The
Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of
fortsFortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defense in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
built in secrecy to defend
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
during the
Peninsular WarThe Peninsular War was a contest between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars...
. Named after the nearby town of
Torres VedrasTorres Vedras is a city and a municipality in the district of Lisbon, Portugal, about 50 km north of Lisbon. It belongs to the Oeste subregion and the Centro region.The municipality covers an area of 405.89 km² distributed over 20 freguesias...
, they were ordered by
Arthur Wellesley, Viscount WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century....
, constructed by Portuguese workers between November 1809 and September 1810, and used to stop
Masséna'sJean-André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
1810 offensive.
Genesis
After his troubling Spanish experience at the Battle of Talavera, Wellington decided to strengthen
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
. He used a report of Colonel Vincent, ordered by Junot in 1807, describing the excellent defensive capacities in the region nearby
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
. It has been suggested that the study by Major Neves Costa influenced Wellington's decision to construct the Lines, but in fact the plans pre-date Costa's study. He was also inspired by the Martello Towers along the British Channel coast. Wellington ordered the building of the Lines of Torres, as a system of fortifications
blockhouseIn military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It is intended to serve as a defensive strongpoint against any enemy which does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
s,
redoubtA redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main line of defense and can be a permanent structure or a...
s,
ravelinA ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork in front of the bastions of a fortress. Originally called a demi-lune, after lunette, the ravelin is placed outside a castle opposite a fortification curtain. The edges of the ravelin are placed so that the guns there can sweep fire upon...
s, cuts of natural relief, etc. The work began in the Autumn of 1809 and the first line was finished one year later. Construction of the lines continued and in 1812, 34,000 men were still working on them.
The work was supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Richard Fletcher, assisted by Major John Jones, 11
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
officers, two
KGLThe King's German Legion was a British Army unit, made up of expatriate German personnel, 1803–1816, that had the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French during the Napoleonic occupation of the German states.-History:When Napoleon imposed...
officers and four
Portuguese ArmyThe Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
engineers. The cost was around £100,000, one of the least expensive but most remunerative military investments in history.
Effects
The Anglo-Portuguese army was forced to retreat to The Lines after the
Battle of BuçacoThe Battle of Bussaco resulted in the defeat of French forces by Lord Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese army in Portugal during the Peninsular War.- Overview :...
. The French (under
MarshalThe Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
André MassénaJean-André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
) discovered upon their arrival at The Lines a barren land (under the
scorched earthA scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
policy) and an enemy behind an impenetrable defensive position. Masséna's forces arrived at the Lines on 11 October and shortly afterwards stormed
Sobral de Monte AgraçoSobral de Monte Agraço is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 52.1 km² and a total population of 9,789 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 3 parishes, and is located in the District of Lisbon....
but were repulsed in the attempt to assault of Forte de Alqueidão (Alqueidão Fort), a second bigger and better equipped redoubt.
After attempting to wait out the enemy, Masséna was forced to order a French retreat to Spain, starting on the night of 15 November 1810, to re-supply and reinforce his army. Marshal Masséna began his
campaignIn the military sciences, a military campaign is a term applied to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
with his army (l'Armée de Portugal) at 65,000 strong. By the time he reached Torres Vedras, he had 61,000 men (after losing 4,000 at the Battle of Buçaco). When he reached Spain, he had lost 25,000 men (including those lost at Buçaco). One of the coldest winters Portugal had ever seen, hit Portugal and killed many of the French forces. They were also hit by severe illness and disease killing the soldiers in their thousands. The human cost was great for the population, because of the privations they endured. It is estimated that between October 1810 and March 1811 about 50,000 Portuguese died of hunger or disease.
The Allies were reinforced by fresh British troops in 1811 and renewed their offensive. They left The Lines and did not return for the rest of the
Peninsular WarThe Peninsular War was a contest between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars...
.
