What Were The Lines of Torres Vedras? | With Historian Mike Loades
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2022
- 'What Were The Lines of Torres Vedras? | With Historian Mike Loades'
You can watch the full episode on History Hit TV: historyhit1.vhx.tv/videos/lin...
In this video, military historian Mike Loades investigates one of the most impressive and successful creations of the Napoleonic Wars: The Lines of Torres Vedras.
Mike explores the spectacular lines of forts that ran from coast to coast across the neck of the Lisbon Peninsular, defending the Portuguese capital from a land attack by the French. They were constructed under the orders of Sir Arthur Wellesley, Viscount (later Duke of) Wellington, in anticipation of a third invasion of Portugal by Napoleon's forces. The British army under Wellington was there to stand with its old ally.
Working with historians and Portuguese re-enactors, Mike discovers how the Lines were designed and built - and also the ingenious communications system that was set up to enable the forts and troops to stay in touch under attack. He gets on horseback to find out how Wellington commanded his troops and the building of the Lines whilst preparations were made to withstand the invasion.
In a vast enterprise involving thousands of Portuguese civilians, 126 forts were built between October 1809 and October 1810. They made use of the natural landscape, fortifying the summits of two chains of hills. From these strongholds they could defend the roads that ran through the passes with artillery.
Mike also discovers how defeating the French entailed great suffering by the Portuguese people - Wellington ordered a scorched earth policy north of the Lines and the forced evacuation of the entire civilian population. The aim was to make it impossible for a French army to live off the land and to starve them out of Portugal.
When a large French army, under the command of Marshal Massena, arrived at the Lines in October 1810, Wellington's plan was put to the test...
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Mike Loades is BACK! Do you agree with him that this was one of the greatest military engineering projects ever undertaken? 🤔
Absolutely. I hope Mike Loads makes a documentary about military sabers and percussion revolvers some day. My current points of interrest. I loved his films about swords, lances and longbows when I was into that back then.
I agreed with Richard Holmes when he said it in the 1980s does that count.
Mike Loades is great.. I've seen a couple of TV series with him in about ancient weapons. IIRC Weapon Masters was one of them comparing an original with a modern weapon designed to do the same.
As the Maginot Line was greater,no,but I still prefer him to many others.
Yes, scale, speed of construction, modernity, strategic significance.
In the American Civil War fortified positions were compared to Torres Vedras. This line of fortification was well-studied at West Point.
It strikes me how modern the Lines are. No trenches or stuff, but a series of mutually supporting strongpoints (garrisoned by Portuguese militia troops) with mobile forces behind in the shape of Wellington's field army.
In Baazil we have similar fortifications from this time, most of them near Argentina
And designed for low skilled militia to defend preserving the professional armies of the uk and Portugal FYI I'm not militia is weak it's just they don't get the training or equipment or leadership from the people who really run the army the nco's ie officers point to a point on the map say that's where we are going in a effective army at this point the nco's thanked the map as officers will get lost in their own tent
@@joaofabio5927 They were constructed by the portuguese
@@bluetooth2000 lmao brasil was constructed by the portuguese to be fair
This channel is as important as any museum, well done sir. Its important to bring Portugal history into the light and into a world that lives in ignorant bliss of this small European giant.
I saw this on the history channel last week - oh wait, no I didn’t! They had some soap opera about viking pawn shops specializing in alien spacecraft located beneath a supernatural ranch.
*** I’d never heard of these defensive hills…until History Hit! Thank you. 👍 Keep it up, HH! 👌
I really do miss the days when the history channel at least taught us about history
It's easier to make up a fantasy history than the truth. And there won't be woke snowflakes complaining about being oppressed by someone else.
😄😄😄
They should change their name to The Crap Channel. coz all they show is… well, crap.
As a native from Torres Vedras: Thank you!
And long live the Anglo-Portuguese alliance!
Lisbon my favourite city in all of Europe.
Hello 👋
How are you doing..?
Did you visit every city in Europe? That's quite a big statement. I like more Porto and Coimbra in Portugal than Lisbon.
@@HeavenlyWarrior PORTO 🇵🇹🇵🇹
@@HeavenlyWarrior what's the problem? Jealousy?
@@SergioEstreitinho What problem? Why would I be jealous? lol
I just find strange someone saying that Lisbon is their favorite city in Europe.
Portugal doesn't have any modern city, it's probably the only country in Europe that only have old cities and do nothing to modernize. Sou português, a propósito.
