Battle of Bussaco

Also known as: Buçaco, Busaco

September 27, 1810

French Marshal Masséna's Army of Portugal advanced into Portugal as a British army under Wellington waited for them with a trap, concealing many troops. Masséna incorrectly assumed that he was facing only a rearguard and therefore the French attacks were uncoordinated. After taking significant casualties and making little progress, Masséna resolved to withdraw and just use a different road while Wellington fell back to the prepared lines of Torres Vedras.

Bibliography

Chandler, David G. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1979.
Smith, Digby. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill Books: 1998.

Updated March 2017