Wellington returned to Britain in anger.Dalrymple agreed a deal, the Convention of Sintra which allowed the French troops to be evacuated in British ships as well as to keep their loot.Wellington found himself superseded by the new commander-in-chief Sir Hew Dalrymple And his number two, Sir Harry Burrard.After defeating the French led by Marshal Junot at Vimeiro on the 21st August.Wellington arrived in Portugal in July 1808, his small force was strengthened by 5,000 Portuguese and extra British troops commanded by Sir John Moore.Portugal and Spain, where Napoleon had provoked a patriotic uprising and a guerrilla campaign, Britain had the opportunity to take military action against France on land.In 1807, the French army moved into Portugal to prevent the British Navy using the Portuguese ports. However, he angered the Spanish patriots by replacing Spain’s king with his brother Joseph.Napoleon then went to the Iberian Peninsula as Spain was his ally.Nelson’s victory prevented any chance of Napoleon invading Britain through the sea.He quickly defeated Austria, Prussia and Russia, and considered invading Britain as his last major foe.Napoleon began a new campaign in Europe in 1805, after a brief period of peace.He believed in his soldiers which made the army better as they could trust him and his decision making.He remarked that: “Our soldiers are the very scum of the earth and it really is wonderful that we should have made them the fine fellows they are.”.He always made sure that his soldiers were well fed and equipped.Had a keen eye for slackness among officers or men, also believed that his army must be supplied from Britain using the navy and not to alienate the local population by living off of their land.He picked battle locations that gave him some advantage.As commander of the allied forces in the Peninsular war in Spain and Portugal, Wellington was known for attention to detail.How far were the success of the British army in the French wars due to the role of
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