Trant's raid

Trant's raid was the Portuguese recapture of the city of Coimbra from the French on 6 October 1810 during the Peninsular War. The assault was undertaken by a Portuguese militia led by Colonel Nicholas Trant, an Irish officer in the British Army.^[2]

Trant's Raid
Part of the Peninsular War
Coimbra
Date 6 October 1810 [1] Location Coimbra, Portugal 40°12′N 8°25′W Result Portuguese victory
Belligerents
Portugal	French Empire
Commanders and leaders
Nicholas Trant	Unknown
Strength
4,000 Portuguese militia	Unknown
Casualties and losses
3 killed 26 wounded	8 killed 4,000 captured

Peninsular War

220km
137miles

V

e

d

r

a

s

T

o

r

r

e

s

8

Fuentes de Oñoro

7

Sabugal

6

5

Lisbon

4

Bussaco

3

Almeida

2

Ciudad Rodrigo

1

Astorga

   

Third French invasion:

1

Siege of Astorga March April 1810

2

Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo April 1810

3

Siege of Almeida July 1810
3.1 Blockade of Almeida April 1811

4

Battle of Bussaco September 1810

5

Torres Vedras protects Lisbon

6

Battle of Redinha March 1811

7

Battle of Sabugal April 1811

8

Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro May 1811

Battle

Marshal André Masséna's army had captured Coimbra and established a base there. On 7 October Trant and 4,000 Portuguese militia recaptured the city. French losses were 8 killed and 400 able-bodied soldiers captured. About 3,500 sick and wounded, plus several hundred medical and service personnel also surrendered.^{[citation needed]} Trant's losses were only 3 men killed and another 26 men wounded.^{[citation needed]}

Aftermath

As the new governor of the city, he remained in possession of the city all winter while the French carried out their futile blockade of the Lines of Torres Vedras^[3]