The batteries opened in the afternoon of the 14th January, 1812, the guns having narrowly escaped being spiked in the morning of that day. On the night of the 19th, the breaches were pronounced practicable, and Wellington announced in orders, “Ciudad Rodrigo _must_ be stormed this evening.” Except on the 16th and part of the 17th, the weather was clear and admirably suited for artillery practice, and the batteries were in action daily for an average of eight and a half hours. The guns employed were as follows:--On January 14th, 20 24-pounders and 2 18-pounders; on January 15th, 23 24-pounders and 2 18-pounders; on January 16th and 17th, the same; on January 18th, 30 24-pounders and 2 18-pounders; and on January 19, 30 24-pounders.[30] The expenditure of ammunition during this short siege was as follows,--the total number of guns in battery having been 34 24-pounders, and 4 18-pounders:-- 24-pr. guns: Round shot, 8950. Rounds expended per gun, 263. 18-pr. guns: Round shot, 565. Rounds expended per gun, 141. The absence of mortars and howitzers from this siege was explained by the increased amount of transport required for shell, compared with shot, and by the fact that Lord Wellington had resolved on an assault the moment a breach was practicable, without any other siege operations. Shot were, therefore, all that was necessary, except for keeping the enemy from working at the breach. [Sidenote: To D.-A.-G. dated 29 Jan. 1812.] The following extract from a letter written by Major Dickson after the siege, is interesting:--“Lord Wellington has certainly made a most brilliant _coup_, and, I am convinced, astonished the enemy by the rapidity of his operations. They intended to relieve the place and raise the siege about this day (29th January). We were certainly favoured by the most delightful weather--excessively cold, but perfectly dry. It was not even necessary to put the powder under the laboratory tents, which I was enabled to spare to keep the poor fellows from the pinching frost; for we were nearly without cover.... I am hard pressed for time, but I must say a word in favour of our fine fellows of the Corps. They were (Portuguese and all) at relief and relief, off and on; but nothing could exceed their zeal and activity, and their work speaks for itself. _Never was better practice made._ I had only 430 Artillerymen of both nations,--about 130 British, and the rest Portuguese. We had somewhere more than 50 Artillerymen killed and wounded, but no officer materially hurt. The latter days, to make it up, I had some help from our own field Artillery:--part of Lawson’s company was one day in the trenches, and part of Sympher’s German company another.” [Sidenote: MS. Return dated 26 Jan. 1812.] The actual number of killed and wounded between the 14th and 19th January,--while the siege lasted,--was as follows (excluding Portuguese Artillery):--[31] Captains Dyneley and Power, wounded.