The second siege of Girona was the second unsuccessful French attempt to capture the city of

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...

(spelled "Gerona" in Castilian) during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, part of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

is located halfway between the Franco-Spanish border and

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

Background

The Spanish conventional warfare had started with the

Battles of El Bruch The two Battles of the Bruch ''(Spanish: Batallas del Bruch; Catalan: Batalles del Bruc)'' were engagements fought successively between French columns commanded by Brigadier General François de Schwarz and General of Division Joseph Chabran, ...

Siege

Spanish occupation of

threatened the French forces'

lines of communication A line of communication (or communications) is the route that connects an operating military unit with its supply base. Supplies and reinforcements are transported along the line of communication. Therefore, a secure and open line of communicati ...

between

and

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...

. An Imperial French corps led by

Guillaume Philibert Duhesme Guillaume Philibert, 1st Count Duhesme (7 July 1766 in Mercurey (formerly ''Bourgneuf''), Burgundy – 20 June 1815 near Waterloo) was a French general during the Napoleonic Wars. Revolution Duhesme studied law and in 1792 was made colonel of ...

attempted to capture the city of

and its

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

garrison, commanded by

Richard II O'Donovan Richard O'Donovan II, The O'Donovan of Clancahill, (1764/1768—1829), Lieutenant General was the son of Jane Becher, daughter of John Becher, and Daniel V O'Donovan, The O'Donovan of Clancahill. O'Donovan fought with the 6th Dragoons in the ...

, then a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. The French began regular siege operations, but withdrew when another Spanish force led by the Conde de Caldagues attacked their lines from the rear. After the Spanish people rebelled against occupation by the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

, Duhesme found himself badly isolated in

. The Franco-Italian corps was surrounded by swarms of

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

miquelets ''Miquelets'' or ''Micalets'' (; es, Migueletes) were irregular Catalan and Valencian mountain light troops. They enjoyed a certain prominence in the wars in the Iberian Peninsula during the 17th and 18th centuries, and in peace seem to have on ...

(militia) supported by a few Spanish regulars. When the French general received news that a French division under

Honoré Charles Reille Honoré Charles Michel Joseph Reille (; 1 September 1775 – 4 March 1860) was a Marshal of France, born in Antibes. Reille served in the early campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars under Dumouriez and Masséna, whose daughter Victoire he m ...

was coming to his assistance, he decided to capture

. Having failed to storm Girona in June, Duhesme mounted a formal siege operation. Duhesme's formal siege operations were interrupted by Caldagues' attack in mid-August. Though the Franco-Italian forces suffered few casualties, Duhesme and his soldiers became discouraged and they ended the siege. While Reille retreated to

Figueres Figueres (, ; , es, Figueras, ) is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museu ...

without much trouble, Duhesme's men were harassed during their return to

by the Spanish army and the British navy. By the time the French forces arrived in

, they were without artillery and badly demoralized. Meanwhile,

Emperor Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

assembled a new corps under

Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, 1st Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr (; 13 April 1764 – 17 March 1830) was a French military commander in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire. He is regarded ...

to relieve Duhesme from his predicament. The next action of the Peninsular War would be the siege of Roses, from 7 November to 5 December 1808.

Aftermath

The guerilla war proceeded till the end of the Peninsular war. The Spanish conventional warfare proceeded till the end of the Peninsular war. The British intervention started with the

Battle of Roliça In the Battle of Roliça (17 August 1808) an Anglo-Portuguese army under Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated an outnumbered Imperial French division under General of Division Henri François Delaborde, near the village of Roliça in Portugal. The ...

led by Wellington. Napoleon started his invasion of Spain with the

Battle of Zornoza The Battle of Zornoza fought on 31 October 1808, was one of the opening engagements in Napoleon's invasion of Spain. The battle was intended to encircle and crush the left wing of the Spanish front. The Spanish infantry was swiftly thrown bac ...

Notes

References

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Further read

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Girona 1808, Siege of Sieges of the Peninsular War Sieges of the Napoleonic Wars Sieges involving Spain Sieges involving France Conflicts in 1808 1808 in Spain July 1808 events August 1808 events Battles in Catalonia