Qualla: Siege of Burgos

Siege of Burgos: Introduction

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Wyrdlight at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. "This is altogether the most difficult job I ever had in hand with such trifling means. God send that they may give me a little more time." Wellington wrote those words from the siege trenches outside Burgos Castle in October 1812, and they capture something rare in the career of Britain's most successful general: desperation. With only a handful of siege guns, five engineer officers, and eight sappers, he had thrown his army against a fortress defended by 2,000 Frenchmen under General Jean-Louis Dubreton -- and for five weeks, the fortress held.

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Image: Wyrdlight at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

Siege of Burgos: The Trap of Victory

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Luispa, Public domain. Wellington arrived at Burgos riding a wave of triumph. His decisive victory over Marshal Marmont at the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812 had shattered the French position in central Spain. King Joseph Bonaparte had fled Madrid. The Retiro forts surrendered, yielding 2,046 prisone...

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Image: Luispa | Public domain

Siege of Burgos: A General Without Tools

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit François Joseph Heim, Public domain. The fundamental problem at Burgos was resources. Wellington had as few as three heavy siege guns with only 1,306 rounds -- accounts vary, but no historian credits him with adequate firepower. Admiral Home Popham offered to land heavier artillery from the Royal Navy at Santander, ...

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Image: François Joseph Heim | Public domain

Siege of Burgos: Dubreton's Masterclass

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit François Joseph Heim, Public domain. Against Wellington's clumsy attacks, Dubreton conducted a defense that military historians still study. When the British captured the San Miguel hornwork on the first night -- at a cost of 421 Allied casualties -- Dubreton simply retreated to the inner walls and waited. A hasty a...

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Image: François Joseph Heim | Public domain

Siege of Burgos: Rain, Cannonballs, and Retreat

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit François Joseph Heim, Public domain. By mid-October, rain was falling in sheets, flooding the siege trenches. The British guns on the captured hornwork ran so low on ammunition that soldiers retrieved fired French cannonballs and loaded them back. A third mine was detonated under the Chapel of San Roman on October 1...

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Image: François Joseph Heim | Public domain

Siege of Burgos: The Long Walk Home

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit François Joseph Heim, Public domain. The retreat from Burgos became one of the most punishing marches of the Peninsular War. Wellington and his lieutenant Rowland Hill joined forces near Alba de Tormes on November 8, but logistics had collapsed. Allied soldiers marched through cold rain for four days with almost no ...

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Image: François Joseph Heim | Public domain