A detailed, illustrated account of France and Spain's attempt to capture the Gibraltar peninsula from Britain during the American Revolutionary War.
After Spain declared war on Britain on 21 June 1779, Gibraltar was besieged by land and sea for four years. The centrepiece of the siege was the dramatic assault by supposedly invincible battering ships and the author reveals how these floating phenomena were countered by British engineering ingenuity and sheer resolve.
In this detailed account of the siege, Rene Chartrand examines the Franco-Spanish and British forces as well as the personalities and plans that would contribute to a vital British victory at a time when British fortunes elsewhere in the world were on the wane.
Introduction
Origins of the Campaign
Chronology
Opposing Commanders
Opposing Armies
Opposing Plans
The Great Siege
The Sortie
The Siege of Minorca
Gibraltar holds on
The Grand Attack
Admiral Howe's Relief
Aftermath
The Battlefield Today
Select Bibliography
Index
Produktdetaljer
Om bidragsyterne
René Chartrand was born in Montréal and educated in Canada, the United States and the Bahamas. A senior curator with Canada's National Historic Sites for nearly three decades, he is now a freelance writer and historical consultant. He has written numerous articles and books including almost 30 Osprey titles. He lives in Gatineau, Québec, with his wife and two sons.
Patrice Courcelle was born in northern France in 1950 and has been a professional illustrator for over 20 years. Entirely self-taught, he has illustrated many books and magazine articles for Continental publishers, and his work hangs in a number of public and private collections. His dramatic and lucid style has won him widespread admiration in the field of military illustration. Patrice lives a few miles from the battlefield of Waterloo with his wife and son.