From a Portuguese and history lover, that was brilliantly done Mr. Loades 👍🏻
HERE..!!!! HERE..!!!!!!!
Portugal was the nation that helped the British against the european embargo, by giving special treatment over the portuguese ports worldwide.
I'd like to appreciate the fact that you tried to speak all the names in our language
Greetings to Britains oldest Allies. The Portuguese troops formed a very solid and reliable portion of Wellingtons army. First class troops. They held steady just like their British comrades under fire. I am a keen student of the Peninsula War.
Wellington was the _de facto_ commander of the reformed Portuguese army. When we say British army we sometimes forget the Portuguese marched in Paris too.
@@lordcommandernox9197 Agree to a degree as Wellington was C-in-C of the combined Anglo-Portuguese Army, however, the C-in-C of the Portuguese Army itself was General William Beresford.
@@douglasherron7534 Lovely fellow that Beresford
Fake allies you are
England’s ally! Not Britain’s. Scotland had a proper ally; France. France was a true friend to Scotland for hundreds of years. And who knows? Perhaps it will be again! 🏴 🇫🇷 ❤️
The secret of the lines was kept so well, that Marshal Masséna was surprised to see it when he first arrived to the area.
Masséna has been reported to berate his staff for failing to brief him properly. When they complained that
Wellington had only recently built the lines he responded “Diable! Wellington didn’t build the mountains”
Has to be said that the scorched earth policy also played a major role in the defeat of the french army
Amazing doc, loved the attention to little details.
There's a hotel at the beach near Vimeiro, where a picture of Wellington stands proudly at the main hall. Not far away, a statue dedicated to a local partizan shot by the French proudly reminds his final words: _Se todos fossem como eu, não sobrava um francês vivo!_ (If everybody were like me, there wasn't a French left alive!).
Imagine you would say something like that out loud today, no matter what nation :D
Saudações de Oeiras.
I remember, many years ago, when Mike was just a historical re-enactor and stunt fight co-ordinator. Still as enthusiastic now as he was then, as he is now as a historian.
Hello 👋
How are you doing..?
Wellington had a deep love and respect for Portugal history. He protected the love history of Pedro and Ines, with such a passion, that he even spent his own money recovering their garden fountain. Only a great man is capable of protecting love, in the middle of war and destruction.
Fun fact Portugal has some of the best terrain maps in the world, they are made down to the detail.
not true.
@@riskinhos why?
🇵🇹 As a Portuguese born in Torres Vedras I loved the way this video illustrates this part of our story. Nowadays many Portuguese devalue the lines of Torres Vedras calling them piles of dirt and they don't understand how revolutionary this strategy was at the time. Thanks for sharing this with the world. For those who love a good experience be aware that every year we have a reenactment of how the forts were built!
That's because the Peninsula Wars are not present in Portuguese consciousness and are very poorly taught in school. Absolutely no one cares about this crucial era. This despite the fact that Portugal, previous to those invasions, was heading towards a very positive future after Marquês de Pombal had reorganized the nation after the Earthquake of Lisbon that destroyed much of the country's most important infrastructures. In fact, i will state that much of our present lagging STILL TO THIS DAY can be traced to the French Invasions.
The destruction and human effort needed to recover from them were a final blow to our efforts to keep the route trades and our colonies under control. Those very same British that were "helping" (mostly themselves as they were already fighting the French) us also had acts of piracy and attacks on our trading ports. The Dutch pirated could not be stopped. We did not have money nor man power to fight them off anymore.
This ended very poorly as the instability turned our crown weak and unable to react. The British declared war to Portugal (what nice allies we got there, almost as bad as our enemies from Spain and France) because of the lands between Angola and Mozambique. The King D. Carlos had to bow down to the British to avoid fighting a war we would never win. This caused massive internal issues in Portugal that ultimately ended with the King's assassination and the end of Monarchy.
What came after that were decades of political wars and Coups that sank Portugal into the ground, stopped our development while the entire west was full on into industrial revolution and took most of our people back to a near Medieval Feudal Age during the 19th century.
As we all know, this chaos was only stopped when the dictator Salazar was begged to take charge. For a while it seemed that he would create the miracle needed. Kept away the families that had destroyed the country, planned the modernization of the state, reorganized the trade with the colonies we still had, started the industrialization of the country, built infrastructure, focused on the alphabetization of the people and even managed to keep neutrality in WW2 as he was determined to keep Portugal out of the military conflicts that had nothing to do with us (like WW1 where thousands died for nothing).
