The Rock Of Gibraltar
The great Mediterranean Sea has its gate-way, nine miles wide, opening
into the Atlantic, the gate-posts being the headland of Ceuta, on the
African coast, and the famous rock of Gibraltar, in southwestern Spain,
two natural fortresses facing each other across the sea. It is a singular
fact that the African headland is held by Spain, and the Spanish headland
by Great Britain,--this being a result of the wars of the eighteenth
century. Gibraltar, in fact, has had a striking history, one worth the
telling.
This towering mass of rock rises in solitary grandeur at the extremity of
a sandy level, reaching upward to a height of fourteen hundred and eight
feet, while it is three miles long and three-fourths of a mile in average
width. It forms a stronghold of nature which attracted attention at an
early date. To the Greeks it was one of the Pillars of Hercules,--Abyla
(now Ceuta) being the other,--and formed the supposed western boundary of
the world. Tarik, the Arab, landed here in 711, fortified the rock, and
made it his base of operations against Gothic Spain. From him it received
its name, Gebel el Tarik (Hill of Tarik), now corrupted into Gibraltar.
For seven centuries it remained in Moorish hands, except for a short
interval after 1302, when it was taken by Ferdinand II. of Castile. The
king of Granada soon recaptured it; from him it was taken by treachery by
the king of Fez in 1333; Alfonso XI. of Castile vigorously besieged it,
but in vain; the king of Granada mastered it again in 1410; and it finally
fell into the hands of Spain in 1462.
A formidable attempt was made by the Moors for its recovery in 1540, it
being vigorously attacked by the pirates of Algiers, who fought fiercely
to win the rock, but were finally repulsed.
For the next event in the history of this much-coveted rock we must go on
to the year 1704, when the celebrated war of the Succession was in full
play. Louis XIV. of France supported his grandson Philip V. as the
successor to the throne of Spain. The Archduke Charles of Austria was
supported by England, Portugal, and Holland, and was conveyed to the
Peninsula and landed at Lisbon by an English fleet under Admiral Rorke.
The admiral, having disposed of the would-be king, sailed for Barcelona,
which he was told was a ripe plum, ready to fall into his mouth. He was
disappointed; Barcelona was by no means ripe for his purposes, and he
sailed back, ready for any enterprise that might offer itself.
Soon before him towered the rock of Gibraltar, a handsome prize if it
could be captured, and poorly defended, as he knew. The Spaniards,
trusting, as it seems, in the natural strength of the place, which they
deemed impregnable, had left it with a very small supply of artillery and
ammunition, and with almost no garrison. Here was a promising opportunity
for the disappointed admiral and his associate, the prince of Hesse
Darmstadt, who headed the foreign troops. A landing was made, siege lines
were opened, batteries were erected, and a hot bombardment began, to which
the feeble garrison could make but a weak reply. But the most effective
work was done by a body of soldiers, who scrambled up a part of the rock
that no one dreamed could be ascended, and appeared above the works,
filling with terror the hearts of the garrison.
Two days answered for the enterprise. At the end of that time the
governor, Don Diego de Salmas, capitulated, and Gibraltar was taken
possession of in the name of Queen Anne of England, the prince being left
there with a garrison of two thousand men. From that time to this
Gibraltar has remained an outpost of Great Britain, with whose outlying
strongholds the whole world bristles.
The loss of this strong place proved a bitter draught to the pride of
Spain, and strenuous efforts to recapture it were made. In the succeeding
year (1705) it was besieged by a strong force of French and Spanish
troops, but their efforts were wasted, for the feeble court of Madrid left
the army destitute of necessary supplies. By the peace of Utrecht, 1713,
Gibraltar was formally made over to Great Britain, a country famous for
clinging with a death-grip to any place of which she has once taken hold.
Later efforts were made to win the Rock of Tarik for Spain, one in 1756,
but the last and greatest in 1779-82. It is this vigorous effort with
which we are here concerned, the siege being one of the most famous of
recent times.
The Revolutionary War in the United States stirred up all Europe, and
finally brought Great Britain two new foes, the allied kingdoms of France
and Spain. The latter country had never lost its irritation at seeing a
foreign power in possession of a part of its home territory. Efforts were
made to obtain Gibraltar by negotiation, Spain offering her friendly aid
to Great Britain in her wars if she would give up Gibraltar. This the
British government positively refused to do, and war was declared. A siege
of Gibraltar began which lasted for more than three years.
Spain began the work in 1779 with a blockade by sea and an investment by
land. Supplies were cut off from the garrison, which was soon in a state
of serious distress for food, and strong hopes were entertained that it
would be forced to yield. But the British government was alert. Admiral
Rodney was sent with a strong fleet to the Mediterranean, the Spanish
blockading fleet was defeated, the garrison relieved, provisioned, and
reinforced, and Rodney sailed in triumph for the West Indies.
For three years the blockade was continued with varying fortunes, the
garrison being now on the verge of starvation, now relieved by British
fleets. At the close of the third year it was far stronger than at the
beginning. The effort to subdue it by famine was abandoned, and
preparations for a vigorous siege were made. France had joined her forces
with those of Spain. The island of Minorca, held by the British, had been
taken by the allied fleet, and it was thought impossible for Gibraltar to
resist the projected assault.
