No Americans Were Involved In One of the Longest Battles of the Revolutionary War

Having friends is beneficial, and this is particularly true when fighting. In times of war, allies have aided one another throughout history. The Great Siege of Gibraltar demonstrated that you don't always need the primary combatants to be present; sometimes, all you need is an ally. There were no Americans present during this War of Independence engagement.

Under the pretense of supporting the American Revolution, Spain and France collaborated in the 1770s to seize Gibraltar from the British. Taking Gibraltar was the first stage in their plan to attack Britain. Before any battle had started, Britain had spent years reinforcing Gibraltar's fortifications because they were aware of its strategic importance. By the time Spain and France erected a blockade in 1779, the British had dug in and had amassed enough supplies to keep their foes at bay for a lot longer than either had anticipated. These supplies had been strengthened throughout the years by various supports.

7,000 British forces resisted 40,000 French and Spanish soldiers for three years and seven months before a truce was agreed upon. The number of casualties among the allied forces is unknown, although the British suffered 333 casualties in combat and 536 from illness.