Siege of Bergen op Zoom (1814)

The Siege of Bergen op Zoom (8 March 1814), took place during the War of the Sixth Coalition between a British force led by Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch and a French garrison under Guilin Laurent Bizanet and Jean-Jacques Ambert. The initial British assault force seized part of the defences, but a well-managed French counterattack compelled much of the assault force to surrender. Bergen op Zoom is a port in the Netherlands about 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of Rotterdam and 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Antwerp in Belgium.

Siege of Bergen op Zoom (1814)
Part of the War of the Sixth Coalition
A British illustration of the attack
Date 8 March 1814 Location Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands Result French victory
Belligerents
French Empire	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Guilin Bizanet Jean-Jacques Ambert	Thomas Graham
Strength
2,700	4,000
Casualties and losses
500 killed, wounded or captured	2,100 killed, wounded or captured

Assault

French General Guilin Laurent Bizanet had 2,700 soldiers in the garrison when, under cover of night and using local intelligence, Graham attacked. The French, however, were positioned well, and the population allied with them as they fought in the streets. The attacking British troops took heavy casualties. General Bizanet remained in control of Bergen op Zoom until a peace accord was signed.

Forces and casualties

One source named Bizanet as the governor and Jean-Jacques Ambert as the French commander. The 2,700-man French garrison sustained 500 killed and wounded and 100 captured during the action. Of the 4,000 troops in the British assault force, 2,100 were killed, wounded or captured. In addition to the units listed below, the source counted the 2nd Battalion of the 35th Foot in the assault force. The Guards Brigade consisted of three companies of the 1st Foot Guards and four companies each of the 2nd Foot Guards and 3rd Foot Guards, all from the 2nd Battalions of the regiments.[1]

British Order of Battle

Graham formed his troops into four columns as follows:[2]

	Commander	Unit	Number of Men
1st Column	Colonel Lord Proby	Brigade of Guards	1,000
2nd Column	Lieutenant-colonel Morrice, 69th Foot	55th Foot	250
		69th Foot	350
		33rd Foot	600
3rd Column	Lieutenant-colonel Henry, 21st Foot	21st Foot	400
		91st Foot	100
		37th Foot	150
4th Column	Brigadier-general Gore / Lieutenant-colonel Carleton	44th Foot	300
		Flank companies of the 21st and 37th Foot	200
		1st Foot	600
		Total	3,950

Notes

1. Smith 1998, pp. 508–509.
2. C. J. Barrington (pub) 1814, p. 377-78.

References

• Grant, Philip, A Peer Among Princes - the Life of Thomas Graham, Victor at Barrosa, Hero of the Peninsular War, 2019 ISBN 9781526745415
• Alison, Archibald (1842). History of Europe from the Commencement of the French Revolution to the Restoration of the Bourbons. 10. Paris: Baudry's European Library. Retrieved 13 February 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• C. J. Barrington (pub) (1814). The Military Panorama, Or, Officer's Companion.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Nafziger, George (1994). "French Garrisons in the Lowlands, 1 January 1814" (PDF). United States Army Combined Arms Center. Retrieved 21 February 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Smith, Digby (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London, UK ; Mechanicsburg, PA, USA: Greenhill Books ; Stackpole Books. ISBN 9781853672767. OCLC 37616149.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)