The European Siege That Decided American Independence: The (Great) Siege of Gibraltar 1779–1783

Video Description

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code "sandrhoman" at checkout. Download the Saily app or go to https://saily.com/sandrhoman ⛵ On April 12, 1781, the Spanish opened fire on the fortress of Gibraltar. For almost two years, they had tried in vain to starve out the small British garrison. Now they resorted to more drastic measures. The following years saw the use of fireships and floating gun platforms; desperate sorties and a grand assault; seemingly impossible tunnels and spectacular innovations in the use of artillery. The stakes were high, as Great Britain was simultaneously fighting for two of its most valuable possessions: Gibraltar in the Mediterranean and its colonies in America. For this reason, the Great Siege of Gibraltar is considered the largest battle of the American Revolutionary War. Lasting over three years and seven months, the Siege of Gibraltar is considered the longest siege ever endured by British forces. Gibraltar is located on the northern side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Great Britain had conquered the peninsula, known for obvious reasons as the “Rock,” in 1704 from the Spanish, who were unable to reclaim it by either diplomatic or military means in the following decades. But when the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, an opportunity arose. The French, who had sided with the American colonies and officially declared war on Great Britain in 1778, were faced with the problem that their fleet was too weak to fight a war overseas. Therefore, they persuaded King Charles III of Spain to come to their aid by promising to support him in the reconquest of Gibraltar and Menorca.INF This forced Britain to fight a war on two fronts: in the Old World, Spain and France threatened its possessions directly; in the New World, it slowly lost control over its colonies. The question of how Britain divided its forces was decisive not only for the outcome of the siege but also for the outcome of the American Revolutionary War. Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/sandrhomanhistory Paypal (thank you: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/SandRhomanhistory Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sandrhoman Some must read mlitary history books: Ambrose, S. E., Band of Brothers: E Company, 2001. https://amzn.to/438ltvZ Baime, A. J., The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman, 2017. https://amzn.to/3TcDGUj Beard, M., Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World, 2023. https://amzn.to/49L2olR Bevoor, A., Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943, 1999. https://amzn.to/4a4rqwe Beevor, A., The Second World War, 2013. https://amzn.to/3wNFITu Brennan, P+D., Gettysburg in Color, 2022. https://amzn.to/48LGldG Clausewitz, C., On War, 2010. https://amzn.to/3Vblf5 Kaushik, R., A Global History of Pre-Modern Warfare: 10,000 BCE–1500 CE, 2021. https://amzn.to/49Mtqt7 McPherson, J., Battle Cry of Freedom, The Civil War Era, 2021. https://amzn.to/3TseYAW Tsu, S., The Art of War, 2007, https://amzn.to/3TuknHA Sledge. E. B., With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, 2008. https://amzn.to/439olIK Pomerantsev, P., How to Win an Information War, 2024. https://amzn.to/3Ts0YqQ Bibliography Adkins, R./Adkins L., Gibraltar. The Greatest Siege in British History, New York 2017, p. 162. Ancell, S., A journal of the blockade and siege of Gibraltar, Cork 1793. Baldry, W.Y., The sortie from Gibraltar. November 27, 1781, Journal of the Society of Army Historical Research 15 (1936), pp. 144-51. Drinkwater, J., A History of the Late Siege of Gibraltar, London 1785. McGuffie, T.H., The Siege of Gibraltar 1779-1783, London 1965. Russell, J., Gibraltar Besieged 1779-1783, London 1965. Upton, C., The Siege of Gibraltar from the Twelfth of April to the Twenty-Seventh of May, London 1781.