Almeida

16-28 August 1810
4 April to 10 May 1811

Almeida was a Portuguese fortress that, like its Spanish counterpart at Ciudad Rodrigo, sat across the main northern route from Spain into Portugal.

To safely control the road the French had to take the stronghold and Marshal Ney was sent to lay siege to it. He invested it on 16 August.

The British sat comfortably behind the walls for 12 days, but then fate took a hand and the fortress's magazine erupted in a massive explosion that stunned the defenders and virtually handed the position to Ney.

Almeida remained in French control until 1811 when the British surrounded it and began siege operations.

An attempt by Marshal Massena to break the encirclement was fended off by the Duke of Wellington at Fuentes de Onoro and, after hearing news of the defeat, the 1300-man garrison abandoned the fortress, fought their way through the British lines and escaped.