Sadly, profound social changed occurred and he wasn't a man of his time anymore. Animosity towards him grew and his desire to keep the colonies as they were seen, CORRECTLY, as the only hope Portugal had to remain independent of external powers, soiled his legacy.
The Entry in the EU was now mandatory as we had no means of subsistence in the modern world. We became a society of beggars who sold away production rights and abandoned our own control over the economy. The EU hides our issues with "free" money while thousands of us leave the country every year only to be switched by immigrants that ultimately will destroy our culture and ways of life.
Arthur Wellesley “Wellington” was also made a Duke in Portugal, the Duke of Victoria.
The biggest fort of the Lines in it's namesake city is technically still property of the Wellington's. Sir Wellington was given the title of Marquis of Torres Vedras, and Count of Vimeiro, (as well as the Duke of Victoria and Baron of the Douro titles) which are still held by his descendant Sir Arthur C. Wellington.
We just bought a house in Torres Vedras!!! Love the history, love Portugal!!
Oh wonderful documentary. Thank you very much. And Mr. Loades' Portuguese speaking is spot on! Bravo!! Not easy for English speakers.
Mike Loades is the GOAT when it comes to enthusiastic military history 🐐
Though James Holland comes a close second! (Please don’t come at me with a Cromwell James!)
Sorry, I'd watch Loades explaining the contents of his grocery basket:
"This brand of biscuits is so....much.....better than all others."
But seriously, every kid deserves a history teacher like Mike Loades. Thank you for getting more of his presentation out for public consumption.
Rations, my friends.
"Hey Alphonso, I'm getting together with my Napoleonic reenactment troupe. We're going to dig ditches, sift dirt, and haul sacks. Do you want to join?"
"You had me at ditches."
Average Foxhole player
*Afonso
God Bless the Portuguese locals for working so hard to defend there capital city, they made a lot of sacrifices after Spain supported Napoleon in the invasion because of the 'Continental System'. A economic blockade of Great Britain, the peasants and the locals were fleeing towards Lisbon because the French Army relied on taking supplies from locals and sometimes they weren't pleasant about it, Lisbons population swelled during this time because local Portuguese couldn't defend there towns or villages against the French Army, so had to flee towards Lisbon for protection.
You're being somewhat unfair on Spain in claiming she supported Napoleon's invasion. The King of Spain was a virtual prisoner of the French in 1808, and French troops had also marched into strategic points in Spain, which they seized by trickery, at the same time as Junot's army entered Portugal.
Moving forwards in time, as part of Wellington's strategy, the peasant population of the area of Portugal through which the French would have to invade to reach Lisbon from the North was evacuated, along with anything the French might use for food (living off the land was the French norm). This 'scorching' of the land meant the French were starving right from the moment they sat down before the Lines. It's amazing Massena held on for as long as he did; certainly much longer than Wellington believed he would be able to sustain himself.
@@ShanghaiRooster Spain actually initially suported France's initial invasion of Portugal to get some territory it was only after that that France captured the Spanish king.
@@masterplokoon8803 It's true that the Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1807 between Napoleon's Marshal of the Palace, Géraud Duroc, and Eugenio Izquierdo, acting as agent for Manuel Godoy, proposed to carve Portugal into three - the south would fall to Godoy, the central part would be administered by France and the north to the child King Louis II of Etruria (whose mother was daughter to King Charles IV). In the same year, Napoleon abolished the Kingdom of Etruria (one of many puppet states set up by the French in Italy), forcing Louis and his mother to seek refuge in Spain. In 1808, they were forced to flee from Spain. Maria Luisa was arrested in a convent in Rome and the child was placed in the care of his grandparents until the fall of Napoleon.
The true aim of Bonaparte was to destroy Portugal in order to impose the Continental System across Europe, and he knew exactly how to push Godoy's buttons in order to gain his agreement for a French army to cross Spain to get to Portugal by offering him the south of the country. Godoy was a court favourite of the feeble Charles IV, but was widely detested across Spain by people who could see him for what he was. It's really not on to suggest Spain initially supported the French when in reality it was one cowardly and venal man out for himself. A few years previously, after Trafalgar, Godoy had attempted to distance Spain from France, but did a swift about-face after the French victories over Prussia in 1806. It speaks much for Napoleon's contempt for the Spanish Court that he offered the Principality of the Algarves, not to Spain, but to the court favourite as a personal fiefdom.
