Our Napoleonic Tour will begin in Spain on August 11th, but on the 17th we drive west into Portugal, following the line of advance of Massena's Army in late 1810 and early 1811, into the midst of the struggle between the English and French.

August 17th. Day 7 Santarem/Rolica/Vimeiro/Lisboa/Queluz Battles of Vimeiro and Rolica 94km.

• Vimiero 21 Aug 1808: Monuments (Vimiero Hill) and unaltered landscape make this a great place to conduct a staff ride.
• Rolica 17 Aug 1808: 3 miles south of Lisboa, Wellington's first battlefield in Portugal remains much as it was in 1808. Nearby Serranos provides high ground to view the battlefield from the French side. We'll be in the area on the anniversary of these actions. Cool.

In Lisboa, in the afternoon we will visit the Portugese Army Museum...

It is worth 1-2 hours visit. It has lots of weapons, uniforms, etc. A room just for the Napoleonic wars, to include a room-size terrain table identifying the Torres Verdes and other battlefields. It also provides information on the reconstructed fortifications outside of town that can be viewed.

Military Museum

Largodo Museu do Artilharia, Santa Apolónia, Open 10am-5pm Tue-Sun.

The National Military Museum sits in front of the Santa Apolónia Station. A former seventeenth-century weapons factory provides a suitable setting for this museum, founded in 1851. Tiles and paintings on walls and ceilings depict real or imagined battles. The tour begins upstairs, with the first two rooms on the right of the main staircase devoted to the Napoleonic invasions, before a display on World War I. Note the traditional ridged helmet used by the Portuguese until they realized it wouldn't stop bullets and switched to the smooth British model.

A series of rooms with elaborately carved and gilded decoration leads on to a comprehensive display of Portuguese arms from prehistory to the twentieth century, including some elaborate hunting weapons inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Downstairs is a vast selection of cannons and a mind-boggling variety of weaponry captured from Portugal's adversaries during the colonial wars of the 1960s and 1970s, including ones manufactured in Russia, the USA and Spain. Exhibits have Portuguese text only, but there is a three-page English leaflet.

The Naval Museum

Covers Portugal's extensive history and includes full-size and model examples. Little on the Napoleonic period though, still worth an hour or two.

And the summer palace of Queluz...

Outside Lisboa and quite remarkable to visit. Along the coast line are hundreds of old fortifications, some are ruins, some have been restored and we will stay in a B & B near the sea.

August 18th

Day 8 Torres Vedras/Setubal/Evora/Elvas/Badajoz

We discover the second approach to Spain from Portugal used by the English army, the line Lisboa-Badajoz-Madrid. We see the Citadel of Elvas and rest in three-times-besieged Badajoz. 225km

Obidos. An old preserved, beautiful Moorish walled town outside of Lisboa and is on the way to the Torres Verdes. It is well worth an hour or so. From the southern ramparts you can see Rolica. Wellington spent the night before the battle in Obidos and looked out at the French positions from there.

Torres Vedras. The fabulous defences of Torres Vedras which never could be attacked by any French Marshal. Some reconstructed redoubts open to the public.

Buçaco. A majestic forest, where stands the royal palace of Buçaco built in the 19th century and currently a hotel. Memorials of the victory won over the Napoleonic army are the Obelisk and the Military Museum.

Reference sources

A great reference book for the tour! Wellington's Peninsular War by Julian Paget. Leo Cooper, London 1990. Brief description of the battle, discussion of forces involved, strengths, movements, tactics, importance of action, detailed directions on modern day route of travel and highlights on what to see, photos, etc. Available through Hamilton's Booksellers (?)

Firepower by Maj-Gen B.P.Hughes, C.Scribners Sons NY 1974 covers Albuera, Bussaro and Talavera in great detail. Discussing the use of tactics and weaponry. About 30 pages worth.

In the Legions of Napoleon by Heinrich von Brandt Greenhill books London 1999. Memoir of a Polish officer under French colors. Devotes a large chapter to the Peninsular Campaign.

Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwall. Although fictional, close historical attention gives a flavor of how it was to fight during this time. Sharpe is a Green Jacket (95th Rifles) who came up through the ranks and is used as an Exploring Officer (Intelligence) by Wellington. There are 12 books in the series, all but one take place in the Peninsula.