Invasion of Martinique (1759) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Invasion of Martinique |
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| Part of the Seven Years' War | |||||||
 Position of Martinique in the Caribbean |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Peregrine Hopson John Barrington John Moore |
François V de Beauharnais | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4,500-5,000 regulars 10 ships of the line 2 frigates |
250 regulars 10,000 militia 1 ship of the line 1 frigate |
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In January 1759, the British tried to invade the French island of Martinique. This happened during the Seven Years' War. A large British force, led by Peregrine Hopson, landed on the island.
However, their attempt to capture the island was not successful. The British ships fired cannons at the fortress at Fort-Royal. But the fortress was high on cliffs, so the cannon fire didn't do much damage. Also, there were no good places nearby for the British troops to land easily.
The British commanders didn't know that the French governor, Francis de Beauharnais, was low on supplies. If the British had kept up their attack for even a short time, the fort might have given up.
Instead, the British leaders, Moore and Hopson, decided to look at attacking Saint-Pierre. This was Martinique's main trading port. After a quick naval attack on January 19 that also didn't do much, they left. They then decided to attack Guadeloupe instead. Guadeloupe was a base for French privateers, who were like pirates attacking British ships.
The British expedition was successful at Guadeloupe. The island surrendered to them in May 1759. Later, in 1762, a British force did manage to capture Martinique.
Contents
Why Martinique Was Important
The "sugar islands" in the Caribbean were very important. They made a lot of money for both Britain and France. Losing these islands would cause big financial problems for either country.
In late 1758, Britain decided to try and capture French islands in the Caribbean. They thought these islands were not well protected. A force of almost 5,000 soldiers was put together for this mission. Major-General Peregrine Hopson was in charge of these troops.
Most of the soldiers, including 700 marines, left England in ships in November. Eight large warships, led by Commodore John Moore, went with them. These ships were sent to help the British fleet in the Caribbean.
The ships arrived at Carlisle Bay in Barbados in January. A group of Royal Highlanders from Scotland joined them there. Before leaving, General Hopson made his troops practice landing from the ships twice. This made sure everyone knew their role and the order they should land in.
The Attack Begins
On January 13, the British fleet sailed towards Martinique. They arrived two days later. On the afternoon of January 15, the ships sailed around Diamond Rock. They entered Fort-Royal Bay. There, they saw two French warships.
These French ships, the Florissant (with 74 guns) and the frigate Bellone, quickly sailed across the bay. They stopped near the fort's guns. During the night, the Bellone managed to sneak away with important messages. However, it was captured by a British squadron on its way to Quebec.
At 8:00 AM on January 16, 1759, several British ships began firing. HMS Roebuck, HMS Woolwich, and HMS Winchester fired at the batteries in Cas des Navieres Bay. This was where the British planned to land their troops. At the same time, HMS Bristol and HMS Rippon attacked Fort Negro, about three miles away.
The battery at Cas des Navieres was silenced when its gunpowder storage exploded. But the British ships kept firing at the shore. This was to stop French soldiers from getting ready to fight the landing troops. The French had placed troops at many small bays. They also built earthworks to make landings harder.
Landing and Challenges
At 2:00 PM, the British put three groups of soldiers into boats. These boats gathered behind the ship HMS Cambridge. At 4:00 PM, the British ships started firing to cover the landing. The landing parties rowed towards the beach.
Most of the troops landed before nightfall. They didn't face much resistance and reached the high ground above the fort on Point Negro. The British ships had moved closer to shore. But they came under heavy fire from French guns and had to move back.
The next morning, the British landed their artillery (cannons) and the rest of their troops. The French had spent the night making their positions stronger. By 7:00 AM, the British had moved past the fort. They began clearing enemy troops from the woods.
Three hours later, they set up a cannon battery on the high ground above the fort. By the afternoon, British soldiers were on the hill overlooking the town. However, General Hopson thought it would be too hard to hold these positions without more help from the navy.
At 2:00 PM, he asked Commodore Moore for help. He wanted heavy cannons landed near the town. Or, he asked for the ships to fire directly at the fort while he attacked. Moore could not do either. Strong winds and currents stopped his ships from getting close enough to the town. Also, boats landing cannons would be too exposed to enemy fire.
Moore offered to land the guns at Fort Negro. His sailors could then drag them three miles over rough land. But after a meeting, they decided to stop the attack on Fort Royal. They would focus on the island's capital, Saint-Pierre, instead.
Change of Plans
The British fleet left Fort Royal Bay on the evening of January 18. They arrived off Saint-Pierre at 6:00 AM the next day. At 7:00 AM, HMS Panther checked the depth of the bay. At 8:00 AM, bomb ketches (ships that fired bombs) were ordered to attack the town.
At the same time, the Rippon destroyed a French battery about 1.5 miles to the north. It took heavy fire while doing so. The wind, which had made it easy to enter the bay, made it hard for the Rippon to leave. Boats had to be sent to tow it out.
Another meeting was held to discuss the cost of capturing and holding Martinique. They decided that their resources would be better used to take Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe was a safe place for privateers who attacked British merchant ships.
So, the troops were taken off the island. The fleet sailed for Guadeloupe on the morning of January 20. The attack on Guadeloupe began on January 23. But it took until May 1759 for the entire island to be under British control.
See also
