Landing of the British and Dutch troops at Gibraltar on the 21st July, 1704.

[To face page 34, in 4th Foot.

The Marquis de Villadarias, having been joined by four thousand French from the fleet, commenced the siege of Gibraltar on the 22d of October; and part of the Queen's Regiment of Marines, being in garrison, had now the honour of defending that magnificent fortress which they had so nobly assisted to capture. The garrison was weak in numbers; but Sir John Leake and Rear-admiral Vander Dussen arrived in the bay from Lisbon, with thirteen English and six Dutch men-of-war, and, thus securing the besieged from an attack from the sea, gave them an opportunity to direct all their energies to the repulsing of the attacks from the land side.

During the night of the 11th of November, five hundred of the enemy contrived, by means of rope-ladders and other inventions, to ascend the mountain by a way which was deemed impracticable, and were supported by another body of three thousand men. The men engaged in this daring enterprise were, however, soon discovered, and were charged by five hundred of the Marines in garrison with such resolution, that two hundred of the enemy were killed on the spot, upwards of two hundred were taken prisoners, and the remainder, endeavouring to escape, fell down the rock and were dashed to pieces.

The fire of the enemy's batteries having damaged the works, a body of men was landed from the fleet to assist in the defence, and Brigadier-General Fox with several other officers and a number of men having been killed, (5th of December, 1704,) aid was solicited from the army in Portugal. Meanwhile the enemy had made several breaches, and the garrison was held in constant readiness to resist an attack on the works by storm. British courage and endurance were now sternly proved. The governor, the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt, spent his days in the works, and the greatest part of every night in the covered way, and his example produced so good an effect, that the conduct of the troops exceeded all expectation, and "The English Marines gained immortal honour."[19] New works were constructed within those already damaged, mines were prepared, and every means used to give the French and Spaniards a warm reception if they attempted to assault the fortress. In the midst of these preparations the garrison was reinforced by a battalion of foot guards, part of the English regiments of Barrymore (thirteenth foot) and Donegal (thirty-fifth foot), and of the Dutch regiment of Waes; and during the night of the 22d of December, a body of men issued from the fortress in the dark, forced the Spanish lines, routed a body of cavalry, levelled part of the works, burnt the fascines and gabions, and retired with little loss. The success which attended this display of British intrepidity, with the discovery of a conspiracy which several residents in the garrison had entered into with the enemy, disconcerted the measures of the besiegers and retarded their operations.

1705

The siege was, however, prosecuted with vigour, and the Marquis of Villadarias, having received a considerable reinforcement, attacked the round tower in the beginning of February, 1705. On this occasion a chosen band of French grenadiers climbed the rock with hooks in one hand and their swords in the other, but were repulsed with loss.

A second attempt was made about four days afterwards. Six hundred select French and Walloon grenadiers, supported by a large body of Spaniards, ascended the hill with great silence during the night, and concealed themselves in the cliffs and hollow grounds until day-break. When the night-guard had been withdrawn from the breach near the round tower, they made a sudden rush at the wall, and with a shower of hand-grenades drove the ordinary guard from its post. At the same time two hundred French grenadiers attacked the round tower by storm. The troops in garrison were soon alarmed. Captain Fisher of the Queen's Regiment of Marines, an officer of a most daring and heroic spirit, charged the enemy at the head of seventeen men; but his small party was soon overpowered and himself taken prisoner. Major Moncall, of Lord Barrymore's regiment, rushed to the scene of the conflict at the head of four hundred men, and being seconded by Colonel Rivett of the foot guards, who had climbed the rock on the right of the covered way with twenty grenadiers, he charged the enemy sword in hand, retook the round tower, and liberated Captain Fisher of the Queen's Marines. Additional troops were brought forward, and the French and Walloon grenadiers were chased from the works with the loss of more than half their numbers; but the gallant Captain Fisher, being foremost in the pursuit, was again made prisoner.

The French and Spaniards continued their attempts against this fortress with unavailing assiduity, until their formidable army was half ruined, and towards the end of March, 1705, they raised the siege, and retired. "And thus," observes the author of the Annals of Queen Anne, "the siege of that important place, after six months' toil and fruitless attempts, was at last raised, by the obstinate and valiant defence of our brave Englishmen;" and the Queen's Marines had their share in the glory of this brilliant success. The importance of Gibraltar occasioned the siege to become a subject of great interest throughout Christendom, but especially in England; the result gave rise to the most lively feelings of joy and exultation; and the conduct of the British troops was the subject of merited commendation.

1706
1707
1708