Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History

This is a well-researched and interesting account of How Britain held onto the Rock, and why it remains an important British possession.The factual record of events is enlivened by quotations from private correspondences and diaries that bring alive some of those who lived through the siege. The narration tracks the timeline of events, from pre-siege pleasantries to final victory and normalization of relations. It brings home the sheer scale of suffering and sacrifice, of the unrelenting, nightmarish ordeal that was endured by Gibraltar residents and soldiers to keep hold of this small but highly significant corner of the empire. It reveals the calm planning and wise leadership of the Governor General Eliott, as well as the personal acrimonies, fueds and mis-steps of others.I found the first half rather plain reading however. I appreciate the fact that it is an unembroidered factual history, not a novel, although more details of the right sort might have helped the characterization and bring the protagonists a bit more to life I feel. It does enough to hold your attention, but in the second half it starts to grip you more and the tension builds.Gibraltar represents an incredible victory against the odds. A miracle, it truly fulfilled the biblical prophecy of Britain possessing “the gates of her enemies’ and maintaining her geographic choke points around the world in Hong Kong, Suez and so on.

This is a good, but not excellent, account of the siege. On the positive side, the authors have done solid research, and quote many contemporary sources. The book explains why the siege is important to history. And the events of the siege are covered in detail. However, the events are never gripping. I found myself wondering why they used the term 'greatest siege' in the title; I kept waiting to feel I had a stake in the desperation of one side or the other, but never got to that point. Why? Perhaps it was that the narrative got bogged down in minutiae that didn't relate to action; I kept wishing they would spend less time talking about some of the non-siege aspects of the book - such as the health problems of a key narrator they rely on, a British woman who kept a diary - and more time explaining the military encounters; that is, the siege itself. Perhaps a problem with the narrative is that I didn't care about any of the characters. There were few or no quick, but telling characterizations to make the protagonists come to life; as writers, the authors didn't seem to know how to do that. I found my attention wandering too often. For a much better and truly fantastic account of a siege, I recommend 1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West by Roger Crowley.

I was hoping to read a good unbiased story and history of this topic. This was not the book. It is a slanted view of the story told from the British view of the matter. A perfect example of "the victor writes the history". I hate to put down a book and never finish it. This one was not worth completing. Sad to say, it went straight to the Salvation Army. I will still be searching for a non-biased book to tell the full story of this conflict. In short, a waste of good trees printing this book. Sorry.

This history of the Siege of Gibraltar is important in bringing forth historical accounts from many voices and perspectives of those affected by the siege, both military and civilian accounts, male and female. I was drawn into Miriam Green's experiences she recorded in her diary and as the authors bring to light. Mrs. Green had lived on Gibraltar with her husband Lieutenant-Colonel William, chief military engineer, for over two decades. The strategic importance of Gibraltar and the effect of the long siege in the American War for Independence is clearly demonstrated, along with the military maneuvers. But for me the even greater value of this account was hearing the many voices of forgotten people - soldiers, sailors, engineers, women and wives, spies, surgeons who were there on the Rock, enduring sacrifice, tedium, and ongoing terror. A detailed interweaving of military and social history, much of it drawn from obscure primary sources, including women. Highly recommended.

The authors did a wonderful job researching the Siege of Gibraltar. Having been a British history junkie for my entire adult life, I was shocked that I had only read of the siege in passing. The human drama is worth more than a footnote in a history text, and I am grateful for the labors of the Adkins with regard to scholarship on the topic. The book relies on primary source material throughout. Said material is so prevalent that it even impedes the narrative on a few occasions. (That is the only fault that I found in the work.) Overall, it earns the five-star rating. The topic is fascinating, the research is thorough, and the text is generally engaging.

Well written with many personal accounts from the British perspective..

This book has broadened my knowledge of an important time in History. However, it drags in parts. Way too much unnessary detail

Very interesting . A lot of detail which made the siege more interesting.

