Badajoz 06 April 1812

In 1812 Wellington attempted to take the strongly fortified city of Badajoz. It was defended by a determined French and Hessian garrison of some 5,000 men and led by Armand Phillipon - a brave and resourceful adversary.

Its fortifications formed an enclosure of nine bastions connected by walls of between 20 to 46 feet high with a castle that acted as citadel.

Wellington decided to attack Badajoz by breaching its walls on the southern side at the Santa Maria and Trinidad bastions and on March 16th 1812 the siege works began.

With two French armies marching to relieve Badajoz, time became a critical problem for Wellington. He knew that it would take a while for satisfactory breaches to be made but to wait too long might force him into fighting a covering action similar to that fought by Beresford the year before at Albuera.

Throughout the rest of March and early April the British guns blasted away at to breach the Santa Maria and Trinidad bastions. The assault was ordered for the night 06 April 1812.

This photo shows the view from the jump off point for the 4th and Light Divisions just before 10pm.



The Light Division assault with 100m to run, the Santa Maria bastion breach is to the left side of the photo. (The 4th Division attack is to our right and parallel with the Light Division). At this point of the approach the soldiers were confronted by a large ditch.


The Light Division assault point, the breach in the Santa Maria bastion.


This wall between the Santa Maria bastion and the Trinidad bastion was breached only the day before the assault to improve the attackers options. The delay however may well have just allowed the French to further ready themselves for the assault.


Just to the right of the Light Division, the 4th Division (Colville) were designated to assault the breach in this section of the Trinidad bastion.