Anglo-Portuguese victory[1] 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.

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.

Eight independent infantry brigades under Rowland Hill, Ronald Craufurd Ferguson, Miles Nightingall, Barnard Foord Bowes, Catlin Craufurd, Henry Fane, Robert Anstruther and Wroth Acland formed the core of Wellesley's forces.

Rounding out his force were 17 cannons, 240 light cavalry led by C. D. Taylor and about 2,000 Portuguese troops under Nicholas Trant, giving a total of 20,000 men.

Henri François Delaborde's infantry division contained two brigades under Antoine François Brenier and Jean Guillaume Barthélemy Thomières, while Louis Henri Loison's division included two brigades commanded by Jean-Baptiste Solignac and Hugues Charlot.

In addition, François Étienne de Kellermann commanded a 2,100-man reserve made up of four converged grenadier battalions.

Wellesley detected Brenier's move and switched Nightingall, Ferguson and Bowes to the northeastern ridge.

Once Junot realised that British troops occupied the ridge, he sent Solignac's brigade to the right to assist Brenier's attack.

The French commander decided to launch his attack on the town immediately, instead of waiting for his flanking move to develop.

On the other hand, French commanders often pressed home attacks while in column, depending entirely upon their skirmishers and artillery to provide the necessary fire support.

Unable to effectively reply to the devastating British volley fire, Charlot's men soon ran away.

[6][7] As Brenier's men had been delayed by taking a longer road to circumvent the narrow ravines, Solignac attacked the northeast ridge.

Under the terms of the Convention of Sintra, the defeated army was transported back to France by the British navy, complete with its loot, guns and equipment.

An official enquiry exonerated all three men but both the military establishment and public opinion blamed Dalrymple and Burrard.