Battle of Grenada 1779
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 6 July 1779 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1779 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Grenada | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Revolutionary War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | France, Kingdom of Great Britain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 12.0500, -61.7500 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. A British fleet led by Admiral John Byron (the grandfather of Lord Byron) had sailed in an attempt to relieve Grenada, which French forces under Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing had just captured.
Incorrectly believing he had numerical superiority, Byron ordered a general chase to attack the French as they left their anchorage at Grenada. Because of the disorganized attack and the French Navy's numerical superiority, Byron's fleet was badly mauled in the encounter, although no ships were lost on either side. Naval historian Alfred Thayer Mahan described the battle as "the most disastrous... that the British Navy had encountered since Beachy Head, in 1690."
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Grenada (revision 1370442020), 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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All 190 battles of the American Revolutionary War →
Browse more: battles in Grenada · North America · Early modern battles