Capture of Senegal

Capture of Senegal
Part of Seven Years' War
A map of Senegal by Guillaume Delisle (1770)
Date April – May 1758 Location Saint-Louis, Senegal Result British victory.
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Henry Marsh
Strength
200 Light artillery 6 Royal Navy vessels 5 hired armed vessels

The Capture of Senegal took place in 1758 during the Seven Years' War with France, as part of a concerted British strategy to weaken the French economy by damaging her international trade. To this end, a succession of small British military expeditions landed in Senegal and captured the French settlements of Saint-Louis and Gorée, seizing French vessels and supplies. By late 1758 the Senegalese coast was entirely in British hands with local administration controlled by the first British Governor of Senegal, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Worge.

The plan was devised by an American merchant Thomas Cumming who had previously visited West Africa, and extensively considered the possibilities for a British attack. The plan was built around Britain's growing dominance on the Oceans which had dramatically reduced French sea power. A British naval force under Captain Henry Marsh would sail from England and head for the coast of West Africa, where it would land an amphibious force at the Senegal River. They would then capture the French fort at Saint-Louis. Cumming planned to raise support from local African forces, who would rendezvous with the British and attack the French.

The French settlements in Senegal had little strategic value, but they were important to France's global trade in slaves. They were also home to a substantial industry in natural gums. The principal object of the expedition was therefore to damage the French economy by cutting access to these industries. Such expeditions were part of Southern Secretary William Pitt's strategy of destroying France's capacity to continue the war by draining her of funds.

Two hundred troops and two warships were to take part in the expedition. The forces departed from Plymouth in early 1758, and after a brief stop for supplies at Tenerife they reached the coast of West Africa in April. Cumming had gone ashore to secure support amongst locals, and they launched a landward blockade of the fort.

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Wikipedia