The Battle of Oporto - the Peninsular War saga

Following the disaster of the Corunna campaign, we again turn our attention to Portugal for the next phase of our Peninsular War saga. We talk about Napoleon's unrealistic ambitions for the second French invasion of Portugal, Britain's uncertainty about committing more troops to the defence of Spain and Portugal, and the challenges that both French Marshal Soult, and British General Arthur Wellesley faced in trying to execute a successful campaign.

We also discuss the geography of the city, how Wellesley picked his audacious crossing point, and the way in which the macro and micro came into play with the planning of this campaign.

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