24-pr. guns: Round shot, 8950. Rounds expended per gun, 263.
18-pr. guns: Round shot, 565. Rounds expended per gun, 141.
The absence of mortars and howitzers from this siege was explained by the increased amount of transport required for shell, compared with shot, and by the fact that Lord Wellington had resolved on an assault the moment a breach was practicable, without any other siege operations. Shot were, therefore, all that was necessary, except for keeping the enemy from working at the breach.
To D.-A.-G. dated 29 Jan. 1812.
The following extract from a letter written by Major Dickson after the siege, is interesting:—“Lord Wellington has certainly made a most brilliant coup, and, I am convinced, astonished the enemy by the rapidity of his operations. They intended to relieve the place and raise the siege about this day (29th January). We were certainly favoured by the most delightful weather—excessively cold, but perfectly dry. It was not even necessary to put the powder under the laboratory tents, which I was enabled to spare to keep the poor fellows from the pinching frost; for we were nearly without cover.... I am hard pressed for time, but I must say a word in favour of our fine fellows of the Corps. They were (Portuguese and all) at relief and relief, off and on; but nothing could exceed their zeal and activity, and their work speaks for itself. Never was better practice made. I had only 430 Artillerymen of both nations,—about 130 British, and the rest Portuguese. We had somewhere more than 50 Artillerymen killed and wounded, but no officer materially hurt. The latter days, to make it up, I had some help from our own field Artillery:—part of Lawson’s company was one day in the trenches, and part of Sympher’s German company another.”
MS. Return dated 26 Jan. 1812.
The actual number of killed and wounded between the 14th and 19th January,—while the siege lasted,—was as follows (excluding Portuguese Artillery):—[31]
Captains Dyneley and Power, wounded.
Captain Glubb’s company, now 5 Battery, 5th Brigade; 2 gunners died of their wounds; 2 gunners wounded slightly.
Captain Holcombe’s company, now 4 Battery, 2nd Brigade; 1 gunner killed; 17 non-commissioned officers and men wounded.
Captain Lawson’s company, now H Battery, 8th Brigade; 1 gunner died of his wounds; 2 gunners wounded.
Captain Sympher’s company (K.G.A.); 1 gunner killed; 3 gunners wounded.
The ammunition expended was:—8950 rounds from 24-pounders, and 565 from 18-pounders.
To Lord Liverpool, dated 20 Jan. 1812.
In Lord Wellington’s despatch, announcing the successful termination of the siege, he—after extolling Major Dickson’s conduct of the Artillery operations—proceeded to say: “The rapid execution produced by the well-directed fire kept up from our batteries affords the best proof of the merits of the officers and men of the Royal Artillery, and of the Portuguese Artillery, employed on this occasion; but I must particularly mention Brigade-Major May, and Captains Holcombe, Power, Dyneley, and Dundas, of the Royal Artillery.”