Arriving in Lisbon in April 22nd, 1809, General Wellesley’s objective was to secure Portugal by defeating Marshal Soult. Soult’s men had captured Porto on the north bank of the River Duoro, approximately 195 miles north of Lisbon. Marching from Lisbon to the River Duoro to engage the French, General Wellesley found that they had removed or destroyed all the boats from the south bank, making a crossing seemingly impossible. With Soult preparing to stage an orderly withdrawal in the face of the Anglo-Portuguese advance, Wellesley was anxious to force a battle before he could escape.
Fortunately for the Allied forces a local barber was able to show them where a small skiff had been hidden, allowing the British to cross and bring back four unguarded wine barges from the
