Siege of Tarifa (1812)
| Siege of Tarifa (1812) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Peninsular War | |||||||
Royal Irish Fusiliers repel a French assault | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jean François Leval |
Francisco Copons John Byrne Skerrett | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
8,000–10,400 16 guns |
2,300–4,500 26 guns | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
600–680 killed, wounded or captured 9–14 guns lost | 68–150 killed, wounded or captured | ||||||
Peninsular War: Siege of Cádiz
current battle
In the siege of Tarifa from 19 December 1811 to 5 January 1812, an Imperial French army under Jean François Leval laid siege to an Anglo-Spanish garrison led by Francisco Copons. Despite the advice of British Colonel John Byrne Skerrett to evacuate the town, Copons decided to hold out. Some wanted to evacuate to and defend the small island that was attached by a causeway from the town.
Tarifa is located on the southernmost tip of Spain, about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Cadiz. The siege occurred during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars.