Mondego River
Trant's finest achievement occurred after Masséna ordered a retreat. The French marshal intended to retreat north across the Mondego River into an area of Portugal where his troops could forage for food and supplies. Defending the line of the Mondego with only 5,000 militia and no regular troops, Trant carried out a brilliant bluff starting on 10 March 1811. On 13 March, Masséna, pressed from behind by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese army, reluctantly directed his retreating columns toward the east and the Spanish frontier.