There were many examples of fraternisation between the French and British soldiers during the Peninsular War. On one occasion, Wellington, commander-in-chief of the British forces, ordered some riflemen to take a hill occupied by the French. He told them to fire, but with a loud voice one old soldier replied, "No firing," and holding up the butt of his rifle, tapped it in a peculiar way. At the signal, which meant "we must have the hill for a short time", the French quietly retired, though they would not have done so if they had been fired upon.
It should be noted that this signal would never have been made if the hill had been capable of permanent defence, so well did veterans understand war and its proprieties.
半島戰爭期間，英法士兵和氣相處的例子不少。有一次，英軍總司令威靈頓要一些來福槍手攻取法軍扼守的一座山，下令他們開槍，一個老兵卻高叫「不要開火」，同時舉起槍托，用手敲打，敲打方式很特別。這是個信號，表示「這座山，我們必須佔領一會兒」。法軍一見，不開一槍就撤走。假如英軍向他們開火，他們可不會這樣輕易退去。
值得一提的是，假如這座山可以長期據守，進犯的英軍絕對不會發出這樣的信號。可見老兵多麼了解戰爭的本質和規矩。