Second siege of Badajoz (1811) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Second siege of Badajoz (1811)
Part of the Peninsular War
Date 22 April – 12 May 1811 19 May – 10 June 1811 Location Badajoz, Spain 38°53′N 6°58′W / 38.883°N 6.967°W / 38.883; -6.967 Result French victory
Belligerents
French Empire	United Kingdom Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Armand Philippon	Arthur Wellesley William Beresford
Strength
7,600	34,700
Casualties and losses
Unknown	964 killed, wounded or captured

The second siege of Badajoz happened in 1811 during the Peninsular War. This war was part of the bigger Napoleonic Wars. British and Portuguese forces tried to capture the city of Badajoz in Spain.

The city was held by a French army led by Armand Philippon. The British and Portuguese army was first led by William Carr Beresford. Later, Arthur Wellesley, also known as Wellington, took command.

The siege happened in two parts: from April 22 to May 12, and again from May 19 to June 10, 1811. Even though the British and Portuguese tried hard, they could not make the French give up. Wellington had to pull his army back when two large French armies came to help Badajoz.

Badajoz is an important city. It is only about 6 kilometers (4 miles) from the Portuguese border. It sits on the Guadiana River in western Spain.

Why Badajoz Was Important

Badajoz was a very important city to control during the war. It was a strong fortress near the border between Spain and Portugal. This made it a key spot for armies moving between the two countries.

The First Siege of Badajoz

Before this second siege, the French had already captured Badajoz. In January 1811, French Marshal Nicolas Soult led an army to take the city. He also captured a nearby town called Olivenza.

A Spanish army tried to help Badajoz, but they were badly defeated by the French. On March 11, 1811, the Spanish defenders in Badajoz had to surrender to the French. The French suffered some losses, but they gained control of this important fortress.

Allied Forces Arrive

After the French took Badajoz, British and Portuguese forces arrived. These troops were led by William Carr Beresford. Their goal was to take Badajoz back from the French.

Beresford's army had about 18,000 soldiers. They included British and Portuguese troops. They also had Spanish soldiers join them later.

First Attempt to Take Badajoz

Beresford wanted to attack Badajoz quickly. However, there were some problems that caused delays.

Challenges for the Attackers

• Lack of Shoes: Some British soldiers did not have enough shoes. They had to wait for new ones to arrive.
• Bridge Problems: The army needed to cross the Guadiana River. They planned to use special boats called pontoons to build a bridge. But there were not enough pontoons.
• Flooding: Even after they built a makeshift bridge, a flood washed it away. This made it very hard to get troops and supplies across the river.

While the Allied army was dealing with these problems, the French in Badajoz were busy. They used the extra time to repair and strengthen the city's defenses.

Starting the Siege

The siege officially began on April 22, 1811. The French commander, Armand Philippon, had about 4,000 soldiers defending Badajoz. Beresford had about 20,700 British and Portuguese troops.

William Carr Beresford, a leader of the Allied forces.

The Allied army also had trouble getting their cannons ready. Many of the cannons were very old. Some were from the 1600s! They were not in good condition. The gunners were also not fully trained.

Attacks and French Resistance

The Allied forces tried to dig trenches closer to the city walls. But in some areas, the ground was too hard. They had to use special baskets filled with soil to build defenses.

The French defenders fought back fiercely. They launched surprise attacks from the city. In one attack, the French lost 200 men, but the British and Portuguese lost 438.

The old Allied cannons also had problems. Many of them broke down or became unusable during the fighting.

First Siege Ends

News arrived that French Marshal Soult was coming with a large army to help Badajoz. Because of this, Beresford had to stop the siege. He ordered his troops to move to a place called La Albuera. They needed to prepare to fight Soult's army.

The Allied forces lost 533 British and 200 Portuguese soldiers in this first attempt. They had to leave their siege equipment behind.

The Battle of Albuera

Armand Philippon, the French commander of Badajoz.

On May 16, 1811, Beresford's army fought Soult's French army at the Battle of Albuera. This was a very bloody battle for both sides.

• Soult had about 24,000 soldiers.
• Beresford had about 35,000 soldiers, including many Spanish troops.

Both armies suffered huge losses. The French lost around 6,000 to 7,900 men. The Allied forces lost about 5,900 men. Even though the losses were terrible, Beresford's army won the battle. Soult's army had to retreat.

While the battle was happening, the French in Badajoz worked quickly. They filled in the trenches and destroyed the cannon positions that the Allies had built.

Second Attempt to Take Badajoz

After the Battle of Albuera, Wellington arrived to take personal command of the siege. He brought more troops from the north.

New Plans for Attack

Wellington's engineers suggested attacking the San Cristobal fort again. They also planned a major attack on the Castle, which was on the south side of the river.

Viscount Wellington, who took command of the siege.

The Allied army gathered 46 cannons for this new siege. Again, many of these cannons were very old. They were brought from the fortress of Elvas.

Fighting Continues

The Allied cannons began firing on Badajoz on June 3. They managed to silence the guns of San Cristobal fort. However, the old cannons kept breaking down. Their parts would wear out or they would stop working properly.

The Castle walls were very strong and hard to damage. But the San Cristobal fort was badly damaged.

First Assault on San Cristobal

On June 6, about 180 Allied volunteers tried to attack San Cristobal fort at midnight. They found that the French had cleared the ditch around the fort. The French had also blocked the damaged parts of the wall with carts and sharp obstacles.

The ladders the attackers had were too short to reach the top of the wall. The French defenders fired at them and rolled bombs into the ditch. After an hour, the attackers had to retreat. They lost 12 killed and 80 wounded. The French lost only a few men.

Second Assault on San Cristobal

After this failure, Wellington ordered three more days of bombing. By June 9, many of the cannons were still broken.

On June 9, a second attack on San Cristobal was launched. About 400 soldiers tried to storm the fort. The French immediately opened heavy fire. The leaders of the attack were killed. Most of the soldiers who tried to climb the ladders were shot down. The few who made it to the top were met by French soldiers with bayonets.

After about 50 minutes, the attack failed. The Allied forces lost 54 killed and 81 wounded.

The Siege Ends

On June 10, a short break was called so the Allies could collect their wounded soldiers. During this time, the French quickly repaired their defenses.

Even though the French were running low on food, Wellington decided to stop the siege. He received news that another large French army was coming from the north. This army was led by Marshal Auguste Marmont. If Marmont's army joined Soult's army, the combined French forces would be much stronger than Wellington's.

Wellington decided that continuing the siege would be too risky. So, on the night of June 10, the Allied cannons were pulled back. The siege of Badajoz was over.

Aftermath

Soon after, Marshal Marmont's army joined Soult's army. Their combined force of 60,000 men was much larger than Wellington's 50,000 troops. The French armies relieved Badajoz and resupplied the French soldiers inside.

The French commanders decided not to attack Wellington's strong position. After a while, Soult was called away to deal with other problems. Marmont's army also left.

The war continued, but Badajoz remained under French control for a while longer.