Description
The three lines of Torres Vedras had forts strategically placed in the top of hills, controlling the roads to
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
and using the natural obstacles of the land.
The first line, with an extension of 46 km, binds Alhandra to the estuary of the Sizandro river. The second line, 13 km to the south, has 39 km and binds the
Póvoa de Santa IriaPóvoa de Santa Iria is a city and civil parish in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal....
to Ribamar. The third line consisted of a defensive perimeter with 3 km, from
Paço de ArcosPaço de Arcos is a civil parish in Oeiras, Portugal.Its name comes from the Palace of the Arches located at the entrance to the village , where, legend has it, king D. Manuel I of Portugal watched Vasco da Gama's caravels leave for India. Nowadays, the Portuguese maritime academy - Escola Náutica...
to the Tower of Junqueira, protecting a beach of embarcation (St. Julian's) about 27 km to the south of the second line.
In seven months, 108 forts and 151 redoubts were built, with ravelins, detached batteries, etc. The three lines were furnished with 1,067 pieces of
artilleryArtillery is a military combat Arm that employs weapons capable of discharging large projectiles in combat. They are generally capable of adding considerable fire power to the military capability of an armed force...
and provided with 79,665 men (about 36,000 Portuguese, 35,000 British, 8,000 Spanish), one of the most efficient systems of field blockhouses in military history. Behind them was the field army of 60,000 Portuguese regulars, able to manoeuvre against the invaders.
The fourth line was built south of the
TagusFor the ancient Thessalian title, see TagusThe Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula...
in the
AlmadaAlmada - Arabic: حصن المعدن is a city and a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 70.0 km² and a total population of 164,844 inhabitants...
highs to hinder an eventual invasion coming from south, with an extension of 8,000 yards (7.3 km): It had 17 redoubts and covered trenches, 86 pieces of artillery, defended by marines, and orderlies of Lisbon, for a total of 7,500 men.
Substantial portions of the lines still survive today, albeit heavily decayed.
Efficiency and cohesion
The efficiency and cohesion of the Lines was based on five points:
1) Redoubts of artillery with Portuguese artillerymen, commanded by major-general José António Rosa, and specialized to fire into preset zones, where the enemy attack was expected;
Both lines had more than 80 km. The first line had 534 artillery pieces.
2) Military roads to cover the rear of the lines and allowing an extraordinary mobility of forces. In September 1810, the field army had some 66,598 regular soldiers. Including the Ordenanças and Milicias, it had 77,690 men.
3) A Semaphore system introduced by the British Navy allowing a message to be sent around the lines in 7 minutes; or from the HQ to any point in 4 minutes.
The signal system had five stations:
- Redoubt n.30 close to the ocean (Ponte do Rol)...
- The great redoubt of Torres Vedras (Fort St Vincent)
- Monte do Socorro close to Pêro Negro, Wellington’s headquarters
- Monte Agraço
- Alhandra, by the Tejo.
4) Secrecy - The building of the lines took, surprisingly, only 7 months. Lisbon became a peninsula defended by a most efficient system of
blockhouseIn military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It is intended to serve as a defensive strongpoint against any enemy which does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
s. Everything was preserved as a secret, whose maintenance is as surprising as the building of the lines. It is said that when Masséna was first confronted by the Lines, he asked his staff why they had not known about them in advance. "Wellington has made them", replied someone. Masséna shouted, "To the Devil with you! Did Wellington make the mountains?"
5) The
scorched earth policy - North of the lines everything that could supply the invading army was collected, hidden or burnt. A vast tract of land was deserted and perhaps 200,000 inhabitants of the neighbouring districts of the lines were relocated inside the lines. That the French were able to campaign in their vicinity at all was a remarkable feat, according to Wellington:
Further reading
NORRIS, A.H. e BREMNER, R. W., The lines of Torres Vedras. The first three lines and fortifications south of the Tagus, Lisboa, The British Historical Soc. of Portugal, 1986.
External links