page_title: Siege of Roses (1808)
section_title: Siege
hierarchical_section_title: Siege of Roses (1808) / Siege
caption_attribution_description: Porta de Mar de la Ciutadella de Roses (Alt Empordà)
context_page_description: The Siege of Roses or Siege of Rosas from 7 November to 5 December 1808 saw an Imperial French corps led by Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr invest a Catalan and Spanish garrison commanded by Peter O'Daly. After a siege lasting a month in which the haven and town of Roses was captured and the nearby Trinity Castle invested by over 13,000 French and Italian infantry, artillery and cavalry with heavy siege trains on the hills above, the Citadel was surrendered to the Napoleonic forces. Roses is located 43 kilometres northeast of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The action occurred during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars.
  In the summer and fall of 1808, an Imperial French corps under Guillaume Philibert Duhesme was isolated in Barcelona by a 24,000-man Spanish army led by Juan Miguel de Vives y Feliu. With 23,000 men, Gouvion Saint-Cyr moved from the French border to relieve Duhesme's troops. The first obstacle to Gouvion Saint-Cyr's mission was the haven of Roses defended by a large citadel with sea approaches defended by a headland castle.
context_section_description: Gouvion Saint-Cyr's field force numbered 23,000 men. He appointed Reille to manage the siege while he and the rest of the corps stood by to fend off any relief attempts. Reille had 12,000 Imperial troops in 24 battalions supported by four foot artillery batteries. For the siege, the French general employed his own and Pino's divisions. Reille's 3rd Division included one battalion each of the 16th Line, 32nd Light, 56th Line, and 113th Line Infantry Regiments, four battalions of the Regiment of Perpignan, and the Valais, Chasseurs des Montagnes, and 5th Reserve Legion Battalions. Pino's 5th Division was made up of three battalions each of the Italian 1st Light, 2nd Light, and 6th Line Infantry Regiments, two battalions of the Italian 4th Line Infantry Regiment, and one battalion each of the Italian 5th and 7th Line Infantry Regiments.
  The garrison of Roses consisted of 3,500 soldiers and 58 cannons commanded by Colonel Peter O'Daly. The small core of regulars was represented by 150 men of the Ultonia Infantry Regiment, one company of the Wimpffen Swiss Regiment, a half-battalion of the 2nd Light Infantry of Barcelona, and 120 artillerists. Later in the siege, one weak battalion of the Borbon Infantry Regiment was landed. The remainder of the garrison was made up of the Berga, Figueras, Igualada, and Lérida Tercios, which were formations of miquelets. Providing naval support was the British third-rate HMS Excellent (74), Captain John West. As the siege progressed Excellent was replaced by HMS Fame (74), Captain Richard Bennett. Also present were two bomb vessels, HMS Meteor and HMS Lucifer. Cochrane's Imperieuse arrived later in the siege.
  The port of Roses was provided with a Vauban-type citadel (Ciutadella de Roses) and the satellite Castell de la Trinitat. In 1543 Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor ordered these fortifications to be built. The works were completed by 1570 and were besieged in 1645, 1693, and 1794–1795. The citadel was a modified pentagon with five bastions. Four demi-lunes covered all sides except the sea side. The Castillo de la Trinidad was an outlying 4-pointed star fort on a 60 metres (197 ft) high elevation. The citadel is located just west of Roses while the castillo tops a headland about two kilometers south-southeast of the citadel along a tightly curved promontory. A 300 metres (984 ft) high height overlooks the Castillo on the northeast.
  On 8 November a thick fog settled on the land and a force of miquelets took the opportunity to attack Gouvion Saint-Cyr's corps while O'Daly's garrison moved against Reille's encampment. Neither action stopped the siege operation. That day, all civilians were evacuated from the town by sea. After a week of heavy rain, Reille attacked the Castillo de la Trinidad but was repulsed. The heavy guns reached Roses on 16 November and Reille's men soon dug emplacements for them, the rain having stopped. Though he had plenty of soldiers available, de Vives declined to mount a relief expedition. Álvarez tried to march to the assistance of Roses from Girona, but he was stopped at the Fluvià River.
  The Italians successfully stormed into the town on 26 November. This allowed Reille to construct a water-front battery which threatened the British warships. Around this time, O'Daly was reinforced by one battalion of regulars. On the 28th, Reille summoned the fortress to surrender, but O'Daly refused. Cochrane arrived and assumed command of the Castillo which was held by Spaniards and sailors from the British squadron. On 30 November, Pino's men tried to storm the Castillo without success. After this repulse, Reille ignored the position and concentrated on reducing the citadel.
  The French bombardment soon smashed a breach in the fortress walls. On 3 December, the Spanish commander sent 500 men to seize the most deadly of the breaching batteries. This assault failed with heavy losses and the attackers returned to their positions in disarray. On the 4th, Reille's trenches were 200 yards (183 m) from the walls and his troops began making preparations to mount a full-dress assault. O'Da
caption: Portal del Mar (Sea Gate), Fortress of Roses
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