@@ShanghaiRooster Spain also colaborated with France to take Olivença from Portugal in 1801. They backstabbed Portugal before.
@@masterplokoon8803 Yes indeed. And just as with the later invasion of 1808, the 'cause' was France's determination to exclude Britain from the continent. The town should have been returned after the wars ended, but neither Spain nor Portugal was ready to hand back territories gained at the other's expense (the Misiones Orientales, now in Brazil, having been handed over to Portugal in exchange for Olivença in 1801).
I love that line in the 1970's classic Waterloo " he fights sitting on his arse , we will have to move him off it" The Iron Duke was a master of defence even in pitched battle he turned to his spade
@Robert Strong I believe Rommel also complained about Monty once in a similar fashion, something a long the lines of "The swine is not attacking"!
The only time Wellington actually went out and attacked anyone himself was the disastrous and pointless Battle of Toulouse in 1814. Even the Siege of Badajoz was also awash with trenches and strongpoints
@@SantomPh He attacked at Salamanca and Vitoria
As a Portuguese living in Britain for 20 years , I'm really Proud of Both of my countries!!!!❤️
His Portuguese is surprisingly good. He must own a vila in the Algarve.
Once again, it takes a foreigner to explain Portuguese history to the world, like it took an American to introduce the world to the giant waves at Nazaré. The Portuguese have a thing about keeping secrets. Tell no one nothing about anything. In the land at the end of the world, secrets hide in plain site.
Because we want to preserve our space. Or do you think we like our guests to leave trash troughout the place?
We do have fabulous sites as well as sights.
Ya! And british tourist only lives to swallow tons of beer and spread garbage all over the place. By the way: learn to speak portuguese... this is a matter of education and civism....
@@ZecaPinto1
Yes, very right...
Verdade! And yet, the best kept secret of Portugal is the Portuguese themselves! Always willing to help and share the little they have!
Great military strategist and commander, the Duke of Wellington. One of the greatest of all times. I've been to St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where his tomb stands. Thanks Mike for this fantastic video.
first heard about the lines in the sharpe series
Mike Loades is FANTASTIC.
Amazing show! Portugal was a very reliable ally in the Peninsula, and remained so because of british (and the other allies) stubbornness and the extremely bold decision of Regent Dom João VI to transfer the capital of the Portuguese Empire to Brazil - something unheard of, if i'm not mistaken - saving the nation from complete colapse and napoleonic puppetry as happened elsewhere in Europe.
Thank you so much for doing this, I'm Portuguese and love the Napoleonic wars yet I've never seen portuguese people talking about this, not even in all my years of school, really interesting video
Estás em que ano? Como assim nunca aprendeste isto na escola?
@@imjennasidel6703 já acabei a escola, nunca se falou sobre as fortificações de torres Vedras
@@imjennasidel6703 devo mencionar que fui aluno de 18 a história portanto não há o argumento de não ter prestado atenção
@@darthnox7958 nasceste em que ano? Não falaste das invasões francesas e nas linhas de Torres?
@@imjennasidel6703 obviamente que falei nas invasões francesas, mas não houve tempo de se falar especificamente nas torres Vedras, estás a agir como se isto fosse um escândalo, nem todos tem os mesmo professores, nem todos tem as mesmas circunstâncias, as vezes têm de e passar certas matérias mais rápido, outros professores preferem aprofundar outra partes, o programa está sempre a mudar, é normal
He certainly is enthusiastic, isn't he? Excellent video!
There’s a village near the 1st line called Matacães wich translates to “kill dogs” and it is said that the name comes from the Portuguese soldiers pursuing Massenas retreating army yealling “matem esses cães” wich means “kill those dogs” kinda funny
@@diogorodrigues4151 ah true don’t know why I always thought it was during the French invasions it kinda fits anyway ahahah
Não sabia dessa história mas se for veridica até que é engraçada 😂
Wanna see the full episode! It's so rare to see my country in these documentaries...
What I am always in awe of is the the fact that this was entirely done by men without the capacity to move earth with machines such as we do today. I mean today we would consider it a feat even with our tech and machinery.
To add to it, it was entirely unknown to the French and their spies.
What a phenomenal achievement
👏👏👏Brilliant show.
Very well explained.
It's always good to see the oldest alliance between Portugal and England working.
I wish I would have had Mike as a history teacher at school, rather than a load of temps ,always interested but his enthusiasm is infectious.
