“Countersign, Steady.—All the grenadiers and light infantry in the garrison, and all the men of the Twelfth and Hardenberg’s regiments, with the officers and non-commissioned officers on duty, to be immediately relieved and join their regiments; to form a detachment, consisting of the Twelfth and Hardenberg’s regiments complete; the grenadiers and light infantry of all the other regiments[17]; one captain, three lieutenants, ten non-commissioned officers, and a hundred artillery; three engineers, seven officers, ten non-commissioned officers, overseers, with a hundred and sixty workmen from the line, and forty workmen from the artificer corps; each man to have thirty-six rounds of ammunition, with a good flint in his piece, and another in his pocket; the whole to be commanded by Brigadier-General Ross, and to assemble on the red sands, at twelve o’clock this night, to make a sortie upon the enemy’s batteries. The Thirty-ninth and Fifty-eighth regiments to parade at the same hour, on the Grand Parade, under the command of Brigadier-General Picton, to sustain the sortie, if necessary.”
At midnight the soldiers assembled for this enterprise; the moon at first shining brightly on the sands, but between two and three o’clock darkness overspread the place, and the troops silently issued from the fortress. They were challenged and fired upon by the enemy’s sentries, but the British soldiers rushed forward, overpowered the Spanish guards, and captured the batteries in gallant style: the defenders of the works fled in dismay, and communicated the panic to the troops in their rear. The wooden batteries were soon prepared for ignition; the flames spread with astonishing rapidity, and a column of fire and smoke arose from the works, illuminating the surrounding objects and casting a lurid glare upon this unparalleled scene, of which words fail to give an adequate description. In an hour the object of the sortie was effected: the Spaniards, being dismayed, did not venture to interrupt the work; trains were laid to the enemy’s magazines, and the soldiers withdrew. As they entered the fortress, tremendous explosions shook the ground, and rising columns of smoke, flame, and burning timber, proclaimed the destruction of the enemy’s immense stores of gunpowder to be completed. General Eliott declared in orders:—“The bearing and conduct of the whole detachment—officers, seamen, and soldiers—on this glorious occasion, surpass my utmost acknowledgments.”
For some days the Spaniards appeared confounded at their disgrace: the smoke of the burning batteries continued to rise, and no attempt was made to extinguish the flames; but several executions took place in their camp, probably of persons who fled so precipitately from the batteries. In the beginning of December they began to arouse themselves, and a thousand workmen commenced labouring to restore the batteries, in which they were retarded by the fire of the garrison. The gallant defenders of the fortress were equally indefatigable: every serjeant, drummer, musician, officer’s servant, and private soldier was required to use the musket, shovel, and pickaxe, as his services became necessary.
The Spaniards, by their heavy fire on the fortress, had already spoiled three sets of guns; but the Court of Madrid appeared determined to obtain possession of Gibraltar. An immense collection of ordnance of larger calibre was provided, several batteries were prepared, and the Duke of Crillon assumed the command of the besieging army. He was assisted by a celebrated French engineer, Monsieur d’Arcon, and by Admiral Moreno: a French army likewise arrived to take part in the siege. At the same time stupendous preparations were made on a new principle, and floating batteries were constructed with great art and labour, which were reckoned the most perfect contrivance of the kind ever seen.
1782.
A crisis was evidently approaching, and in the spring and summer of 1782, the garrison of Gibraltar made preparations with calm determination for the hour of trial: both officers and men were fully impressed with the importance of the fortress confided to their care, and their successful resistance against the efforts of the Spanish army and navy for upwards of two years, inspired them, if possible, to greater exertions. All the damaged works were carefully repaired, new ones were constructed, vast subterraneous works were made, and forges for heating red-hot shot were prepared.[18] The effect of the red-hot shot was proved on some of the enemy’s wooden batteries on the sands, which were speedily destroyed.
Princes of the royal blood of France, the Spanish nobility, and other celebrated characters of Europe, visited the camp of the Duke of Crillon, who naturally anticipated the most signal success from his extensive preparations. The new batteries on shore were unmasked, and fired a volley of sixty shells, which was succeeded by the thunder of one hundred and seventy guns of large calibre. Gibraltar was thus assailed by a storm of iron, which threatened to reduce the place to a heap of ruins; and this was only a prelude to the tremendous fire which was afterwards opened upon the garrison.
The ten battering ships took their station before the fortress on the 13th of September, in the presence of the combined fleets of France and Spain: the enemy’s camp and the neighbouring hills were crowded with spectators from various parts of Europe to witness the effect of these stupendous vessels; and such a storm of war was opened upon the place, as had probably never been equalled since the invention of cannon. The batteries of the fortress answered this tremendous fire with vigour, and the deafening thunder of four hundred pieces of heavy artillery was heard for several miles. For some hours the attack and defence were so equally well supported, as scarcely to admit any appearance of superiority in the cannonade on either side. The wonderful construction of the battering ships appeared to bid defiance to the heaviest ordnance: shells rebounded from their tops, and a thirty-two pound shot scarcely seemed to make any impression on them. The effect of the red-hot shot was doubted; sometimes smoke came from the ships, but the fire-engines within soon occasioned it to cease, and the result was uncertain: the fire was, however, persevered in, and incessant showers of red-hot bullets, shells, and carcases flew through the air. In the afternoon the red-hot shot had performed its work, and volumes of smoke issued from the flagship: the admiral’s second ship was soon perceived to be in the same condition, and confusion prevailed. The Spaniards expected that the firing of red-hot bullets could not be persevered in beyond a few rounds; but the fire was continued with the same precision and vivacity as cold shot; this occasioned the enemy’s cannonade to abate, and about eight o’clock it almost totally ceased. The battering ships made signals to inform the combined fleets of their extreme danger and distress, when several boats were sent to their assistance.
At this period the fire of the garrison produced great carnage, and the most pitiable cries and groans were heard, as the incessant showers of shot and shells were poured into the floating batteries. Soon after midnight one ship was in flames, and by two o’clock it appeared one sheet of fire from head to stern; a second was soon in the same condition, and the light of the conflagration enabled the British artillery to point their guns with precision, when soon after three o’clock six more ships exhibited the effects of the red-hot shot. The burning ships exhibited one of the grandest spectacles of destruction ever beheld; and amidst this exciting scene the British seamen pushed off in boats to rescue the Spaniards from the blazing vessels. They preserved between three and four hundred, and while they were thus engaged, one of the ships blew up with a dreadful explosion; four others met the same fate before seven o’clock, and another shortly afterwards, and the remainder burnt to the water’s edge, their magazines having been inundated. Not one could be preserved as a trophy.