The land force that had so long besieged the rock was greatly
strengthened, new batteries were raised, new trenches opened, and a severe
fire was begun upon the works. Yet so commanding was the situation and so
strong were the defences of the garrison that success from the land side
seemed impossible, and it was determined to make the main attack from the
sea.
A promising method of attack was devised by a French engineer of the
highest reputation for skill in his profession, the Chevalier D'Arcon. The
plan offered by him was so original and ingenious as to fill the besiegers
with hopes of sure success, and the necessary preparations were diligently
made. Ten powerful floating batteries were constructed, which were thought
fully adapted to resist fire, throw off shells, and quench red-hot balls.
Every effort was made to render them incombustible and incapable of being
sunk. These formidable batteries were towed to the bay of Gibraltar and
anchored at a suitable distance from the works, D'Arcon himself being in
command. Ten ships of the line were sent to co-operate with them, the
arrival of reinforcements from France increased the land army to forty
thousand men, and Crillon, the conqueror of Minorca, was placed in supreme
command. The allied fleets were ordered to cruise in the straits, so as to
prevent interference by a British fleet.
These great and scientific preparations filled all hearts with hope. No
doubt was entertained that Gibraltar now must fall and Great Britain
receive the chastisement she deserved. The nobility of Spain sought in
numbers the scene of action, eager to be present at the triumph of her
arms. From Versailles came the French princes, full of expectation of
witnessing the humbling of British pride. So confident of success was
Charles III., king of Spain, that his first question every morning on
waking was, "Is Gibraltar taken?" All Spain and all France were instinct
with hope of seeing the pride of the islanders go down.
Gibraltar was garrisoned by seven thousand troops under General Elliot.
These lay behind fortifications on which had been exhausted all the
resources of the engineering skill of that day, and in their hearts was
the fixed resolve never to surrender. The question had become one of
national pride rather than of utility. Gibraltar was not likely to prove
of any very important advantage to Great Britain, but the instinct to hold
on has always been with that country a national trait, and, however she
might have been induced to yield Gibraltar as an act of policy, she was
determined not to do so as an act of war.
Early on the 13th of September, 1782, the long-threatened bombardment
began from so powerful a park of artillery that its roar is said to have
exceeded anything ever before heard. There were defects in the plan. The
trenches on land proved to be too far away. The water was rough and the
gunboats could not assist. But the work of the batteries came up to the
highest expectations. The fire poured by them upon the works was
tremendous, while for many hours the shells and red-hot balls of the
garrison, fired with the greatest precision, proved of no avail. The
batteries seemed invulnerable to fire and shell, and the hopes of the
besiegers rose to the highest point, while those of the besieged
correspondingly fell.
In the end this powerful assault was defeated by one of those events to
which armed bodies of men are always liable,--a sudden and uncalled-for
spasm of fear that flew like wildfire through fleet and camp. The day had
nearly passed, evening was approaching, the hopes of the allies were at
their height, when a red-hot ball from the works lodged in the nearest
battery and started a fire, which the crew sought in vain to quench.
In a sudden panic, for which there seems to have been no sufficient cause,
the terrified crew wet their powder and ceased to fire on the British
works. The panic spread to the other batteries, and from them to the
forces on shore, even the commander-in-chief being affected by the
causeless fear. At one moment the assailants were enthusiastic with
expectation of success. Not many minutes afterwards they were so overcome
with unreasoning terror that an insane order was given to burn the
batteries, and these were fired with such precipitate haste that the crews
were allowed no time to escape. More of the men were saved by their
enemies, who came with generous intrepidity to their aid, than by their
own terror-stricken friends.
This unfortunate event put a sudden end to the costly and promising
effort. The nobles of Spain and the princes of France left the camp in
disgust. Charles III. received word that Gibraltar was not captured, and
not likely to be, and the idea of taking the stronghold by force was
abandoned, the blockade being resumed.
To keep away British aid the allied fleet was increased until it numbered
forty-seven ships of the line, with a considerable number of smaller
vessels. Furnaces were prepared to heat shot for the destruction of any
transports and store-ships that might enter the harbor. Against this great
fleet Lord Howe appeared in October with only thirty sail, and encumbered
with a large convoy. The allied leaders seeing this small force, felt sure
of victory, and of Gibraltar as their prize.
But again they were doomed to disappointment. The elements came to the
British aid. A violent storm drove the allied fleet from its anchorage,
dispersed the vessels, injured many of the large ships, and drove the
small craft ashore. Lord Howe, whose ships were far better handled, sailed
in good order through the straits, and for five days of rough weather
offered battle to the disabled enemy, keeping them at a distance while his
transports and store-ships entered the harbor and supplied the garrison
abundantly with provisions, ammunition, and men. The effort to take
Gibraltar was hopelessly defeated. The blockade was still kept up, but
merely as a satisfaction to Spanish pride. All hope of taking the fortress
was at an end. Gibraltar remains to-day in British hands, and no later
attempt to take it has been made.