Historical art prints of the
Napoleonic wars by historical artist Chris Collingwood. Military prints of
the Peninsula War and the Battle of Waterloo from the historical art print
company, Cranston Fine Arts.
After Lord Wellington had laid siege to Cuidad
Rodrigo in January 1812, he moved his forces south to attack the
stronghold of Badajoz. The garrison at Badajoz was strongly defended by
French troops supported by German and loyal Spanish. The Duke of
Wellington laid siege to the fortress form 17th March to 6th April, on the
5th April a large scale assault breached the fortress walls which allowed
Wellingtons troops to storm the defences. The main assault failed with the
loss of 2,000 but one of the two diversionary attacks succeeded in scaling
the walls at the second attempt. The following day the defenders
surrendered. The British troops took their revenge on the town with
sustained looting and it was 3 days before order was restored. The Duke of
Wellington's forces had 5,000 casualties during the siege of Badajoz.
THE STORMING OF SAN SEBASTIAN The Storming party, 750 volunteers, included 200 men of the Guards, one hundred
each from the First and Coldstream Guards. They moved off at two in the morning
on the 31st August 1813, and occupied a ruined convent where they remained till
half past nine. Aware of the almost impossible task ahead of them, and subjected
to a violent electric thunderstorm, the troops waited in a state of savage anticipation. ' Wild
senseless laughter' was said to have preceded the attack on the breach which
could not be entered except in single file under heavy fire. The troops attacked
in succession, but were struck down by hundreds. General Graham then ordered
the artillery to fire over the heads of the assailants, clearing the ramparts.
A shell ignited a quantity of powder, and under cover of the explosions, the
storming party forced its way into the town.
San Sebastian was savagely sacked and burned, and the good name of Wellington's
Army suffered as it had done at Badajoz. The civilians were raped, robbed and
murdered in revenge for the heavy losses suffered by the troops. The Franco-Spanish
governor retired the citadel (San Marcial) and on the 9th September, after
a gallant resistance of over a week, surrendered the charge he had so faithfully
defended. The casualties among the officers of the first Guards were one Officer,
Ensign Burrard, First battalion (a son of Sir Henry Burrard who was responsible
for the disastrous Treaty of Cintra) severely wounded, since dead, and one Officer,
Ensign Orlando Bridgeman, wounded. In the Coldstream Guards, one officer ensign
Thomas Chaplin, According to Lord Saltoun there were in round numbers, 150 casualties
amongst 200 Guardsman. Total losses of volunteers from all regiments were 1500
men. (text by Atlanta Clifford, assistant to the Curator-The Guards Museum)
Grenadier Guards at San Sebastian At San Sebastian they contributed 100 men to the 750
who, in Wellington's words were "to show the way to the breach, if it
should be practicable." A tremendous fire met them as they marched to
the assault. Hurling themselves as a living torrent upon that gap, where
but a man could enter at a time, hundreds fell in the withering fire,
until the artillery, opening over their heads, a magazine was exploded
within, and in the fiery tempest that followed they swarmed headlong up
the works, and San Sebastian was won.
