themselves were mixed, each including two British light infantry
and one Portuguese Caçadores
battalion
s.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
and Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
that won the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, under the command of Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
. The Army is also referred to as the British-Portuguese Army and, in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, as the Exército Anglo-Luso or the Exército Anglo-Português.
The Anglo-Portuguese Army was established with the British Army deployed to the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
under the command of General Arthur Wellesley, and the Portuguese Army
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
rebuilt under the leadership of British General William Beresford
William Beresford
William Beresford was a British Conservative politician.-Background:He was the only son of Marcus Beresford and his wife Frances Arabella, daughter of Joseph Leeson, 1st Earl of Milltown. Beresford was educated at St Mary Hall, Oxford, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1819 and a...
and the Portuguese War Secretary Miguel Pereira Forjaz
Miguel Pereira Forjaz
Dom Miguel Pereira Forjaz , 9th Count of Feira, was a Portuguese general in the Peninsular War.-Life:He entered the army in 1785, as a cadet in the Regiment of Peniche, in which he met many members of his family...
.
Besides already becoming Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the British Army, on 22 April 1809, Wellesley was appointed, by the Portuguese Government, to Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese Army. He them came to have the two armies under his command, transforming them into a single integrated army.
The Army was organised into divisions
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
, most of them including mixed British-Portuguese units. Usually, each one had two British and one Portuguese brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s. In the elite Light Division, the brigades themselves were mixed, each including two British light infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
and one Portuguese Caçadores
Caçadores
The Caçadores were the elite light infantry of the Portuguese Army during the Peninsular War...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s.
Order of battle
- Commander-in-Chief: Field Marshal WellesleyArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
- 1st Division - Lieutenant-General HopeJohn Hope, 4th Earl of HopetounLieutenant General John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun PC KB , known as the Honourable John Hope from 1781 to 1814 and as the Lord Niddry from 1809 to 1816, was a Scottish soldier and politician.-Military career:...
- 2nd Division - Major-General HillRowland Hill, 1st Viscount HillGeneral Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill of Almaraz GCB, GCH served in the Napoleonic Wars as a trusted brigade, division and corps commander under the command of the Duke of Wellington. He became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in 1829.-Early career:Educated at a school in Chester, Hill was...
(to 1811) and Major-General Stewart (from 1811) - 3rd Division - Lieutenant-General PictonThomas PictonLieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB was a Welsh British Army officer who fought in a number of campaigns for Britain, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
- 4th Division4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :...
- Major-General Charles ColvilleCharles ColvilleSir Charles Colville was a British military leader who fought in the Peninsular War and in action near the Battle of Waterloo, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. He was the son of John Colville, 8th Lord Colville of CulrossAmong other battles, Colville led the 2nd Brigade in Picton's 3rd...
(to April 1812) and Major-General ColeLowry ColeSir Galbraith Lowry Cole, GCB , styled The Honourable from birth, was an Irish British Army general and politician.-Army Service:...
(from June 1812) - 5th Division - Major-General Leith
- 6th Division - Lieutenant-General ClintonHenry Clinton (Napoleonic Wars)Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton, GCB, GCH was a British Army officer and a general officer during the Napoleonic Wars.He came from a family of soldiers...
- 7th Division - Major-General HopeJohn Hope, 4th Earl of HopetounLieutenant General John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun PC KB , known as the Honourable John Hope from 1781 to 1814 and as the Lord Niddry from 1809 to 1816, was a Scottish soldier and politician.-Military career:...
- Portuguese DivisionPortuguese ArmyThe Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
- Major-General LecorCarlos Frederico Lecor, Viscount of LagunaCarlos Frederico Lecor was a Portuguese general and politician. He was the first Baron of Laguna, in Portugal, and later ascended to Viscount of Laguna, in Brazil.... - Light DivisionLight DivisionThe Light Division was a light infantry Division of the British Army formed in the early 19th Century. It can trace its origins to the Light Companies which had been formed to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect the main forces by skirmishing tactics...
- Major-General CraufurdRobert CraufurdMajor-General Robert Craufurd was a Scottish soldier and Member of Parliament . After a military career which took him from India to the Netherlands, he was given command of the Light Division in the Napoleonic Peninsular War under the Duke of Wellington... - Army Cavalry
- Portuguese independent brigades
- Portuguese militias
- Portuguese ordenanças