5. Gibraltar was besieged for nearly four years
After the French militarily intervened in the Revolutionary War, negotiations by American diplomats bore further fruit when Spain entered the war against Great Britain. Spain and France agreed to mutually support one another in recovering territory lost to the British in previous wars, and Spain began preparations to recover Gibraltar, the gateway to the Mediterranean. Gibraltar was garrisoned by about 5,300 British troops, supported by well-fortified artillery batteries protecting it from attack from both land and sea. A Spanish army of about 14,000 men cut off Gibraltar by land, beginning the construction of siege lines in the summer of 1779, while combined Spanish and French naval squadrons blockaded the position by sea.
The worst of the siege for the garrison in Gibraltar, which also included German troops from Hanover (of which George III was also sovereign), was during the winter of 1779-1780. Rations were limited to salt meat and ship’s biscuit, with soft bread allowed only to children. The limited rations led to scurvy becoming prevalent among the troops. Firewood became scarce, and ships in the harbor, protected by the guns of the garrison, were broken up to provide fuel. Occasional harassing raids by Spanish troops were launched to test the resistance of the British troops. There were also skirmishes between vessels at sea. The winter was the beginning of what would eventually become the longest siege ever endured by the British army.