This was gold. Keep up the good work. Thank you!
Having Sir Mike speaking about my country, trully brings tears to my eyes.
Brilliant work now! Brilliant work back then defending my hometown Lisboa!
This was so cool to see! I relived my history classes!
Such an interesting watch! Proud of my ancestors!
Do not forget the 15 days battle at the Amarante bridge, 1809. Essential at the time. A Pyrrhic victory for the french, for they had to retrieve to Porto, then to Galiza, and then to Paris, after actually wining the battle.
wonderful explaining & introducing
Love your work 👍
Amazing video. Thanks.
Most excellent!
Thank You.
I need to find a platform to watch the full channel
Mike, how much do I love your historical video essays...and your books. To the moon and back!
Hello 👋
How are you doing..?
Excellent description.
Somehow, there are far much more Englishman interested and knowledgeable about the Peninsular War than Portuguese. I find this both commendable and deplorable. The Portuguese people nowadays knows next to nothing about the three Napoleonic invasions, let alone about Lord Wellington to whom we Portuguese owe so much.
There is a statue of the British Chief Engineer Richard Fletcher describing his role in the construction of the Lines, erected nearby. I'm unable to remember the actual place - must be near Sobral de Monte Agraço - but saw it in the fine Osprey book about the Lines of Torres Vedras, worth buying. As you may know, the Lines were never overrun nor even attacked in earnest. Massena eventually gave up and withdrew, being then pursued and harassed all the way back by the Anglo Portuguese Army. After the disaster of the Almeida Fortress, this was a most welcome victory.
We owe nothing to subversives who want to destroy us, and betrayed us numerous times, building masonic lodges in our land while under the pretense of "helping".
Judea Delenda Est
I believe that is because the Napoleonic Wars were a bitter-sour moment in our history. In one side, we came out victorious along our allies against what was, at the time, the number one military power in the world. But it cost us dearly. Our Empire was basically over at that moment (although we dragged on through the 20th century). The devastation it caused and the social repercussions of it relegated Portugal to a secondary position in the world and there was no way back.
So, the Napoleonic Wars don't get enough attention. Even because the Republic, that came after, kinda considered we had perhaps joined the wrong side, that of the absolutist monarchies!
Mike's portuguese pronunciation is spot-on
Great video.
I live in Torres Vedras! This area is beautiful and you should all come visit!
I am living just 60 km from Torres Vedras and didn't know most of what I've seen in this video. Guess I have to get out more often :)
Mark’s Portuguese accent is just impeccable!!!
Amazing
Excellent History documentaries in this Channel! 👌 👏👏👏
Glad you like them!
Obrigado!
Excellent.
I remember winning a radio quiz with the lines of Torres Vedras it lasted 83 days the DJ was a little surprised as he thought he's was on a winner. But $84,000 later I had a new 4x4 🤣😃👍🤣🤣
Have you done a similar video on the incredible military architecture of that genius of defensive construction, Beaumaris Castle?
9:09 Homeboy back there is dying I think.
Top story!🇵🇹👍
Pretty interesting nice resume🙂👍
One hour from my house. Nice.
Thanks for your amazing story how Portugal was defended and the Duke of Wellington
Why do some consider Napolean a hero? He had monks and priests murdered in Evora, for example
Being a British born portuguese citizen and from Torres Vedras, thanks for this, and true, pity our TVs and production networks don't invest more in our rich history....and prefer BB and such......
what is the link or where can i find the full documentary please? thanks
There is still informative content on TH-cam!
Can you do an episode on the French lines in Cape Town?
Everyone loves an underdog!
Mike Loades!!!!!
An excellent documentary, however it makes even more sense if you watch it again after having a guided tour with Mark Crathorne and the British Historical Society of Portugal. He mentioned that the soft loose earth ramparts, apart from absorbing cannon balls, would have been almost impossible to run up as the infantryman's boots would have no grip.
can you re-upload the full video please ... that link on the top is offline / not found ... ths
Sorry but by Portuguese law I have to say this:
PORTUGAL CARALHO!!!!!
Today we have streets and avenues called "Linhas de Torres" in honor to those lines.
First heard about this by reading sharpes escape
I love the "reenacting": people would go with their pristine prime clothes to work on a ditch - for sure!
No Tago river but Tejo. In Spain he calls Tago in Portugal calls Tejo.
i was just getting into that and then it cuts off 😡
Hello 👋
How are you doing..?
