Torra di Mortella
Encyclopedia
The Torra di Mortella is a Genoese tower
in Corsica
, located on Mortella (Myrtle) Point in the commune
of Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse
. It was a progenitor of the numerous Martello towers the British built in the 19th Century throughout their empire.
On 7 February 1794, two British warships, HMS Fortitude
(74 guns) and HMS Juno
(32 guns), unsuccessfully attacked the tower at Mortella Point; the tower eventually fell to land-based forces under Sir John Moore
after two days of heavy fighting.
Late in the previous year, the tower's French defenders had abandoned it after HMS Lowestoffe
(32 guns) had fired two broadsides at it. Then the French were easily able to dislodge the garrison of Corsican patriots that had replaced them. Still, the British were impressed by the effectiveness of the tower when properly supplied and defended and copied the design. However, they got the name wrong, misspelling "Mortella" as "Martello". When the British withdrew from Corsica in 1803, they, with great difficulty, blew up the tower, leaving it in an unusable state.
It is one of the Official Historical Monuments
of France
.
Genoese tower
The Genoese towers are vestiges of the Genoese heritage after their occupation of Corsica.The Corsican littoral is constellated with these towers , which are now one of the symbols of the island. Although all of them don’t have a Genoese origin — some of them are Florentine — they are generally...
in Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, located on Mortella (Myrtle) Point in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse
Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse
Saint-Florent is a commune in Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is a fishing port located on the gulf of the same name....
. It was a progenitor of the numerous Martello towers the British built in the 19th Century throughout their empire.
On 7 February 1794, two British warships, HMS Fortitude
HMS Fortitude (1780)
HMS Fortitude was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built by John Randall & Co. and launched on 23 March 1780 at Rotherhithe....
(74 guns) and HMS Juno
HMS Juno (1780)
HMS Juno was a Royal Navy 32-gun Amazon-class fifth rate. This frigate served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.-Construction and commissioning:...
(32 guns), unsuccessfully attacked the tower at Mortella Point; the tower eventually fell to land-based forces under Sir John Moore
John Moore (British soldier)
Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore, KB was a British soldier and General. He is best known for his military training reforms and for his death at the Battle of Corunna, in which his force was defeated but gained a tactical advantage over a French army under Marshal Soult during the Peninsular...
after two days of heavy fighting.
Late in the previous year, the tower's French defenders had abandoned it after HMS Lowestoffe
HMS Lowestoffe (1761)
HMS Lowestoffe was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Built during the latter part of the Seven Years' War, she went on to see action in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary War, and served often in the Caribbean...
(32 guns) had fired two broadsides at it. Then the French were easily able to dislodge the garrison of Corsican patriots that had replaced them. Still, the British were impressed by the effectiveness of the tower when properly supplied and defended and copied the design. However, they got the name wrong, misspelling "Mortella" as "Martello". When the British withdrew from Corsica in 1803, they, with great difficulty, blew up the tower, leaving it in an unusable state.
It is one of the Official Historical Monuments
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.