By September 1782, peace negotiations made Gibraltar one of the war's last active pressure points. The allies advanced their siege lines, bringing them within effective range of guns directed by Elliott, Green, and Boyd. Gibraltar's crews heated solid shot in kilns and fired it into dry wooden works, setting the Mahon Battery alight and damaging the San Carlos and San Martín positions. The success led the defenders to install heating furnaces beside more batteries, turning fire preparation into a systematic part of the fortress's artillery defence.
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Hot shot burns the advanced siege batteries
When the allies move their siege lines into effective range, Gibraltar's gunners use heated shot to ignite batteries and force major repairs before the grand assault.