Great Siege of Gibraltar

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Great Siege of Gibraltar
Part of the American War of Independence

The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782, by John Singleton Copley
Date June 24, 1779 - February 7, 1783
Location Gibraltar
Result Decisive British victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United Kingdom Kingdom of Great Britain Spain
Flag of France France
Commanders
George Augustus Eliott Duc de Crillon
Strength
5,500 to 7,000 men; 96 guns 40,000 men; 246 guns
Casualties and losses
333 killed
911 wounded
536 died from disease		 5,000 killed, wounded, captured, and missing (September 13th 1782 assault)

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

Contents

[edit] Background

In June of 1779, Spain declared war on Great Britain, France having done so 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 Mediterranean sea.[1]

[edit] Overview

In July of 1779, the military forces of both France and Spain laid siege to the British garrison at Gibraltar. The British forces, led by George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, suffered bombardment and blockade for more than three years. The most serious 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 this assault.

[edit] Aftermath

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.

[edit] The Great Siege in Popular culture

[edit] Music

In 1782 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed Bardengesang auf Gibraltar: O Calpe! Dir donnert's am Fusse a piece of music commemorating the Great Siege.[2] Mozart was known to have a favourable view of the British.[3]

[edit] Paintings

The 1783 painting, The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782, was a work by an American artist John Singleton Copley which depicted the event. [4] A 1789 work by American painter John Trumbull, The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar, 1789, covered the 1781 raid made by the garrison against the besiegers. [5]

[edit] Further reading

[edit] References

  • Bond, Peter [2003]. "Gibraltar's Finest Hour The Great Siege 1779-1783", 300 Years of British Gibraltar 1704-2004, 1st Edition (in English), Gibraltar: Peter-Tan Publishing Co., pages 28-29. 
  1. ^ The Great Siege of Gibraltar. The Keep Military Museum. Retrieved on 2007-08-06.
  2. ^ List of musicians connected to Gibraltar. Mark Sanchez. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
  3. ^ Mozart's Tribute to Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
  4. ^ Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar. Collage. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  5. ^ The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar, 1789. Acquired Tastes-Trumbull. Retrieved on 2007-08-06.