Battle of Grand Turk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Capture of The Turks and Caicos Islands
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Date 9 March 1783 Location Turks and Caicos Islands, Caribbean Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Marquis de Grasse-Briançon M. de Coujolles	unknown (defence) Horatio Nelson (relief)
Strength
400	unknown (defence) 167 (relief) 2 brigs
Casualties and losses
None	9 wounded

The Battle of Grand Turk was a fight that happened on March 9, 1783. It was part of the American Revolutionary War, a big conflict where the American colonies fought for their independence from Great Britain.

Before this battle, France had taken over the Turks and Caicos Islands. These islands were important because they had valuable salt works. The French captured Grand Turk Island in February 1783. The British decided to fight back. They sent a warship called HMS Albemarle with over 100 men. This group was led by Captain Horatio Nelson, who later became a very famous admiral.

Even though the British mission to recapture the island failed, the islands were given back to Britain later that year. This happened because of the second Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the war.

French Takeover of Grand Turk

On February 12, 1783, a group of three French ships arrived at Grand Turk Island. The main ship was called La Coquette, and it had 28 guns. It was led by the Marquis de Grasse-Briançon. He was the nephew of a famous French admiral.

The French landed about 400 soldiers from four different regiments. These soldiers were under the command of M. de Coujolles. They took control of the island without any fighting. The British forces on the island did not resist.

Britain Tries to Get the Islands Back

On March 2, 1783, a British warship, the 44-gun HMS Resistance, was sailing with another ship, HMS Duguay Trouin. They found two French ships anchored near Turks Island. When the French ships saw the British, they quickly cut their anchor ropes and tried to sail away.

HMS Resistance chased them. The first French ship, which had 20 guns, had a problem with its mast and surrendered after the British fired a shot. Then, the British chased the second French ship, which had 28 guns. After a short chase, this ship also surrendered.

A few days later, HMS Resistance met up with a small group of British warships. This group was led by Captain Horatio Nelson. His ships included HMS Albemarle, HMS Tartar, HMS Drake, and an armed ship called Barrington.

The British Attack Plan

There are slightly different stories about what happened next. However, the main goal was to try and take back Turks Island.

Captain King, from HMS Resistance, decided to try and recapture the island. The British planned to land about 350 sailors and marines. This landing party was led by Captain Charles Dixon from HMS Drake. The two smaller British ships, Drake and Barrington, were supposed to get close to the shore. Their job was to provide cover for the landing party and fire at the town if needed.

Unexpected French Defenses

However, the British did not expect the French to have strong defenses on shore. Two hidden French shore batteries opened fire on the British ships. A battery is a group of cannons. One battery had four large 24-pounder cannons, and the other had five smaller 6-pounder cannons.

The French cannons fired at the British ships. Seven men on HMS Drake were wounded, and two men on Barrington were also hurt. The heavy fire forced the two British ships to pull back.

At the same time, Captain Dixon's landing party faced a problem on land. They ran into a strong French force that was well-hidden and had more soldiers than the British landing party. Dixon was able to get his men back to their ships without anyone being killed or wounded in the land fight.

Captain King thought about trying another attack with the larger frigates. But the winds were not good for this plan. So, the British squadron eventually decided to leave.

Nelson's Account of the Battle

Captain Nelson later wrote a letter about the operation on March 9, 1783. He said that he was in charge of the British squadron and the attack.

Nelson reported that shortly after his ships arrived at Turks Island, HMS Tartar left without explaining why. Nelson then sent Captain Dixon with a white flag, which means a request for a peaceful talk. Dixon was sent to ask the French commander to surrender. However, the French commander refused.

The British then landed 167 troops, again led by Captain Dixon. Just like in King's account, a shore battery of three guns unexpectedly opened fire on the smaller British ships. The master (a senior officer) of HMS Drake was wounded, along with about seven men aboard the General Barrington.

Dixon reported that French sailors were operating the cannons on shore. He also said that the French soldiers had several field cannons, which are smaller, movable guns. Because of these strong French defenses, Nelson decided to pull his forces back.

After the Battle

Even though the British failed to recapture the islands in this battle, the Turks and Caicos Islands were returned to British control later that year. This happened because of the Treaty of Paris. This treaty officially ended the American Revolutionary War and changed who controlled many territories around the world.