WELLINGTON AND SIEGE WARFARE IN SPAIN: CIUDAD RODRIGO AND BADAJOZ IN 1812.
ANDREW THOMAS SWIFT
Jacksonville State Univ., 2014
This paper examines the British sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz from the Peninsula Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. Following an introduction on siege warfare, the principal British characters and organizations are introduced. Subsequent chapters cover earlier sieges at the two Spanish fortresses. When looking at the 1812 sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz in detail, attention is given to the decisions made by the British commander, Sir Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington). While the execution of his siege operations resulted in high casualty rates, Wellington lacked the means necessary to carry out siege warfare in the most efficient manner.
Wellington's main problem with siege warfare was twofold:
First he had no trained and organized engineer troops until 1813, and, second, he had to always be on alert for a French relieving force to any siege.
Further, Royal Engineer officers were not well-trained in siege techniques. A useful comparison would be to compare/contrast British and French sieges in the Peninsula.
Suchet in Eastern Spain had both a superior engineer commander as well as a superior artillery commander. General Rogniat, who had replaced Lacoste after the latter was killed in action at Saragossa, was Suchet's engineer commander, and General Valee, who would later develop and introduce the new artillery system that replaced the Gribeauval System ca 1827, was the artillery commander. Both worked together well and were definitely responsible for the string of successful sieges undertaken by Marshal Suchet. They were the most successful team of 'savant' French officers for sieges during the period.
Rogniat, Joseph Vicomte, (1776-1840):
Rogniat graduated from the Ecole du Genie at Metz and commissioned a second lieutenant on 22 September 1794. Promoted to first lieutenant on 5 March 1795 and was assigned to the Armée du Rhin from 1795-1797. Promoted to captain on 20 April 1796 Rogniat served at Landau, the defense of Kehl, and was on the engineer staff of the Armée d’Angleterre on 10 January 1798. Transferred to the Armée de Mayence on 20 July, he served with the armies de Helvetie and the Rhine from 1799-1800. He became the aide-de-camp of General Grandjean on 27 June 1800 and was promoted to chef de bataillon on 9 July of the same year.
He served under Moreau in the Armée du Rhin as the commandant of engineers of the ‘corps du centre.’ He fought at Hohenlinden on 3 December 1800 and after a number of engineer staff assignments from 1801-1805 he became the chief engineer of the VII Corps of the Grande Armee under Marshal Augereau on 23 October 1805. Transferred to the Cavalry Reserve he served under Marshal Murat at Jena in October 1806 as well as at Pultusk and Eylau. He served in the X Corps under Marshal Lefebvre at the siege of Danzig in March 1807 and at the siege of Stralsund in July 1807. Promoted to colonel of engineers on 19 February 1808 he went into Spain on the Imperial staff and served at the first siege of Saragossa.
He served at Tudela and the capture of Madrid and served under Marshal Lannes and Lacoste at the second siege of Saragossa, replacing Lacoste after he was killed in action. When the new war with Austria began and Lannes was ordered to Germany, he took Rogniat with him as the chief engineer of II Corps. After Lannes death at Essling, Rogniat was kept in his position by General, then Marshal Oudinot. He served at Wagram and was made a baron of the Empire.
He returned to Spain to serve under Suchet in the Army of Aragon, becoming Suchet’s chief engineer. He and the army artillery chief, General Valee, became a winning team in Eastern Spain successfully besieging and taking a string of fortified cities. He was recalled to the Grande Armee in 1813 and replaced General Haxo as chief engineer of the Grande Armée and fought at Lutzen, Bautzen, Dresden, Leipzig and Hanau. He remained in the army after Napoleon’s first abdication but rejoined Napoleon upon the latter’s return from Elba in March 1815. He was appointed as commandant en chef of the engineers of the Armee du Nord and fought at Waterloo. He was allowed to remain in the army after the second restoration and held a succession of engineer assignments until he was appointed Inspector General of Engineers in 1828.
Valee, Sylvain Charles (1773-1846): Valee was the experienced French artillery officer who developed the artillery system that replaced the Gribeauval System ca 1827-1829. He entered the Ecole Militaire in 1782 and graduated from the Chalons artillery school in 1792 and entered the new horse artillery arm. In 1804 he was an inspector of the artillery train and in 1806 he was the chief of staff for the First Inspector General and President of the Artillery Committee, General Songis. He was a colonel in 1807 and commander of the 1st Regiment of Artillerie á Pied. He had a succession of assignments and promotions successively being a general of brigade, a baron of the Empire, and a general of division and became the commander of the artillery of the Army of Catalonia and Aragon under Suchet. Along with the engineer General Rogniat, they became a successful team in the sieges conducted in Eastern Spain under Suchet’s command. They were the most successful artillery-engineer team in the Peninsula, probably in the entire period. In March 1814 he was made a Count of the Empire. He served throughout the Empire and would become a Marshal of France and a Peer of France as well as the First Inspector General of Artillery under Louis-Philipe. He designed the new artillery system that bears his name under the guidance of the then Minister of War, Marshal Victor in 1822. Valee would eventually become the Governor of Algeria.