Francisco Silveira, Count of Amarante
Encyclopedia
Francisco Silveira, Count of Amarante or Francisco Silveira, Conde de Amarante (1 September 1763 – 27 May 1821) joined the Portuguese army and fought in the Napoleonic Wars
. In March 1809 he led a force which carried out the successful Siege of Chaves
from its French garrison. He kept the French from capturing Amarante from 18 April to 3 May 1809 during the second French invasion of Portugal. Driven out, he later recaptured the place and helped cut off the forces of Nicolas Soult, forcing the French marshal
to abandon his artillery and wagon trains in order to escape. He commanded a Portuguese division in Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's
Allied army at the Battle of Vitoria
on 21 June 1813.
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. In March 1809 he led a force which carried out the successful Siege of Chaves
Siege of Chaves
The Siege of Chaves refers to the French siege of Chaves, Portugal in 1808 and the subsequent recapture of the town by Portuguese forces. Francisco Silveira, later the Count of Amarante led the Portuguese troops.-The French Invasions :...
from its French garrison. He kept the French from capturing Amarante from 18 April to 3 May 1809 during the second French invasion of Portugal. Driven out, he later recaptured the place and helped cut off the forces of Nicolas Soult, forcing the French marshal
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
to abandon his artillery and wagon trains in order to escape. He commanded a Portuguese division in Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
Allied army at the Battle of Vitoria
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
on 21 June 1813.
Suggested reading
- Gates, David. The Spanish Ulcer: A History of the Peninsular War. London: Pimlico, 2002. ISBN 0-7126-9730-6
- Glover, MichaelMichael GloverMichael Glover served in the British army during World War II, after which he joined the British Council and became a professional author...
. The Peninsular War 1807-1814. London: Penguin, 2001. ISBN 0-141-39041-7 - Smith, DigbyDigby SmithDigby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill Books, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9