The Battle of Vila Velha or Battle of Vila Velha de Ródão took place in October 1762 when a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
-
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
force led by
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several bat ...
and
Charles Lee surprised and recaptured the town of
Vila Velha de Ródão from
Spanish
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* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
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* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
invaders during the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
as part of the
Spanish invasion of Portugal
The 1762 Spanish invasion of Portugal between 5 May and 24 November, was a military episode in the wider Fantastic War in which Spain and France were defeated by the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance with broad popular resistance. It involved at fir ...
. Burgoyne, who
took the Spanish base at Valencia de Alcántara two months earlier then marched against forces preparing to cross the River
Tagus
The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...
into
Alentejo.
Events
Background
On 3 October 1762
Count of Lippe in anticipation of a Spanish offensive across the
Zêzere River
The Zêzere () is a river in Portugal, tributary to the Tagus. It rises in the Serra da Estrela, near the '' Torre'', the highest point of continental Portugal. The Zêzere runs through the town Manteigas, runs through Belmonte, passes south of ...
against the Portuguese headquarters at
Abrantes
Abrantes () is a municipality in the central Médio Tejo subregion of Portugal. The population was 39,325, in an area of . The municipality includes several parishes divided by the Tagus River, which runs through the middle of the municipalit ...
instructed
George Townshend George Townshend may refer to:
*George Townshend (Royal Navy officer) (1715–1769), British naval commander
*George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend (1724–1807), British field marshal, his nephew
*George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend (1753â ...
to march to the
Beira Baixa country, marching along the left bank of the Zêzere river, to make a junction with
Lord George Lennox
General Lord George Henry Lennox (29 November 1737 – 25 March 1805) was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1790.
Early life
He was the second son of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and ...
's forces and to threaten the Spanish lines of communication with
Almeida and
Ciudad Rodrigo
Ciudad Rodrigo () is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population in 2016 of 12,896. It is also the seat of a judicial district.
The site of Ciudad Rodrigo, perched atop a rocky rise on the right ban ...
by advancing on
Belmonte and
Penamacor. This new march was promptly executed and Townshend's Portuguese soldiers enduring the greatest privations; but his men successfully attacked a French force escorting a convoy near
Sabugal
Sabugal () is a city and a municipality in the District of Guarda, Portugal. A border municipality with Spain, the population of the municipality in 2011 was 12,544, in an area of 822.70 km2. The city proper, located along the Côa river, has ...
, capturing a large quantity of supplies.
Surprise Attack
The same day, the Spanish force, who had taken Vila Velha on the 2nd, advanced on
Porto Cabrão, leaving behind eight artillery pieces guarded by 200 grenadiers and 100 horse. General Burgoyne, who was in charge of the defence of the south bank of the
Tagus
The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...
in this area, noticed that only a small force was guarding the Spanish battery at Vila Velha and ordered lieutenant-colonel Charles Lee to take the head of a detachment (100 Portuguese
grenadiers, 200 men of the
85th Foot and 50 men of the
16th Light Dragoons), to pass the Tagus and to attack this position. A Portuguese grenadier of the 2nd Cascais Infantry courageously crossed the Tagus with a rope to facilitate the passage of a barge, sacrificing his life in this action.
On 7 October, Lee's detachment, using surprise, launched a night attack and surprised the Spanish camp at Vila Velha. Although they were entrenched surprise helped the British and Portuguese to manage to overpower and disperse the Spanish horse and foot inflicting considerable loss. As well as 250 Spanish killed wounded or captured, 6 guns and 60 artillery mules were acquired. Lee's main target however was the artillery depot and this was mostly burned, some of it being taken. This was achieved at a cost of only 1 man killed and 10 wounded. The town was held as Portuguese and British reinforcements arrived the next day. The taking of Vila Velha effectively ended the Spanish and French invasion campaign
[Jaques p.1075]
Aftermath
By the middle of October the Franco-Spanish army decided to retreat back into Spain with Lippe and Townshend pursuing them. The Spanish were forced to leave their sick behind and by 24 October the Spanish and French army were back in Spain. There were a few skirmishes along the border as both sides went into Winter quarters but the Spanish would try once more in November at
Olivença Marvão
Marvão () is a municipality in Portalegre District in Portugal. The population in 2020 was 2,972 (and dropping at a rate of around one inhabitant per week), in an area of 154.90 km2. The present Mayor is LuÃs Vitorino, elected by the Soci ...
and
Ouguela but they were repelled. On 22 November the Spanish commander
Count of Aranda proposed a truce to Lippe and thus the campaign came to a conclusion.
See also
*
Great Britain in the Seven Years' War
Great Britain was one of the major participants in the Seven Years' War, which in fact lasted nine years, between 1754 and 1763. British involvement in the conflict began in 1754 in what became known as the French and Indian War. However th ...
References
Bibliography
* Jaques, Tony. ''Dictionary of Battles and Sieges''. Greenwood Press, 2007
* Kirby, Mike, The Portuguese Army - Seven Years' War, Seven Years' War Association Journal, Vol. XII No. 3
* Pereira Sales, Ernesto Augusto; ''O Conde de Lippe em Portugal, Vila Nova de Famalicao: Publicacoes da Comissao de Historia Militar'', 1936, pp. 55–62
* McHugh, Don, and Mike Kirby, The Portugal Campaign 1762 - France and Spain Invade, Seven Years' War Association Journal Vol. XII No.
* Howson, Gerald. Burgoyne of Saratoga, Times Press, 1979
{{coord, 39.6500, N, 7.6700, W, source:wikidata, display=title
Vila Velha de Rodao (1762)
Vila Velha de Rodao (1762)
Vila Velha de Rodao(1762)
Vila Velha
Vila Velha (; Portuguese for "Old Village") is a coastal city in EspÃrito Santo, Brazil. It lies across from Vitória, the state capital. Its population was 501,325 (2020) and its area is 210.23 km².
Location
Vila Velha forms part of t ...
Vila Velha
Vila Velha (; Portuguese for "Old Village") is a coastal city in EspÃrito Santo, Brazil. It lies across from Vitória, the state capital. Its population was 501,325 (2020) and its area is 210.23 km².
Location
Vila Velha forms part of t ...
1762 in Portugal