1779-1782

Gibraltar fell into the hands of the English in 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession — the war in which Marlborough gained so much glory for the English arms. Admiral Sir George Rooke had been sent to the Mediterranean, to watch the French and Spanish fleets. For a long time he was unable to accomplish anything of importance; but, learning that Gibraltar was very poorly garrisoned, he suddenly attacked and captured it, and hoisted the English flag on its Signal Station.

That flag is the only one that has ever floated there since the 23rd of July 1704. Time after time have the Spaniards tried to recover this “key of the Mediterranean;” but every effort has been repulsed most gallantly, and often with tremendous loss to the enemy.

The last attempt they made was the most gigantic and determined of all; and its successful resistance by the English garrison forms one of the most heroic incidents in the annals of modem warfare. It occurred during the struggle which severed from England her North American colonies. France recognized the United States as an independent power in 1778, and a war with England was the consequence. In the following year Spain joined France, and Gibraltar was immediately blockaded.

The siege which followed lasted three years. Every appliance which experience could suggest, or skill could devise, was brought into requisition. Never before had such tremendous armaments, by sea and by land, been brought against any fortress. Yet the garrison held out bravely; and twice their friends outside —once by Admiral Darby, and once by Rodney — succeeded in sending them reinforcements and supplies.

Early in 1781, there was a terrific bombardment of the place; but so effectual was the shelter afforded by the casemates, or bomb-proof vaults, that the garrison lost only seventy men. In November of the same year, General Elliot, who conducted the defence, headed a midnight sortie, which annihilated the entire line of the enemy's works. Their floating batteries were at the same time destroyed with red-hot balls. That one night cost the Spaniards two millions sterling!

But the final effort was made in 1782, when the Duke de Crillon, flushed with his success in capturing Minorca, took the command of the besiegers. He had under him upwards of 30,000 of the best troops of France and Spain, and his heavy guns amounted to the then unprecedented number of one hundred and seventy. The combined fleets numbered forty-seven sail of the line, with ten great floating batteries — the contrivance of a French engineer, and deemed invincible, — and frigates, gun-boats, mortar-boats and small craft without number. The besieged numbered only 7000 men with eighty guns.

The siege attracted the interest of the whole civilized world. Two French princes joined the besiegers' camp, to witness the fall of the place. “Is it taken?”was the first question asked each morning by the King of Spain. “Not yet; but it will be soon,” said his courtiers: and still Elliot's guns thundered defiance from the Rock.

At length, on the morning of the 13th of September, the grand and decisive attack commenced. The ten battering-ships bore down in admirable order to their several stations. The Admiral, in a two-decker, moored about nine hundred yards off the King's Bastion. The other vessels took their places in a masterly manner, the most distant being eleven hundred or twelve hundred yards from the garrison. Under shelter of the walls, furnaces for heating shot had been lighted; and, from the instant the ships dropped into position, a continuous fire of red-hot balls was directed upon them by the garrison.

In little more than ten minutes, continues Drinkwater, the enemy were completely moored, and their cannonade then became tremendous. The showers of shot and shell which were directed from their land-batteries and battering-ships, on the one band, and, on the other, the incessant fire from the various works of the garrison, exhibited a scene of which neither the pen nor the pencil can furnish a competent idea. It is sufficient to say that upwards of four hundred pieces of the heaviest artillery were playing at the same moment — a power of ordnance which up till that time had scarcely been employed in any siege since the invention of those wonderful engines of destruction.

After some hours' cannonade, the battering-ships were found to be no less formidable than they had been represented. Our heaviest shells often rebounded from their tops, whilst the thirty-two pound shot seemed incapable of making any visible impression upon their hulls. Frequently we flattered ourselves that they were on fire; but no sooner did any smoke appear, than, with the most persevering intrepidity, men were observed applying water from their engines within, to those places whence the smoke issued.

Though vexatiously annoyed from the isthmus, our artillery directed their sole attention to the battering-ships, the furious and spirited opposition of which served to excite our people to more animated exertions. A fire more tremendous, if possible, than ever, was therefore directed upon them from the garrison. Incessant showers of hot balls, carcasses, and shells of every species, flew from all quarters;yet, for some hours, the attack and defence were so equally maintained as scarcely to indicate any appearance of superiority on either side. The wonderful construction of the ships seemed to bid defiance to the powers of the heaviest ordnance.

In the afternoon, however, the face of things began to change considerably. The smoke which had been observed to issue from the upper part of the flag-ship appeared to prevail, notwithstanding the constant application of water; and the Admiral's second was perceived to be in the same condition.

As night came on, the flames fairly gained the ascendant. The confusion which reigned on board of these vessels soon communicated itself to the whole line. The fire of the battering-ships gradually slackened: that of the garrison, on the contrary, seemed to become more animated and tremendous.

