Battle of Elmina (1637) 1637
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 24 August 1637 – 29 August 1637 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1637 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Ghana | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Africa | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Dutch–Portuguese War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 5.0824, -1.3475 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Elmina in 1637 was a military engagement between the Portuguese and the Dutch that culminated with the capture of the historical St. George of Elmina Fort by the latter.
In 1637, the Dutch West India Company detached nine ships from the forces attacking the Portuguese in Brazil to send them against the Portuguese in Fort Elmina. They appointed Colonel Hans Coine to command the fleet which consisted of a total of 1,300 men. They landed on 24 July, a short distance away from Cape Coast, and proceeded by canoe down the Sweet River towards the Portuguese fort, bringing 800 soldiers and three days worth of provisions.
A hill named St. Jago dominated the fort which Coine determined needed be taken if they were to take the fort. However, 1,000 natives allied to the Portuguese were at the base of it, preventing the Dutch from seizing it. Coine sent four companies of fusiliers after it, but they were annihilated. A second Dutch detachment that attacked the other side fared better, causing the natives to rout. The Portuguese and their native allies made two attempts to take back the position, but both failed. After the second failed attack, the Portuguese fell back into their redoubt at the summit of the hill.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Elmina (1637) (revision 1375872702), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Elmina (1781) 1781 · 0 km
- Battle of Elmina (1625) 1625 · 0 km
- Capture of Carolusborg (1658) 1658 · 12 km
- Assault on Osu 1678 · 140 km
- Battle of Amoaful 1874 · 154 km
- Katamanso War 1826 · 162 km
Other battles of the Dutch–Portuguese War
- Siege of Malacca (1606) 1606
- Battle of Swally 1612
- Battle of Elmina (1625) 1625
- Battle off Hormuz (1625) 1625
- Battle of Goa (1638) 1638
- Siege of Salvador (1638) 1638
- Siege of Salvador (1638) 1638
- Action of 12–17 January 1640 1640
- Siege of Malacca (1640–1641) 1640
- Second Battle of Guararapes 1649
All 12 battles of the Dutch–Portuguese War →
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