Good save Portugal 🇵🇹
One of the most poorly appreciated and greatest works of military engineering of all time. Wellington's least known triumph.
A master piece of engineering. The Romans would have been impressed.
When he said that it was al sifted earth, a part of my brain was mentally comparing that with the turf sections at Hadrian's Wall. But then they weren't protecting against gunpowder and cannonballs. Or Napoleon!
Darn it! I'm sure he used to have a nickname for his guns but can't recall offhand. Anyone?
His "daughters"
Very hard to besiege a port city protected landward by terrain and forts when the city's defenders have absolute naval superiority; can't outflank by sea nor starve them out.
Early 19 C artillery might've been more effective against stone and brick forts; but against essentially "sandbag" ramparts faced with earth no so much; any damage repairable by tossing a few sandbags down ...
Lisbon was very vulnerable to a land army; the French had superior artillery and infantry and didn't need a navy to take the city. They proved this in Spanish cities like Barcelona, Zaragoza and Coruña.
@@SantomPh And yet, not in PORTUGAL CARALHO
@@2004lus The french took most of Portugal... If Napoleon didnt went to the east to wreck the Coalition the peninsular war would have ended in victory for the French Empire.
@@jorgemargenat2277 I was joking but the fact is the french retreated the 3 times with losses. How we say "Ficaram a ver navios" because at that time the territory of Portugal was the entire world
@@2004lus Yes i know, but why there was a need for 3 french expeditions? Maybe it was becuase the french army was really overextended fighting in the iberian peninsula, central and eastern europe.
If Napoleon didnt have so many open fronts, if he didnt betray the spanish or tried to put his brother as king of Spain the Iberian Theater wouldnt developed into a logistical nightmare. After all the french occupied Lisbon before the peninsular war when they were allies with Spain and didnt have all of europe fighting them.
Why can they not find a Portuguese guide, who presumably knows more and connects more with local history and culture than yet another British expat?
Wellesley was a bloody genius.
it was actually a portuguese engeriers who presented to them the idea
*engeniers
Remind me the WW2 Gothic Line
We learn now let's go
Hello 👋
How are you doing..?
@@lisababy7571 hi ilumination person i'm fine tank you, you very good
@@franciscojose6496 It's nice to meet you here....
@@franciscojose6496 So where are you from ?
@@lisababy7571 oh honey nice meet you too of course
....and Napoleon's intelligence network never found out, until it was too late. Wellington was a GENIUS!
👍🏻
It's such an indication when you say "tools of the day", yet they can build huge buildings within a few years. Great picture of the star fort too - which were all 'founded' not built. So little about history is actually known.
It's quite doable if you consider that there were 7000 men working on it.
And remember. This was early 19th century Europe. People over here had been building amazing castles and cathedrals for over a 1000 years.
Compared to those these forts are quite simple feats of engineering. And completely possible. As history shows.
Today there is high interest in prolonging the time it takes to construct buildings and to launder as much money as possible, it's a Republic Not a Monarchy, inneficiency, rampant corruption and traitors governing is the motto of all Republics
"Now that's soldiering."
Shalom
I visited a few years ago. It is awsome Napoleons army took one look at it and said bugger this and got beaten back all the way to the bay of Arcachon in France.
Didn't know Bishop Brennan was a history buff.
🤔👍🙏
The cap badge of the Royal Engineers includes Napoleon’s laurel wreath because of feats like this throughout the Napoleonic wars…
Ubique!
First in and last out!
If I ever get a cat missing some legs, I'm going to name them Nubs Koshka.
Fun fact
Porto is known as invicta for remaining undefeated in the napoleonic wars. We threw food out our city walls to fool the french into thinking we had a lot of food (we didn't. What people did to survive though was eat every part of the animals they did have. Even the tripes. Hence the famous porto style tripes)
Penso que na verdade o termo 'invicta' foi associado à cidade portuense aquando das batalhas entre D. Pedro contra os Miguelistas, uns bons anos mais tarde. A cidade do Porto associou-se a D. Pedro e foi cercada pelos Miguelistas durante meses, nunca tendo sucumbido. Tanto é, que D. Pedro doou o seu coração à cidade (e que agora tem estado nas notícias por "viajar" para o Brasil para as comemorações do bicentenário da independência que D.Pedro lhes proporcionou).
Is there a book available if someone wants to visit these fortification?
"Warfare can be summarized fairly simply. The first man on top of the hill wins."' - A General somewhere, maybe.