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Held Fast for England: A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar
Held Fast for England A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar Author:G. A. Henty The Siege of Gibraltar stands almost alone in the annals of — warfare, alike in its duration and in the immense preparations — made, by the united powers of France and Spain, for the capture of — the fortress. A greater number of guns were employed than in any — operation up to that time; although in number, and still more in — calibre, the artillery... more » then used have in, modern times, been thrown
into the shade by the sieges of Sebastopol and Paris. Gibraltar
differs, however, from these sieges, inasmuch as the defence was a
successful one and, indeed, at no period of the investment was the
fortress in any danger of capture, save by hunger.
At that period England was not, as she afterwards became,
invincible by sea; and as we were engaged at the same time in war
with France, Spain, Holland, and the United States, it was only
occasionally that a fleet could be spared to bring succour and
provisions to the beleaguered garrison. Scurvy was the direst enemy
of the defenders. The art of preserving meat in tins had not been
discovered, and they were forced to subsist almost entirely upon
salt meat. During the first year of the siege the supply of fresh
vegetables was scanty, in the extreme, and the garrison
consequently suffered so severely, from scurvy, that at one time
scarcely half of the men of the garrison were strong enough to
carry a firelock, and perform their duty. The providential capture
of a vessel laden with oranges and lemons checked the ravages of
the scourge; and the successful efforts of the garrison to raise
vegetables prevented it from ever, afterwards, getting a firm hold
upon them.
In such a siege there was but little scope for deeds of
individual gallantry. It was a long monotony of hardship and
suffering, nobly endured, and terminating in one of the greatest
triumphs ever recorded in the long roll of British victories.