Siege of Tarragona (1813) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Tarragona |
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| Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Empire Kingdom of Italy |
 United Kingdom, Spain, Kingdom of Sicily |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Antoine Bertoletti Louis-Gabriel Suchet Maurice Mathieu |
John Murray Benjamin Hallowell Francisco Copons |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Garrison: 1,600 Relief: 14,000 |
23,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 98 dead or wounded | 102 dead or wounded, 18 siege cannons |
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The Siege of Tarragona was a military event that happened from June 3 to June 11, 1813. It was part of the Peninsular War, a big conflict in Europe. During this siege, a large army of British and Spanish soldiers tried to capture the city of Tarragona in Spain.
This army was led by Lieutenant General John Murray, 8th Baronet. However, they failed to take the city. Tarragona was defended by a smaller group of French and Italian soldiers. Their leader was General of Brigade Antoine Marc Augustin Bertoletti. After this event, General Murray was removed from his command. This was because his leadership was seen as unsure and confusing.
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Why Tarragona Was Attacked
General Murray's army had recently won a battle at Battle of Castalla in April. This victory was against a French army led by Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet. After this win, Arthur Wellesley, a very important British general, gave Murray new orders.
Wellington wanted Murray to attack Tarragona. This city is a port on the east coast of Spain. It is about 65 miles southwest of Barcelona. Wellington was planning a big attack against the French armies in Spain. He hoped that attacking Tarragona would stop Marshal Suchet from sending help to the French King Joseph Bonaparte.
On June 2, 1813, Murray's army arrived by sea. About 16,000 soldiers landed at Salou Bay, which is near Tarragona. They soon met up with 7,000 Spanish soldiers led by General Francisco Copons. On June 3, the combined army began their siege of Tarragona.
The Armies Involved
General Murray's army was made up of different groups. It had two British infantry divisions and one Spanish division. There were also cavalry units and artillery batteries from Britain and Portugal.
The British soldiers included regiments like the 58th and 67th Foot. There were also soldiers from the King's German Legion and Sicilian regiments. The cavalry included the 20th Light Dragoons. Murray also had 18 heavy siege guns. These were the same powerful cannons that Wellington had used in other important sieges.
Inside Tarragona, General Bertoletti had a small group of about 1,600 soldiers. These were French and Italian infantry, plus some artillerymen and French sailors. The city's defenses were not very strong. They had not been fully repaired since the French captured the city in 1811. Because he had so few men, Bertoletti decided not to defend the outer walls. Instead, he pulled his soldiers back into the older, stronger part of the city. He left only small groups of soldiers in two outer forts, called the Bastion of San Carlos and Fort Royal.
The Siege Begins
General Copons and his Spanish soldiers were sent north. Their job was to block any French forces coming from Barcelona. A British group also took control of a fort to the south.
Instead of attacking the two outer forts right away, General Murray decided to set up special cannons. These "breaching batteries" were meant to break down the walls. By June 7, one of the forts, Fort Royal, was badly damaged by the cannon fire. But Murray still waited. He decided to attack this fort only on June 11.
Meanwhile, French generals were moving their troops. Marshal Suchet, with 8,000 men, started marching north from Valencia. From Barcelona, General Maurice Mathieu and 6,000 men marched south. Their plan was to meet at Reus, a town near Tarragona.
Murray's Retreat
General Murray became very worried about these two French armies getting close. On June 9, he secretly ordered his troops to prepare to leave the siege. On June 11, he rode to meet General Copons. He learned that General Mathieu's forces were indeed approaching. Murray promised to send British soldiers to help Copons.
But then, Murray heard more rumors that both French armies were coming. He became very scared. He canceled the planned attack on Fort Royal. He ordered that all supplies be loaded back onto the ships. Late that night, Murray told his chief gunner to remove the heavy cannons immediately. The gunner said it would take at least 30 hours to move them.
It turned out that all this panic was unnecessary. Marshal Suchet heard that Spanish forces were threatening Valencia, so he turned back. General Mathieu's troops met some of Copons' soldiers. When Mathieu realized he was facing a combined army of 23,000 men, he decided to retreat north.
During this time, Murray kept giving many confusing orders. This made the situation even worse and angered Rear-Admiral Benjamin Hallowell Carew, who was in charge of the ships. By the night of June 12, all the British and Allied soldiers were back on the ships. They left behind the 18 heavy siege cannons, which they had made useless by spiking them. Many supplies were also left behind. General Copons was told to escape into the mountains. General Bertoletti, inside Tarragona, was amazed. He sent a message to Mathieu that the coast was clear.
Soon after, Murray decided to land his army again at Balaguer. He convinced Copons to support this second landing. But the next day, when Murray heard that French soldiers were nearby, he ordered his army to get back on the ships immediately. This frustrated Hallowell even more. Copons was left alone again. On June 18, Lord William Bentinck arrived and took over command from Murray. The expedition then sailed back to Alicante.
Outcome of the Siege
The British and Allied forces lost 18 heavy siege cannons. They also had 15 soldiers killed, 82 wounded, and 5 missing. The French lost 13 killed and 85 wounded.
Even though the Tarragona siege was a failure, it did not stop Wellington's main plan for 1813. His campaign ended with a big victory over King Joseph's French army at the Battle of Vitoria on June 21. In 1814, General Murray faced a military trial for his actions at Tarragona. He was found innocent of most charges. However, he was found guilty of abandoning his cannons without a good reason. For this, he received a warning from the court.
