Francisco de Paula Leite de Sousa, visconde de (Viscount of) Veiros (17471833) was Portuguese military officer. According to

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

(1903), of all the Portuguese commanders, Leite was the one whom

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

most trusted and "every British narrator of the war who came in contact with him has a word of praise in his behalf". Oman, Charles (1903)
''A History of the Peninsular War'', Vol. III, pp. 176, 188.
''Project Gutenberg''. Retrieved 17 February 2023.

Peninsular War

Evora (1808)

Following his

Invasion of Portugal (1807) An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

and wishing to reopen his communications with

Elvas Elvas () is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and about west of the Spanish fortress ...

, and to keep the way clear towards

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The population ...

, the direction in which he would have to retreat, if he had to evacuate

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, Junot sent General Loison at the head of a strong flying column—seven and a half battalions, two regiments of dragoons, and eight guns—over 7,000 men in all. Oman, Charles (1902)
''A History of the Peninsular War'', Vol. I, pp. pp. 218-8.
''Project Gutenberg''. Retrieved 17 February 2023. On reaching

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old to ...

, the capital of the

Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...

on 29 July, Loison was surprised to find General Leite ready for battle in the open. Leite had been able to organize a battalion and a half of infantry and 120 horse and had been joined by the Spanish Colonel Moretti, from Badajoz, with about the same number of foot, plus the Hussars of Maria Luisa regiment of regular cavalry and seven guns: 3,000 men in total, while a multitude of peasants and citizens manned the walls of the town. Despite Leite's defeat at Evora, Wellington's plans for the winter of 1809-10 included giving Leite the most important command of Portuguese troops; that of the strongest fortress of Portugal,

, together with the 6,000 men of its garrison (of whom half were regulars). By 1810, this force had increased to 8,000 men, comprising two regiments of regulars and five of militia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leite, Francisco 1747 births 1833 deaths Portuguese generals Portuguese military commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars