Gibraltar is a town and strongly-fortified rocky peninsula near the southern extremity of Spain, belonging to Great Britain. It was connected with the mainland by a low sandy isthmus, 1.5 mile long and 0.75 miles broad, known as the 'neutral ground,' which was later replaced with a tarmac causeway, and has Gibraltar Bay on the west, the open sea on the east and south. The highest point of the rock is about 1400 feet above sea-level; its north face is almost perpendicular, while its east side exhibits tremendous precipices. On its south side it is almost inaccessible, making approach from seaward supposedly impossible; the west side, again, although very rugged and precipitous, slopes towards the sea; and here the rock was secured by extensive and powerful batteries, historically rendering it apparently impregnable. Vast sums of money and an immense amount of labour were spent in fortifying this celebrated stronghold, which, as a former coaling station, depot for war material, and a port of refuge in case of war, forms one of the most important points of support for British naval operations and British commerce eastwards.
During the 19th century numerous caverns and galleries, extending 2 to 3 miles in length, and of sufficient width for carriages, were cut in the solid rock, with port-holes at intervals of every 12 yards bearing upon the neutral ground and the bay, and mounted with more than 1000 guns, some of them of the largest size of the time.
Gibraltar, known to the Greeks as Calpe, was first fortified as a strategic point by the Saracen leader Tarik Ibn Zeiad in 711-712, from whom it was thenceforward called Gebel-al-Tarik, the rock of Tarik. It was ultimately taken by the Spaniards from the Moors in 1462, fortified in the European style, and so much strengthened that the engineers of the 17th century considered it impregnable. It was taken, however, after a vigorous bombardment in 1704 by a combined English and Dutch force under Sir George Rooke and Prince George of Darmstadt, and was secured to Britain by the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. Since then it has remained in British hands, notwithstanding some desperate efforts on the part of Spain and France to retake it, and a continual diplomatic argument between Spain and Britain throughout the 20th century. In 1704-1705 it was closely besieged; in 1727 it was hard pressed by a Spanish force when Admiral Wager, with eleven ships of the line, relieved it. In 1779, Britain being then engaged in a war with its revolted colonies and with France, a last grand effort was made by Spain to recover Gibraltar. The siege lasted for nearly four years, the fire being for the great part of that time very harassing, and rising on several occasions into a fierce and prolonged bombardment. It was heroically and successfully defended, however, by General Elliot (afterwards LordHeathfield) and the garrison. Since that time, in the various British and Spanish, and also French wars, Gibraltar has only been blockaded on the land side.
Abbreviations
Gazetteer
Research Gibraltar