It was kept up during the entire night. At one in the morning, two of the ships were entirely a prey to the flames. It was not long before the others also caught fire, either from the operation of the red-hot balls, or, as the Spaniards afterwards alleged, because they set them on fire themselves, when they had lost all hope of saving them. It was then that trouble and despair broke out in all their violence. Every moment the Spaniards made signals of distress, and fired off rockets to implore assistance.

All their boats were immediately sent off, and surrounded the floating gun-ships, in order to save their crews — an operation executed with extreme intrepidity, in spite of perils of every sort. Not only was it necessary for the men to brave the artillery of the besieged: they had also to expose themselves to almost inevitable burning in approaching the flaming vessels. Never, perhaps, did a spectacle more horrible — more deplorable — present itself to the eyes of men. The profound darkness that covered — the earth and the sea intensified, by contrast, the lurid flames; and the shrieks of the victims were distinctly heard by the garrison, in the intervals of their cannonade.

A fresh incident arose to interrupt the succour carried to them, and to redouble the terror and confusion. Captain Curtis, a sailor as daring as he was skilful, suddenly advanced with his gun-boats, which had been constructed to confront those of the Spaniards, and each of which carried in front an eighteen or twenty-four pounder. Their fire at water-level rendered them exceedingly formidable; and they were disposed by Captain Curtis so as to take the line of floating batteries in flank.

From that moment the position of the Spaniards became terribly critical. The boats no longer dared to approach them, but were constrained to abandon those enormous machines, so lately the objects of their admiration, to the flames, and their companions in arms to the mercy of an enraged enemy. Several of them were seen to founder. Others only escaped by forced rowing. A few sought shelter by the land during the night; but, on the appearance of daylight, they were easily captured by the English.

Then was witnessed, in all its horrors, a scene, the most harrowing features of which had hitherto remained concealed. In the midst of the flames appeared unhappy wretches, who, with loud shrieks, implored compassion, or precipitated themselves into the waves. Some, on the point of drowning, clung with weakened grasp to the sides of the burning vessels, or floated at hazard on fragments which they chanced to encounter, and, in the agony of desperation, convulsively implored the compassion of their victors.

Touched by this deplorable spectacle, the English listened to humanity alone, and ceased their fire, to occupy themselves solely with the rescue of their enemies;a proceeding the more generous on their part, as they thereby exposed themselves to the most imminent hazard. Captain Curtis, in particular, covered himself with glory, by prodigally risking his own life to save those of his fellow-creatures. Some of his own men were wounded in this honourable enterprise; others were killed; and he himself narrowly escaped from partaking the fate of a ship which blew up at the moment when he was about to board her. More than four hundred of the enemy's troops were rescued by this intrepid sailor from certain death!

The greater number of the famous battering-ships were either blown up or burnt. The Spanish Admiral quitted his flag-ship a little before midnight, as did also D'Arcon, the French engineer, that on board of which he had embarked to witness the triumph of his contrivances.

Meanwhile, the most intense anxiety as to the fate of Gibraltar prevailed in England. Admiral Howe had sailed from Portsmouth with a convoy containing fresh troops and provisions, and a fleet of thirty-four sail of the line. Relieved by the news of Elliot's brilliant victory, which he received off the coast of Portugal, he steered direct for the Straits, and succeeded in bringing the whole of his transports to their destination, even in presence of the enemy's fleets. Thus Gibraltar was saved, and the continuance of the blockade till the peace (Jan. 20, 1783) was little more than a form.

Words

accomplish,perform.

annihilated,destroyed.

anxiety,solicitude.

appliance,contrivance.

armaments,forces.

blockaded,invested.

brilliant,splendid.

cannonade,sustained fire.

capturing,seizing.

competent,adequate.

continuance,prolongation.

contrivances,inventions.

convulsively,spasmodically.

decisive,final.

defiance,contempt for an enemy.

destination,haven.

destruction,devastation.

enterprise,exploit.

executed,performed.

formidable,dangerous.

gigantic,stupendous.

imminent,threatening.

importance,moment.

incapable,unable.

incessant,ceaseless.

inevitable,unavoidable,

intensified,made greater.

interrupt,hinder.

intrepidity,daring.

invincible,invulnerable.

ordnance,cannon.

precipitated,cast.

prodigally,generously.

recognized,acknowledged.

reinforcements,fresh troops.

repulsed,driven back.

requisition,operation.

resistance,defeat.

slackened,declined.

sortie,sally.

tremendous,overwhelming.

unprecedented,unparalleled.

