Even though Duhesme mustered 13,000 soldiers for the siege operation, it ended in failure after starting on 24 July and dragging on until 16 August. When his siege lines were attacked from the rear by a force under the Conde de Caldagues, Duhesme gave up and ordered a withdrawal. He buried his heavy siege cannons, burned his supplies, and headed back to Barcelona while Reille fell back to Figueres. While marching along the coast road Duhesme's marching columns were bombarded by the British frigate (38) commanded by Captain Thomas Cochrane. Faced with this threat and the miquelets' road demolitions, the French veered away from the vulnerable coast highway. After throwing eight field guns into the sea and leaving behind their baggage train, Duhesme's men struck out into the mountains and finally reached Barcelona on 20 August. One source described the Imperial column as "a starving, demoralized mob" by the time it arrived. In October, Napoleon appointed General of Division Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr and a new corps to relieve Barcelona.
