Key Facts
- Siege start date
- 19 December 1811
- Siege end date
- 5 January 1812
- Duration
- 17 days
- Distance from Cádiz
- ~65 miles (105 km) southeast
- French commander
- General Jean François Leval
- Defending commander
- General Francisco Copons
Strategic Narrative Overview
French forces under Leval invested Tarifa on 19 December 1811, subjecting the Anglo-Spanish garrison to sustained siege operations. British Colonel Skerrett advocated evacuating the town, suggesting a fallback to the small island connected to Tarifa by a causeway. Spanish commander Copons rejected this counsel and chose to hold the fortified town. The garrison successfully resisted French assault and pressure throughout the seventeen-day siege.
01 / The Origins
The siege of Tarifa took place within the broader context of the Peninsular War, Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign to subjugate the Iberian Peninsula. Tarifa, situated at Spain's southernmost tip near the Strait of Gibraltar, held strategic value as a coastal stronghold. French Imperial forces under General Leval sought to reduce the garrison and tighten their grip on Andalusia, threatening Anglo-Spanish lines of communication and supply along the southern coast.
03 / The Outcome
The French siege was lifted on 5 January 1812, with the garrison having successfully held Tarifa against the Imperial assault. The failed siege left French forces unable to consolidate control over Spain's southern coast. Tarifa remained in Anglo-Spanish hands, preserving an important position near the Strait of Gibraltar and contributing to the broader Allied resistance that would eventually expel French forces from the Peninsula.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Jean François Leval.
Side B
1 belligerent
Francisco Copons, John Byrne Skerrett.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.