Siege of Gaeta (1806)

Siege of Gaeta
Part of the War of the Third Coalition
Capture of Gaeta, after a watercolor by Theodore Jung
Date 26 February – 18 July 1806 Location Gaeta (present-day Italy) Result French victory
Belligerents
France Italy	Naples
Commanders and leaders
André Masséna Nicolas de Lacour Jacques Campredon	Louis von Hesse-Philippsthal (WIA) Col. Hotz
Strength
12,000	7,000
Casualties and losses
1,000	7,000

The siege of Gaeta (26 February – 18 July 1806) saw the fortress city of Gaeta and its Neapolitan garrison under General Louis of Hesse-Philippsthal besieged by an Imperial French corps led by Marshal André Masséna. After a prolonged defense in which Hesse was severely wounded, Gaeta surrendered, and Masséna granted its garrison generous terms.

The invasion of Naples by Napoleon's forces was provoked when King Ferdinand IV of Naples joined the Third Coalition against France. French troops rapidly overran the Kingdom of Naples, but Hesse stubbornly held out at Gaeta. The garrison put up such fierce resistance that a large part of Masséna's Army of Naples was tied up in the siege for nearly five months. This prevented Masséna from sending reinforcements to quell an uprising that had started in Calabria and allowed the British to land an expeditionary force and score a victory at the Battle of Maida. However, because the British failed to relieve the garrison of Gaeta, the city was finally captured in mid-July after French artillery smashed gaps in the city's defensive walls.