Man braucht sehr konzentriert lesen, weil der Grundstoff nicht immer so leicht ist. trotzdem lohnt es sich so ein Buch ab und zu zu lesen, besonders in diesem Fall, weil diese Episode der britischen Geschichte nicht so bekannt ist.

I confess I gave up on this book half way through, so slate me for that if you like. I would consider myself a "history nut" and was hoping to learn something about this event that went beyond what I can find on wikipedia. However, while I appreciate the effort that went into compiling the primary sources, it makes the read very hard work, as the narrative is constantly broken up. also, there is no background on the fortifications of Gibraltar. Why was no landward assault attempted, what made Gibraltar different from other sieges in that time? The book claims that Gibraltar maybe diverted resources from the war in North America but I found very little in the book on this topic by the time I gave up (arrival of the Darby convoy). Likewise, I found an almost total lack of the Spanish/French point of view. What was there plan, how did it change.

The arrival of a new book from the Adkins partnership is always good news, their writing being a rare combination of detail and authority which is always delivered in such a way that the reader is easily captivated. However, after the excellent War for all the Oceans, Jack Tar and Eavesdropping on Jane Austen's England, books that centred on my own specific period of interest, I was concerned that an account of Gibraltar's famous siege would not be so absorbing. Yes, it was the longest such conflict in British history and I was vaguely aware of the many events that allowed the garrison and civil population to survive; but the entire campaign ended nearly ten years before the start of the major French wars, so from my point of view this could only be for peripheral curiosity. I was wrong of course: such a tale of human endeavour should never be judged so lightly and, as this is the first time the full story has been told, how good it is that two masters of their craft have done what is an excellent job.From a full account of every major decision made by Governor Eliott and his staff to fascinating insights into the more minor figures, be they officers and their wives, enlisted men, civilians or servants: all are related here and with a degree of sensitivity that makes the conflict real once more.Following the pattern of former Adkins' books, the narrative is interspersed with first-hand accounts that give an accurate flavour of the times, while both colour and mono photographs, together with prints and specifically drawn maps and diagrams, clarify every point and offer a true understanding of the situation. A comprehensive bibliography and index also make research easy, although this is not a reference book in the accepted sense: Gibraltar: the Greatest Siege in British History might be an historian's dream, but it also tells a proper story, and a magnificent one, with style.

Roy and Lesley Adkins have done it again. With their usual insight they have chosen a little known but pivotal part of British history whose echoes and repercussions are with us today: Spain’s continuing desire for the Rock, Brexit and Gibraltar’s overwhelming vote to stay in the European Union, British gunboat diplomacy, a hurricane, the healing power of citrus fruit, and the techniques of siege and blockade currently being employed in such places as the Middle East.During the American War of Independence the forces of Spain and France lay siege to the strategically important British territory of Gibraltar. The effort and resources needed to keep them at bay from 1779 to 1783 was held responsible for the loss of America. As with any book by this dynamic duo, the research and writing are top class, the pages packed with remarkable characters, courageous actions, all manner of incidents and excitements along with the tedium, deprivations, and the ebb and flow of conflict and fortunes.This is not a dry academic book just for military historians, but a living, breathing real-life drama of human endurance under extreme circumstances, much of it based on first hand accounts taken from letters and diaries. For instance, a woman in Southsea, writing to a relative while watching a relief convoy being prepared at Spithead, records the sinking of the HMS Royal George, and one of the few seamen to survive the tragedy describes his escape through a porthole and his desperate attempts to save a drowning woman.This moving and handsome book looks resplendent in its military jacket, battle-ready and fit for purpose. The print is clear, the photos and illustrations well chosen and reproduced. The cover features a painting by John Singleton Copley of Royal Navy boats rescuing French and Spanish troops from the burning and exploding floating batteries that they had been using against the British.

Superb piece of military history, telling an epic story with skill and a highly readable style. Made me want to see this siege made as a 13-part TV drama...it would be utterly gripping if as well crafted as this book.