Questions

When and how did Gibraltar fall into the hands of the English? When did the Spaniards make the most determined effort to recover it? How long did the siege last? How often during that time was the garrison succoured? What was done in 1781? When was the final effort made? Who took the command of the besiegers? How many men had he? To what did the combined fleets amount? What was the strength of the garrison in men and in guns? What is the date of the decisive attack? Upon what had the besiegers placed most reliance? What proved the great strength of these ships? How were they at length destroyed? What movement compelled the Spaniards to abandon them? What humane service did Curtis afterwards render? Who brought fresh troops and provisions from England to the garrison? When did the blockade finally terminate?

1779—1782

直布羅陀于1704年在馬博羅為英國軍隊贏得眾多榮譽的西班牙王位繼承戰爭中，落入英國人手中。海軍司令喬治·魯克爵士被派往地中海，以監視法國和西班牙聯合艦隊。很長一段時間，他都毫無建樹；但在得知直布羅陀駐防力量薄弱之后，他突襲并占領了那里，并在信號站上升起了英國國旗。

這是唯一一面自1704年7月23日后在那里飄揚的旗幟。西班牙人曾一次又一次試圖恢復這一“地中海要塞”，但每一次努力都被極其有力地擊退了，并經常伴有敵人巨大的損失。

他們做了最后一次巨大并帶有決定性意義的嘗試，而英國駐軍的成功抵抗則成為現代戰爭史上最英勇的事件之一。此次戰爭發生在英國北美殖民地的斗爭惡化之后。法國于1778年承認美國的獨立權，結果便是與英國交戰。在接下來的一年，西班牙加入法國，而直布羅陀立即遭到封鎖。

接下來的圍攻戰持續了三年。每次之前根據經驗能夠考慮到的設備，或者可以設想出的技能，都被派上了用場。之前無論是海上還是陸上，都從未有過如此巨大的武器裝備來進攻堡壘。然而，駐軍進行了勇敢的抵抗；而他們的朋友也兩次從外圍不斷地向他們運送增援和補給——一次是海軍上將達比，另一次是羅德尼。

1781年初，此地經歷了一次可怕的轟炸，但炮塔和防空洞提供了很有效的避難所，駐軍只損失了70人。同年11月，指揮此次防御的埃略特將軍領導了一次午夜突圍，毀滅了敵人工程的整條防御線，他們的浮動炮臺同時也被炮彈破壞。西班牙人當晚損失了200萬英鎊！

最后的努力是在1782年。因成功攻占了米諾卡而得意揚揚的德克里倫公爵取得了圍攻部隊的指揮權，他手下擁有超過3萬的法國和西班牙最精銳的部隊，而他的重機槍多達前所未有的170架。聯合艦隊帆的編號為47，擁有由法國工程師設計并被公認為無敵的十大浮動炮臺，另外還有無數的護衛艦、炮艇、迫擊炮船和小艇。而遭到他們圍困的，不過是擁有80條槍的7000人。

本次圍攻激發了整個文明世界的興趣。兩個法國王子為見證這個地方的淪陷，進入了圍攻者的營地。每天早上西班牙國王問的第一個問題是：“占領了嗎？”“還沒有，但很快了。”他的侍臣會這樣回答。不變的是，埃略特的槍彈轟鳴地從堡壘后反抗著。

最終，在9月13日清晨，決定性的大進攻開始了。十艘炮船在最高統帥的命令下，朝向幾處全力進發。海軍上將所在的雙甲船，停泊在國王堡壘的大約900碼之外。其他船只熟練地到達各自的位置，最遠的距離守軍有1100～1200碼。在城墻的庇護下，如熔爐一般火熱的炮彈稍微溫涼了一些；當這些船只到達相應位置，守軍就會用炮彈立即對準了它們進行連續射擊。

德林克沃特繼續說道，在不到十分鐘的時間內，敵人完全停滯住了，自此之后，他們的連續炮擊也繼而變得更加猛烈。一方面，他們的槍林彈雨從他們的地面炮臺和浮動炮臺上對準了這里；另一方面，從駐軍的各項工事中發出的持續火力，也展現出了一種人類的筆墨無法描繪的場景。可以說，超過400發最重的炮彈，在同一時刻打在一個地方——到那時為止，自從這種無與倫比的毀滅性武器被發明出來之后，這樣的炮擊方式就幾乎沒有在攻城戰斗中使用過。

在幾小時的炮轟之后，炮艦已經不像當初表現那么強大了。我們最重的炮彈經常可以從頂端彈跳，但這種32磅重的炮彈卻不能有任何客觀的表現。我們經常得意于它們著火了，但一旦出現了煙霧，人們就會從內部的引擎到起火的地方用水來滅火。

