Invasion of Martinique (1759) 1759
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 16 January 1759 – 19 January 1759 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1759 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | France | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Seven Years' War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of Great Britain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 14.6700, -61.0000 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
A British invasion of Martinique took place in January 1759 when a large amphibious force under Peregrine Hopson landed on the French-held island of Martinique and unsuccessfully tried to capture it during the Seven Years' War. Cannon fire from the British fleet was ineffective against the fortress at Fort-Royal due to its location high on the cliffs, and there were no suitable landing places nearby. Unknown to the British commanders, French governor Francis de Beauharnais had not been resupplied for some months, and even a brief siege would have led to the fort's capitulation. However, Moore and Hopson decided instead to investigate the possibility of attacking Martinique's main commercial port, Saint-Pierre. After a desultory naval bombardment on 19 January that again had little effect on the port's defences, they withdrew, and decided instead to attack Guadeloupe, home to a significant body of French privateers. The expedition was successful at Guadeloupe, which surrendered to them in May 1759. In 1762 a British force captured Martinique.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Invasion of Martinique (1759) (revision 1370624049), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Invasion of Martinique (1762) 1762 · 0 km
- Battle of Martinique (1794) 1794 · 0 km
- Invasion of Martinique (1674) 1674 · 11 km
- Battle of Martinique (1779) 1779 · 19 km
- Battle of Martinique (1667) 1667 · 21 km
- Action of 6 December 1782 1782 · 22 km
Other battles of the Seven Years' War
- Cherbourg raid 1758
- Raid on St Malo 1758
- Siege of Küstrin 1758
- Siege of Madras 1758
- Siege of Olomouc 1758
- Battle of Beauport 1759
- Battle of Bergen (1759) 1759
- Battle of Chinsurah 1759
- Battle of Fort Niagara 1759
- Battle of Frisches Haff 1759
All 102 battles of the Seven Years' War →
Browse more: battles in France · North America · Early modern battles