kids encyclopedia robot

Shirley's Gold Coast expedition facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In 1780, Great Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic. This started a conflict known as the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. As part of their plan, the British decided to send a group of ships and soldiers to attack Dutch areas on the Gold Coast of Africa. Today, this area is known as Ghana.

Captain Thomas Shirley led this mission. He commanded a ship called HMS Leander. He also had several transport ships. These ships carried two small groups of soldiers. Captain Kenneth Mackenzie of the 78th Foot led these soldiers.

Taking Over Dutch Forts

The Battle for Elmina Castle

The British ships set sail in late 1780. They reached the coast of Africa in January 1781. Captain Shirley first stopped at the main British base, Cape Coast Castle, on February 5. There, they made plans to attack the main Dutch fort, Elmina Castle, from the land. At the same time, the Leander would attack the nearby St. Jago fort to distract the defenders.

The expedition arrived at Elmina on February 15. However, the waves were too high for the 500 soldiers to land until February 18. Strong winds also stopped the Leander from getting close enough to fire its guns until February 20. On that day, Shirley gave the signal to start the attack. He began firing at St. Jago shortly after noon. The ship and the fort shot at each other until dark. They started again the next morning.

The land attack on Elmina Castle began. Both Elmina and St. Jago forts fired at Mackenzie's attacking soldiers. Captain Shirley reported that the soldiers had to "retreat very fast." When it was clear the attack had failed, Shirley stopped firing around 11:30 am.

Capturing Other Forts

Over the next few weeks, the British expedition captured four smaller Dutch forts. They faced very little resistance. These forts were:

  • Moree (Fort Nassau - 20 guns)
  • Kormantin (Fort Amsterdam - 32 guns)
  • Apam (Fort Lijdzaamheid or Fort Patience - 22 guns)
  • Senya Beraku (Fort Goede Hoop - 18 guns)
  • Accra (Fort Crêvecoeur - 32 guns)

After leaving soldiers from Cape Coast to guard these forts, Shirley sailed towards the West Indies. Near the African coast, off modern-day Senegal, he captured and destroyed a French supply ship called Officeuse. This ship was thought to be worth about £30,000. After this, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean to join the British fleet in the West Indies.

Shirley sent two sets of messages back to Britain. One set went on a transport ship called Ulysses. This ship was captured by a French warship, the Fée, and taken to Brest. However, the captain of Ulysses had already thrown the messages overboard to keep them secret. Shirley's first officer, Mr. Van court, took the second set of messages. He carried them on a transport ship called Mackerel. This ship also carried the Dutch governors of the captured forts to Europe.

kids search engine
Shirley's Gold Coast expedition Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.