Siege of Badajoz (1811)

Siege of Badajoz (1811)

Part of: Napoleonic Wars on the Iberian Peninsula

date	April 22, 1811 to June 10, 1811
place	Badajoz ; Spain
output	Failure of the besiegers

Parties to the conflict
United Kingdom Portugal	France
Commander
Arthur Wellesley William Carr Beresford	Armand Philippon
Troop strength
around 20,000 men 12,000 men	up to 5,000 men
losses
100 dead (first siege) 118 dead (second siege)	unknown

During the siege of Badajoz in 1811 (April 22 to May 14 and May 25 to June 10, 1811), the Anglo-Portuguese army under Arthur Wellesley tried twice to wrest the city of Badajoz from its French occupation, which in turn only on Conquered March 10, 1811. The siege failed and it was not until 1812 that the Anglo-Portuguese army captured the fortress.

course

The fortress Badajoz was handed over to the troops of the French Marshal Mortier after the battle of Gévora on March 10, 1811 after little resistance by the Spanish general Imaz . Wellesley's Anglo-Portuguese army tried to conquer Badajoz in order to secure the lines of communication to Lisbon , the main base of the Allied army. In Badajoz there was a garrison of approx. 5000 French soldiers under the city commandant General Philippon . Badajoz was more fortified than Almeida or Ciudad Rodrigo . The strong fortress wall was secured by bastions and towers.

Siege from April 22nd to May 14th

The siege, led by William Carr Beresford, began on the night of May 9, 1811. The main attack was directed against the castle, a simultaneous attack against Fort St. Christoval, and a mock attack against Partaleras. The prevailing lack of material caused the project to fail. As Marshal Soult came for relief, the siege was lifted on May 14th. It had led to the loss of 100 dead and 650 wounded and prisoners.

Siege from May 25th to June 10th

After the battles of Fuentes de Oñoro and the Albuera , Badajoz was again surrounded by 12,000 men of the Anglo-Portuguese army on May 25th. The siege work directed against the castle and St. Christoval began on May 30th. On the night of June 7th, an attempt was made to storm a breach in St. Christoval, but was rejected with a loss. The breach, widened by the fire of the following days, was stormed again on the night of June 10th, but again in vain. Since most of the guns were unusable and the ammunition supplies had been used up, the siege was lifted on June 10th, but the fortress was still locked in until June 16th. The besiegers lost 9 officers and 109 men, 25 officers and 342 men were wounded or captured.

literature

• Frederick Myatt: British Sieges of the Peninsular War . Hippocrene Books. New York 1987. ISBN 0-946771-59-6 . (engl.)
• Julian Paget: Wellington's Peninsular War. Battles and Battlefields . Cooper, London 1996. ISBN 0-85052-603-5 . (engl.)
• Jac Weller: Wellington in the Peninsula 1808-1814 . Vane, London 1962. (Eng.)