Battle of Fishguard 1797
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 22 February 1797 – 24 February 1797 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1797 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Wales | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | War of the First Coalition | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | France, Kingdom of Great Britain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 51.9982, -4.9804 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Fishguard was a military invasion of Great Britain by Revolutionary France during the War of the First Coalition. The brief campaign, on 22–24 February 1797, is the most recent landing on British soil by a hostile foreign force and thus is often referred to as the "last invasion of mainland Britain".
The French general Lazare Hoche had devised a three-pronged attack on Britain in support of the Society of United Irishmen. Two forces would land in Britain as a diversionary effort, while the main body would land in Ireland. Adverse weather and ill-discipline halted two of the forces, but the third, aimed at landing in Wales and marching on Bristol, went ahead.
After brief clashes with hastily assembled British forces and the local civilian population, the invading force's Irish-American commander, Colonel William Tate, was forced into unconditional surrender on 24 February. In a related naval action, the British captured two of the expedition's vessels, a frigate and a corvette.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Fishguard (revision 1370110273), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the War of the First Coalition
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- Battle of Würzburg 1796
- French expedition to Ireland (1796) 1796
- Second Battle of Dego 1796
- Siege of Hüningen (1796–1797) 1796
- Battle of Diersheim (1797) 1797
- Battle of Faenza 1797
- Battle of Jean-Rabel 1797
- Battle of La Favorita 1797
- Battle of Neuwied (1797) 1797
All 84 battles of the War of the First Coalition →
Browse more: battles in Wales · Europe · Early modern battles