Spanish goatherd from Gibraltar linked to 1704 Rock assault.
Simón Rodríguez Susarte was a Spanish goatherd from Gibraltar who, according to later accounts, guided 500 Bourbon Spanish grenadiers up a concealed path to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar during the 1704 siege, aiming to surprise the Grand Alliance garrison. A park in San Roque, Cádiz, bears his statue.
Simón Rodríguez Susarte, commonly known as Simón Susarte, was a Spanish goatherd from Gibraltar associated with the events of the 1704 Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar. After Gibraltar was captured by an Anglo‑Dutch fleet for the Grand Alliance, Franco‑Spanish Bourbon forces laid siege to the town mainly from the northern slopes of the Rock. On 8 October, Susarte reportedly visited the Bourbon Spanish camp on the isthmus and revealed a concealed path from the east side of Gibraltar’s sheer rock face to its summit. This route, used by local goatherds seeking pasture, allowed Colonel Figueroa and 500 lightly armed grenadiers to climb the jagged eastern slopes toward Middle Hill, spending the night in Fig Tree Cave and Martin’s Cave before advancing. The Grand Alliance commander, Prince George of Hesse‑Darmstadt, had anticipated a rear attack and kept a mobile reserve, which engaged and defeated the Bourbon force at Middle Hill. Many attackers were killed or captured; only a few, including Susarte, reportedly returned. Later, the English destroyed the path to prevent reuse. Susarte’s historical existence is disputed, as contemporary sources omit him and the first mention appears in 1782. A park with his statue in San Roque, Cádiz, is named after him.
