Battle of Roatán 1782
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 16 March 1782 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1782 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Honduras | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Anglo-Spanish War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of Great Britain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 16.3834, -86.4178 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Roatán (sometimes spelled "Rattan") was an American War of Independence battle fought on March 16, 1782, between British and Spanish forces for control of Roatán, an island off the Caribbean coast of present-day Honduras.
A Spanish expeditionary force under Matías de Gálvez, the Captain General of Spanish Guatemala, gained control of the British-held island after bombarding its main defences. The British garrison surrendered the next day. The Spanish evacuated the captured soldiers, 135 civilians and 300 slaves, and destroyed their settlement, which they claimed had been used as a base for piracy and privateering.
The assault was part of a larger plan by Gálvez to eliminate British influence in Central America. Although he met with temporary successes, the British were able to maintain a colonial presence in the area.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Roatán (revision 1370587600), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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- Battle of San Fernando de Omoa 1779 · 186 km
- Capture of Cayo Cocina 1779 · 219 km
- Battle of St. George's Caye 1798 · 219 km
- Battle of Ocotal 1927 · 306 km
- Capture of Río Hondo 1779 · 309 km
Other battles of the Anglo-Spanish War
- Battle of Manila (1762) 1762
- Siege of Havana 1762
- Action of 11 November 1779 1779
- Capture of Río Hondo 1779
- Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780) 1780
- Battle of the Black River 1782
- Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797) 1797
- Action of 16 October 1799 1799
All 33 battles of the Anglo-Spanish War →
Browse more: battles in Honduras · North America · Early modern battles