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The 'Great Siege of Gibraltar' was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the War of American Independence.

Contents

Overview

Great Siege Tunnels

The Sortie

See also

Further reading

Notes

References

Overview

In June of 1779, Spain declared war against Great Britain as France had done the year before.
The French and Spanish not only wished to retrieve lost territory from Britain but needed to secure Gibraltar, which was a key link in Britain's control of the sea. The Great Siege of Gibraltar The fortress was besieged for nearly four years by the full naval and military strengths of the enemy. When the Rock was first besieged, the garrison consisted of 5,382 troops; General Elliot was the Governor-General, and his determined handling of the defence inspired all the troops under him with the greatest confidence. All the defences were strengthened, and many of the infantry, including picked men from the 39th Regiment, assisted the artillery in serving the guns.
In July military forces of both France and Spain laid siege to the British garrison at Gibraltar.
This would start the Great Siege of Gibraltar. The British forces, led by George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield,
suffered bombardment and blockade for more than three years. The most horrific engagement of the siege took place on September 13, 1782 when a combined Franco-Spanish assault involving 100,000 men and 48 ships attacked the British. The garrison survived the assault.
Finally, in February of 1783 the siege was lifted. George Augustus Eliott was awarded the Knight of the Bath and was created 1st Baron Heathfield of Gibraltar. The Treaties of Versailles reaffirmed previous treaties.

Great Siege Tunnels

General Elliot is said to have offered a reward to anyone who could tell him how to get guns onto a projection from the precipitous northern face of the Rock known as the 'Notch'. The Great Siege Tunnels
Sergeant Major Ince, a member of the Company of Soldier Artificers, forerunners of the Royal Engineers, suggested that this could be done by tunnelling through the Rock. Permission was granted, and Ince started work under the direction of Lieutenant J Eveliegh, a Royal Engineer, Aide de Camp to the Governor, on May 25th, 1782.
The tunnellers relied on the strength of their arms, on their skills with a sledgehammer and a crowbar, and were also aided with gunpowder for blasting. In five weeks 18 men had driven a tunnel 8 square feet (2.4sq m) by 82 feet long (25 m) into the Rock.
Guns had been mounted here, and by the time the Siege ended, the tunnel was 370 feet (113 m) long and had four guns mounted in it. The Great Siege Tunnels- Gibraltar This first gallery was called 'Windsor Gallery'. Work continued on this cave and two other galleries called "King's And Queen's Lines" lower down the north face of the Rock were made. The tunnel was driven downwards and a large chamber opened under the 'Notch' called St George's Hall, where a battery of seven guns were installed. The Cornwallis Chamber was also excavated at this time.

The Sortie

''The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar, 1789''
John Trumbull (1756–1843)
Oil on canvas; 71 x 107 in. (180.3 x 271.8 cm)

In the autumn of 1781, it became apparent that the joint Spanish-French forces were preparing far an all-out invasion.Bond, page 28-29 However, on November 27 General Elliot ordered a 'sortie' (a raiding party) to be sent out through Landport Gate under cover of darkness. It achieved total surprise and within the hour had smashed the forward defences, spiked the guns and detonated the explosive magazines of three batteries. With the night sky ablaze, the Governor suddenly appeared through the smoke of his horse to savour the success of his men. His men were inspired beyond call of duty - with one exception, the official leader of the 'sortie' Brigadier Ross who was somewhat miffed when he quickly realised the the Governor was stealing his thunder. The victory was over in one hour with the loss of five British lives.

See also

★ List of American Revolutionary War battles

★ List of sieges

Further reading

★ Gibraltar 1779–1783: The Great Siege, , René, Chartrand, Osprey Publishing, ,

Notes

References

★ 300 Years of British Gibraltar 1704-2004, , Peter, Bond, Peter-Tan Publishing Co., ,