British expedition against Martinique (1762)

British expedition against Martinique
Part of the Seven Years' War
Date 5 January – 12 February 1762 Location Martinique, West Indies Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Robert Monckton George Rodney	Francis V of Beauharnais
Strength
8,000 regulars and militia	1,200 regulars 7,000 militia 4,000 hired privateers

The British expedition against Martinique was a military action that took place in January and February 1762. It was part of the Seven Years' War.

After the surrender of Dominica to a British expeditionary force, the French in Martinique fully expected the same expedition to head into their direction. Accordingly, they took measures for their defense. The French force in Martinique consisted of 1,200 regulars, 7,000 local militia and 4,000 hired privateersmen. Furthermore, the mountainous nature of the island made it rather easy to defend.

The neighbouring British islands did what they could to help the mother-country:

The first troops to arrive in Carlisle Bay were a detachment from Belle-Isle, Newfoundland consisting of:

On 24 December 1761, the main army from America under the sails of Admiral Rodney and command of Brigadier Robert Monckton arrived in Carlisle Bay. This army was made up of eleven regiments:

In all, the force entrusted to Monckton must have amounted to 8,000 men.

On 5 January 1762, the British transports weighed anchor and sailed away to leeward, under escort of Admiral Rodney's fleet, past the Pitons of Saint Lucia and past the port of Castries. Two days later the British amphibious force anchored in Sainte-Anne Bay, just round the southern extremity of Martinique, on the western side. Two brigades were then landed in Les Anses-d'Arlet, a bay farther up the western coast, from which they marched to the south of the bay that forms the harbor of the capital, Fort-Royal. Finding the road impracticable for transport of guns, they were re-embarked.

On 16 January, the entire British army was landed without loss of a man at Case Navire, a little to the north of Negro Point. This point forms the northern headland of the harbour, and had at its foot a road leading due east over the mountains to Fort Royal, some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away. The way was blocked by deep gullies and ravines, and the French had erected redoubts at every strategic point, as well as batteries on a hill beyond, named Morne Tortenson. Monckton was thus compelled to erect batteries to silence the French guns before he could advance farther.

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