ABSTRACT
When Wellington (then Sir Arthur Wellesley) disembarked his expedition in Portugal in August 1808, the British had undertaken little serious campaigning in the Iberian Peninsula for 100 years. The most recent attempted landings to attack Ferrol and Cadiz in 1800 had been dismal failures, which reflected the basic problem of British expeditionary warfare-total dependence on the navy’s ability to land, provide support, and, when necessary, evacuate the troops and their equipment. British sea power enabled the government to get reinforcements to the critical spot by sea far faster than the French could by land. Wellesley’s 10,700-strong expedition preparing at Cork for South America was diverted to the Peninsula, followed immediately by 5,000 men from Ramsgate and Harwich, 5,000 from Gibraltar, and shortly 11,000 newly returned from the Baltic. Wellesley’s force sailed on 13 July 1808 under naval escort, and began landing on 1 August. Within five weeks, nearly 33,000 men landed in Portugal.1
