a maritime town of the Netherlands, in North Brabant, situated on the river Zoom, near its confluence with the Scheldt. It contains 1150 houses, and 5600 inhabitants. The houses are well built, the market-places and squares handsome and spacious. It is so strongly fortified, both by nature and art, as to be deemed almost impregnable. The fortifications are reckoned the masterpiece of the celebrated Coehorn, the rival and contemporary of Vauban. In 1886 it was unsuccessfully besieged by the famous Duke of Parma; and afterwards, in 1622, it defied the utmost attempts of Spinola, who was forced to abandon the enterprise, after a siege of ten weeks, with the loss of 12,000 men. In 1747, however, it was taken by stratagem by the French under Count Lowendahl, and in 1814 was again rendered famous by an unsuccessful attempt of the British troops under Lord Lyndoch, then Sir Thomas Graham, to take it by a coup de main on the night of the 8th of March. The troops destined for this attack amounted to 3950, and were divided into four columns, two of which, after most desperate efforts, succeeded in establishing themselves on the ramparts; but the other two were completely unsuccessful, and driven back with prodigious loss. Above two thirds of the whole assailing force were killed, wounded, or taken in this attempt. A marble tablet, recording the names of the brave men who fell on the occasion, has been erected in the church by the British officers. The place, however, was given up at the treaty of peace in May 1814. Bergen-op-Zoom is fifteen miles north of Antwerp, and twenty-two south-west of Breda.