Siege of Gibraltar (1779-1783)

Great Siege of Gibraltar
Part of the American War of Independence
The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar, by John Trumbull, 1788
Date 24 June 1779 – 7 February 1783 (3 years, 7 months and 2 weeks) Location Gibraltar 36°08′23″N 5°21′18″W / 36.1397°N 5.3551°W / 36.1397; -5.3551Coordinates: 36°08′23″N 5°21′18″W / 36.1397°N 5.3551°W / 36.1397; -5.3551 Result Decisive British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain Hanover	Spain  France
Commanders and leaders
George Augustus Eliott Roger Curtis August de la Motte	Duc de Crillon Martín Álvarez de Sotomayor Luis de Córdova y Córdova Antonio Barceló
Strength
June 1779: 5,382 men; September 1782: 7,500(including 500 gunners) men 96 guns 12 gunboats Total: 7,500	June 1779: 13,749 men September 1782: 33,000-35,000 soldiers 30,000 sailors & marines 114 land guns & mortars; 47 ships of the line, 10 floating batteries 7 xebecs & 40 gunboats Total: 65,000
Casualties and losses
333 killed 911 wounded 536 died from disease. Total: 1,781	6,000 killed, wounded, captured & missing, unknown to disease 10 ships sunk, 1 ship of the line captured

 Great Britain

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.

The British garrison under George Augustus Eliott were blockaded at first by the Spanish led by Martín Álvarez de Sotomayor in June 1779. This failed however as two relief convoys entered unmolested - the first under Admiral George Rodney succeeded in 1780 and the second by Admiral George Darby in 1781 despite the presence of the Spanish fleets. The same year a major assault was planned by the Spanish but a sortie by the Gibraltar garrison in November succeeded in destroying much of the forward batteries. With the siege going nowhere and constant Spanish failures the besiegers were reinforced by French forces under the Duc de Crillon who took over operations in early 1782. With a lull in the siege in which the allied force gathered more guns, ships and troops, a huge 'Grand Assault' was delivered in September 1782. This involved huge numbers - 60,000 men, 49 ships of the line and ten specially designed newly invented floating batteries against 5,000 men of the Gibraltar garrison. This was a disastrous failure which caused heavy losses for the Bourbon allies.

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