雖然我們的軍隊為如何穿越地峽傷透了腦筋，但他們仍拼盡全力瞄準敵方的炮艦。而敵方狂暴激烈的抵抗則引發了我方將士更加激勵的攻擊。因此在我方駐地的堡壘上，將士們遭到了敵方發起的比以往都更加猛烈的炮轟。炮彈、尸體、各種物品的碎片，不停地從各個部分被砍劈下來。然而幾個小時過去了，進攻方和防守方如此勢均力敵，幾乎看不出哪一方占了上風。艦船絕佳的結構似乎對如此猛烈的炮擊力量發起了挑戰。

然而在下午，局面開始發生顯著的變化。之前從旗艦上部升起的煙霧，盡管不停地用水澆，但此時開始擴散。海軍司令的指令也面臨同樣的不利局面。

當夜晚來臨時，火勢完全占據了優勢。籠罩著艦船的困惑感很快在整個進攻線上蔓延開來。敵方炮船上的火力逐漸變弱，相反，駐防要塞的火力似乎開始更加猛烈。

火力整晚都很猛烈。在凌晨1點鐘，敵方的兩艘艦船完全成為火焰的獵物。沒過多久，其他的船也都完全著起了火，有的是因為炮彈的襲擊，有些正如后來西班牙人宣稱的，因為他們完全放棄補救的希望時，自己放了火。也就是在那時，絕望在整個進攻線上爆發。西班牙人不停地放出危難的信號，并發射火箭來懇請支援。

他們所有的船只都立即出發，包圍住浮動炮臺來拯救他們的船員。這是一種即使面臨著各種危險，也必須采取的極端大膽的行為。這些人不僅要勇敢面臨我方被圍攻部隊的將士，而且還要將自己置身于在靠近著火船只時幾乎是必然會引發的火焰。從未有過一種景象比如今更可怕、更可悲地展現在人們眼前。深深的黑暗籠罩著大地，相反，海面映襯著可怕的血紅色的火焰。在炮轟的間歇，防守要塞的將士們清晰地聽到犧牲者的尖叫聲。

另一件事情的發生，打斷了對他們的救助，同時也大大增加了他們的恐懼和困惑。柯蒂斯船長——一個既勇敢又熟練的船員——突然帶領他的炮艦前進，來直面西班牙人的炮艦。每一艘柯蒂斯船長的炮船，都發射出18或24磅的炮彈，在水面高度上的火力讓它們變得極其可怕。柯蒂斯船長命艦船排列出一種陣勢，可以從側翼攻擊敵方的浮動炮臺。

從這一刻開始，西班牙人的處境變得特別危險。船只不再敢靠近他們，在火中，他們被迫放棄了那些巨型器械和他們所贊美的裝備，而在暴怒的敵人的憐憫中放棄他們配有武裝的同伴。有人看到其中一些人被海水淹沒了，其他人依靠劃船得以逃脫，個別人趁夜里在陸地上找到了避難所，但當黎明來臨，英國人又輕易地抓獲了他們。

接下來人們極其恐懼地目睹了一幅場景，而它最悲慘的特性迄今為止一直隱藏著。在火光之中，這些可憐的人大聲尖叫，乞求著同情，或者一頭栽到水里。他們中的某些人，在被淹沒的當口，緊抓住破敗的燃燒著的船只邊緣；或者在危急中，漂浮在他們恰巧碰到的碎片上，在絕望的掙扎中，不由自主地向看到他們的人懇求憐憫。

被這種可悲的景象所震撼，英國人聽從于自己的人性，停止了開火，而僅僅專注于營救他們的敵人。由此在這一仁慈的過程中，他們也將自己置身于最緊迫的危險中。特別是柯蒂斯船長，因此為自己帶來了無限榮光。因為他慷慨地冒著生命危險，救助了這些雖是敵人的他的同類。他的部下，其中一些人在這一光榮的事業中也受了傷，其他人甚至犧牲了。而他本人在與一艘敵船上的敵人決一死戰的過程中，勉強脫逃。當時他剛要登上這艘船，船只就爆炸了。敵軍中的400多人，被這一勇敢的水手從死亡邊緣營救了出來。

更多的著名炮艦爆炸或燒毀了。西班牙海軍司令在午夜之前放棄了他的旗艦。而登上自己發明的戰艦的法國工程師德阿爾孔也一樣，他本想目睹自己發明的船只的勝利。

同時，對直布羅陀命運的最強烈的不安籠罩著英格蘭。豪司令率領裝有另外一些部隊和儲備的護航艦，還帶有一支擁有34艘船只的艦隊，從樸次茅斯出發。聽到艾略特將軍偉大勝利的消息后，他徑直前往海峽，并成功地在敵方聯合艦隊面前，將他全部的運輸船運往了目的地。而艾略特將軍的勝利已經蔓延至葡萄牙海岸。因此直布羅陀保住了，直到和平結束（1783年1月20日）之前的持續封鎖，也只等同于一種形式而已。