Chapter 35

Storming Ciudad Rodrigo
January 1812
See Battle Plan

On 2nd January, Wellington decided now was the time to storm Ciudad Rodrigo and by 5th January he had the entire army up at the front and on the 8th the fortress was invested.
	His first move was to attack the Renaud Redoubt on the Great Teson and afterwards to dig trenches and 3 batteries behind the redoubt from which he could shell the walls of Ciudad Rodrigo. Next the convent of St Cruz was stormed and taken to allow the trenches to be extended onto the Little Teson on which another battery could be constructed only 200 yards in front of the walls. The 27 guns in the batteries on the Great Teson opened up on the walls of the fortress on 14th January, later that night the convent of San Francisco was stormed and taken and by 19th January two breaches were made in the walls, one lesser one greater. At 7pm on the night of the 19th the storming parties attacked the fortress according to a plan devised by Wellington himself. There were to be four simultaneous attacks, two against the breeches and two more at the opposite side of the fortress were to be feints to distract the defenders but if they were to meet little resistance they were to be carried through.
1. The first attack was to be by the 3rd Division on the greater breech. 2. The second attack was to be by the Light Division on the lesser breech. 3. The third attack was to be carried out by O’Toole across the bridge over the Agueda and the walls on the opposite bank. Again it was to be carried through if resistance allowed. 4. Pack’s Independent Portuguese Brigade was to carry out the fourth attack and ordered to make a false attack at the
Santiago Gate, if resistance was not great they were to carry through their attack using escalading ladders. All the attacks were successful including the false attacks. There was considerable loss of life especially among senior officers and General Crauford of the Light Division and Generals Mackinon and Vandeleur of the Third Division were both killed. Major John Gomersall was wounded in the attack on the Santiago Gate. Ciudad Rodrigo was rebuilt and garrisoned with a Spanish Brigade.

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Ciudad Rodrigo