On 26 August, Morillo and his army arrived before the walls of Cartagena. Morillo was informed that the Republican authorities not only had not evacuated the residents of Cartagena, but also had allowed the surrounding population to take refuge in the fortress, thereby increasing the number of besieged to 18,000 people. Therefore, the Spaniards decided not to storm the fortress, but to achieve its surrender by starving it out. During the siege, food supply became the main problem facing the besieged city. A month after the siege had begun, famine set in, aggravated by disease caused by unsanitary conditions. During the last 22 days of the siege, the defenders began to cook and eat leather goods, and there were even cases of cannibalism. More soldiers died from hunger than in battle. In turn, the Spanish soldiers did not tolerate the tropical climate well and suffered from
yellow fever and
dysentery. Mortality from disease began to exceed losses from combat. Morillo decided to intensify military operations. The Spaniards twice tried to capture Tesca Lagoon in order to strengthen the naval blockade of the fortress, but both times they were forced to retreat, having suffered heavy losses. On 17 October, the commander of Cartagena, Manuel Castillo, was relieved of command and replaced by the Venezuelan general José Francisco Bermúdez. To prolong the defense of the fortress, Bermudez ordered the requisition of all available food supplies and set fixed prices for them. On 11–12 November, an assault was launched on two key defensive points - the Corma heights, where the Candelario monastery was located, turned by the Republicans into a real fortress, and the island of Tierrabomba. The defense of the monastery was led by Venezuelan Lieutenant Colonel
Carlos Soublette. He had only 130 men fighting against 800 Spaniards. At the most critical moment of the battle, the patriots were supported by the cannons of
Castle San Felipe de Barajas, and the Spaniards were forced to abandon further attempts to break through to Cartagena from land. Simultaneously with the assault on the Candelario monastery, Morales launched an attack on
Tierra Bomba Island. He managed to cut off the mainland forts that protected Bocachica from the fortress. In a hurry to build on his success, Morales attacked Fort Angel on the island itself, but, despite heavy losses, he was unable to take it. On 4 December, Morillo sent an ultimatum to the fortress authorities, offering to capitulate within three days. On the same day, at a council of war, the defenders of Cartagena decided not to capitulate, but to try to get out of the besieged city by sea and head towards Jamaica or Haiti. On the night of 5 December, the Cartagena authorities and some of the defenders set sail on ships, many of them corsairs, others merchant ships, under command of the French corsair
Louis-Michel Aury. Of the nearly 2,000 people who left on 6 merchant ships and 10 armed schooners, only 600 people managed to reach Haiti. Many ships sank, ran aground or returned to port and were captured by the Spaniards. On 6 December 1815, Morillo's troops occupied Cartagena, whose streets were littered with the corpses of the dead. Of the 18,000 civilians, 6,000 had died from epidemics and famine. == Consequences ==