Invasion of Surinam (1804) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Invasion of Surinam
Date 25 April - 5 May 1804 Location Surinam colony now part of modern day Suriname Result British victory
Belligerents
Batavian Republic Supported by: France	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Abraham Jacob van Imbijze van Batenburg	Samuel Hood Sir Charles Green
Strength
Unknown	2,000+ soldiers

The 1804 Invasion of Surinam was a military operation. It was fought between the Batavian Republic (which was like a Dutch government supported by France) and the United Kingdom. This happened during the Napoleonic Wars, a big series of conflicts in Europe. The British wanted to take control of the Dutch colony of Surinam.

A British force of 31 ships and about 2,000 soldiers attacked the colony. They were led by Samuel Hood and Sir Charles Green. On May 5, 1804, the Dutch soldiers defending Surinam were defeated. After the British won, Sir Charles Green became the new governor of Surinam.

Why Did the British Attack Surinam?

In March 1804, a new British commander, Sir Charles Green, arrived in Barbados. He brought with him soldiers from the 16th and 64th Regiments of Foot. They immediately started planning to capture the Dutch colony of Surinam.

The year before, other nearby Dutch colonies like Demarara, Essequibo, and Berbice had been taken over peacefully. The British thought the people in Surinam might also be willing to change control. However, the Dutch government in charge of Surinam was not so keen to give it up.

The British invasion force was quite large. It included 31 ships led by Samuel Hood. These ships carried 2,148 soldiers. These soldiers came from several different groups, including the 16th and 64th Regiments of Foot, the 60th Rifles, and the Royal Artillery.

What Made Surinam Hard to Attack?

Surinam had some natural defenses that made it very difficult to attack. The waters near the coast were very shallow. This meant ships could only land when the tide was at its highest point. The land itself was also tough to move through. It was covered in thick jungle that reached right to the shoreline.

Traveling by boat along the rivers and creeks was the easiest way to get around. But even this was risky. The waterways were also shallow and full of sandbanks. Ships could easily get stuck.

On top of these natural challenges, the Dutch had built many forts. These forts were placed along the rivers to protect the colony.

• At the mouth of the Surinam estuary, there was a battery of seven large guns at Braams Point.
• Further upstream, on the same side, were Fort Frederick and Fort Leyden. Each had 12 large guns.
• Across the estuary, there was Fort Purmerend with 10 heavy guns.
• At the meeting point of the Commewine River, stood Fort New Amsterdam. This fort was armed with 80 guns of different sizes.
• Finally, protecting the capital city of Paramaribo itself, was Fort Zeelandia with 10 heavy guns.

To reach the capital, the British ships would have to travel ten miles upstream. They would need to pass all these strong defenses. Any ship that got stuck on a sandbank would be an easy target for the Dutch forts.

How Did the British Capture Surinam?

The British expedition arrived off Surinam on April 25, 1804. Their journey had taken twenty-two days.

Taking Braam's Point

On April 26, a small group of British ships and soldiers made the first move. Brigadier-General Frederick Maitland and over 600 men landed at Warapee Creek. Their mission was to travel through the water to get behind Fort New Amsterdam.

That same night, Captain James O'Brien of the ship Emerald was ordered to help capture Braam's Point. A sandbar first blocked Emerald from entering the Surinam River. But O'Brien pushed his ship across when the tide rose. Two other ships, Pandour and Drake, followed. The three British ships quickly silenced the Dutch guns at Braam's Point. Soldiers from the 64th Regiment then landed and captured the fort without any British losses. After this, the British sent a message to the Dutch governor, asking him to surrender.

Pushing Upstream

On April 28, the Dutch governor refused to surrender. The British then planned to land soldiers to attack Fort Purmerend. But the low tide and marshy land made this impossible, so the plan was canceled.

The British ships then slowly moved further up the river. Sometimes the water was so shallow that the ships almost got stuck. They eventually reached close to forts Leyden and Frederick. At first, landing soldiers downstream seemed impossible because of the marshes and thick jungle.

Surprise Attack and Surrender

However, on April 29, the British learned about a secret path. This path led through the forest to the back of the forts. Sometime after 10:00 PM, a group of 180 soldiers from the 64th and West Indian regiments, led by Hughes, were shown this path by local people.

Heavy rain had made the path very difficult to use. But after a tough five-hour march through the forests and swamps, Hughes and his men launched a surprise attack. They successfully captured both Fort Leyden and Fort Frederick.

By this time, most of the British ships had moved up the river to Fort Frederick. General Maitland was also moving along the Commewine River. With British troops ready to attack Fort New Amsterdam, the Dutch commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Batenburg, decided to surrender.

After the British victory, Sir Charles Green was made the governor general of British Surinam. It's interesting to note that a new type of weapon, called Shrapnel shells, was used for the first time in this battle. These shells were invented by Major Henry Shrapnel.

Images for kids

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  This 1773 map shows the Surinam colony. You can see the Surinam and Commewine rivers, Braam's Point, and the locations of forts like Leyden, New Amsterdam, and Zeelandia.