Siege of Barcelona 1714

 

Today marks the 308th anniversary of the fall of Barcelona to the bourbon army at the end of the War of Spanish Succession, and to celebrate we've replayed the siege using my own Lasalle supplement. My father, suitably dressed, took command of the catalan defenders while I led the armies of Philip V

The siege begins with the desultory fire of the catalan guns, that bombard the franco-spanish forces while they excavate the first approaches

After a month the first parallel is opened to provide cover for the artillery while the bourbon trenches sneak their way closer to the city

By now the besiegers have come within close range of the enemy, and a rain of canister fire causes the first losses amongst them

With he guns in place all is ready to batter down the walls of the catalan capital

While cannons and muskets trade shots another battle is raging below ground, where french sappers tunnel down to blow up the walls

Effective counter battery fire keeps the bourbon siege guns pinned for several weeks

It is now August, and the second parallel is dug to prepare the assault once the fortress is breached

Two mines blow up under the Portal Nou bastion, opening the way for the besiegers

That decimate the garrison with concentrated fire prior to the assault

In a stroke of good luck for the besiegers the catalan player decides to abandon the Santa Clara bastion and the adjacent wall to form up behind Portal Nou

Another mine has reached the walls by then, opening yet another hole on the walls of Barcelona

Under the eyes of the Duke of Berwick the bourbons escalate the empty ramparts and launch their first assault on Portal Nou 

The french annihilate the defenders and take the bastion

But are immediately pushed back by a charge from the Diputació regiment

Berwick then reforms his reserves to gun down the defenders

While sending even more men over the walls to seize the buildings inside the town

A first attempt is made to shift the sometent militamen from the wall breach, but the bourbons are pushed back

Realizing that he can garrison the houses the catalan player sends two units to occupy any free real state

The remaining defenders form up in a corner behind the breach

Concentrated fire destroys the Diputació regiment inside one of the buildings

And finally two charges are launched against the Coronela militia, that inspired by the holy flag of Santa Eulàlia hold on despite impossible odds 

Despite this last act of defiance the fate of the city is sealed, and the catalans surrender after three months of nail-bitting siege