How important was the role of the British army in the defeat of France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars?

While far smaller than the armies of many other European powers, by the turn of the century, the British army, through its tight discipline, sound command, and shrewd tactics, was still a force to be reckoned with. Despite early failures, such as the Duke of York’s expeditions to the Netherlands, Wellington’s efforts in the Peninsula were to prove invaluable, along with his command of the armies of the Fourth Coalition in the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. However, Britain’s army was small, and the majority of land battles took place between Napoleon and the other Great Powers; Austria, Prussia and Russia, most notably at the Battle of the Nations in 1813, which lasted for an entire week. The Royal Navy arguably did more to aid the defeat of Napoleon, through her successful blockades and victories in battles such as Trafalgar. Napoleon himself must take a share of the blame for his defeat, notably through the failure of the Continental System, and the strategically questionable assault on Russia in 1812.

The superbly trained and equipped light infantry which has been produced by Sir John Moore were well-suited to the long distances and mountainous terrain found in the Iberian Peninsula. Their tactics were quite different to those of the French army, reflecting perhaps the dissimilar composition of the two forces. The British army; well-trained and equipped volunteers, fought in thin lines to minimise losses. Because of their sound training and good equipment, these lines rarely broke, and coupled with the reverse slope tactic of standing out of sight just behind the brow of a hill, the force proves very successful against the French. By contrast, the French army was large, but made up of ill-trained conscripts. Utilising their numerical advantage, the French would attack in columns, maximising the blow to enemy lines. They moved quickly, stealing any supplies they needed from the locals. However, this was a patchy and unreliable supply system: Wellington, by contrast, made meticulous preparations to ensure that his troops received adequate supplies. While inferior in numbers, the British army was far superior in expertise and tactics, facilitating the seemingly incomprehensible victories over large French forces in the Peninsula, such as that of Busaco in 1810, where a modest British force held off attack from forty-five French battalions.

Commanded by a brilliant general by the name of Wellington, and despite lukewarm support for the campaign at home, British forces in the Peninsula won more and more battles with the French. Supplied well by sea, and with a secure base behind impenetrable fortifications at Torres Vedras, Wellington could keep his army in fine condition, and beat larger French forces again and again. 1811 saw victories at Ciudad Rodrigo and Fuentes d’Onoro, and the following year Wellington again caused Napoleon heavy losses at Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz. These assaults on French positions in Spain were a constant drain on Napoleon’s ...

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1812 is considered by many historians to be the turning point in Napoleon’s fortunes. Wellington defeated the French at Salamanca, forcing King Joseph to abdicate, while Russia turned against Napoleon, resulting in the loss of 600,000 French soldiers at the Battle of Borodino. This roused Prussia and Austria, who joined Russia in Leipzig at the Battle of the Nations in 1813, to defeat Napoleon’s army. The Continental System was in tatters, as was Napoleon’s army. Castlereagh pushed on the Fourth Coalition, recapturing the Low Countries, while Wellington routed the much diminished French force in Spain at Vittoria, clearing Spain of French troops in forty days. The road to Paris was open, and it seemed only a matter of time before France would fall. Napoleon fought on doggedly, but eventually the allies marched on France, forcing his abdication.

However, Napoleon was not finished yet, and when his newly roused force entered Belgium in the hope of cutting off Britain from her Continental allies, Wellington was called upon to orchestrate what would become one of the greatest European battles in history; Waterloo. The thin red line, trademark of the British army, again held firm, and the arrival of Prussian forced towards the end of the battle , in J H Plumb’s words ‘turned victory into a rout’.

The British army had its fair share of failures too however, particularly in the Revolutionary and early Napoleonic Wars. In 1795, and again in 1798, the Duke of York’s expeditionary force in the Netherlands was defeated, and soon after the first expedition, an attempt to provoke a Catholic rising in Brittany also failed. French colonies in the Indies were captured, but at great cost, with an estimated 80,000 British soldiers dead or ill in the Caribbean. The greatest disaster came on the small, swampy island of Walcheren, where a well-equipped, sound British force settled to prepare for an attack on Antwerp. British commanders had not realised that the island was swampy and malaria-ridden, and many soldiers became ill. The expedition was forced to return home, embarrassingly. These failures were embarrassing setbacks for the British army, who could not afford to lose large numbers of men in this way.

While making important contributions, the role of Britain’s army was far from decisive in France’s defeat. During the Revolutionary War, the army made little or no impact, and, but for the last year, Britain’s army was active only in the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic War. However, it would be a mistake to underestimate the contributions made by our land forces. When Wellington first set out in the Peninsula, Napoleon’s army was regarded as well-nigh invincible by the Continental Powers, who had suffered numerous defeats at its hands. Wellington’s Peninsula campaign proved to Europe that the French could be defeated on land, and, along with Napoleon’s losses in Russia, inspired a rejuvenated Prussia and Austria to rejoin the battle. Waterloo, the final battle of the Napoleonic War, was fought under British command in the shape of Wellington, and with British soldiers making up the majority of the force. The highly successful Peninsula campaign dented both morale and numbers in Napoleon’s army, and diverted troops needed in other areas. While the British army certainly helped in the defeat of Napoleonic France, it was by no means the decisive factor.