Battle of Cartagena de Indias 1741
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 13 March 1741 – 20 May 1741 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1741 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Colombia | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | South America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | War of Jenkins' Ear | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Spain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 10.3853, -75.5386 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias (Spanish: Sitio de Cartagena de Indias, lit. 'Siege of Cartagena de Indias') took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain and Great Britain. The result of long-standing commercial tensions, the war was primarily fought in the Caribbean; the British tried to capture key Spanish ports in the region, including Porto Bello and Chagres in Panama, Havana, and Cartagena de Indias in present-day Colombia.
Two previous naval attacks in 1740 had failed and for the third attempt in March 1741, the British had opted for a combined naval and land campaign. The British were initially successful; destroying the chain barrier across the narrow channel of Boca Chica and capturing the Fort San Luis. However a night assault on Fort San Lazaro failed and the British were forced to retreat, having suffered over 9,500–11,500 fatalities, in great part to disease, and considerable material losses. Some units suffered death rates of 80 to 90 percent. The victory demonstrated Spain's ability to defend its position and largely ended military operations in this area. Both countries shifted their focus to the wider European War of the Austrian Succession and hostilities ended with the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Cartagena de Indias (revision 1379446920), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Capture of the galleon San Joaquin 1711 · 3 km
- Raid on Cartagena de Indias (1697) 1697 · 3 km
- Battle of Cartagena de Indias (1586) 1586 · 4 km
- Siege of Cartagena (1815) 1815 · 5 km
- Siege of Cartagena (1820–21) 1820 · 5 km
- Wager's Action 1708 · 27 km
Other battles of the War of Jenkins' Ear
- Battle of Bloody Mose 1740
- Siege of St. Augustine (1740) 1740
- Invasion of Cuba (1741) 1741
- Battle of Bloody Marsh 1742
- Battle of La Guaira 1743
- Action of 18 March 1748 1748
- Battle of Havana (1748) 1748
All 8 battles of the War of Jenkins' Ear →
Browse more: battles in Colombia · South America · Early modern battles