Invasion of Île Bonaparte

Invasion of Île Bonaparte
Part of the Napoleonic Wars
Île Bonaparte. The invasion forces landed either side of the capital Saint Denis.
Date 7 – 9 July 1810 Location Saint Denis, Île Bonaparte. Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	French Empire
Commanders and leaders
Josias Rowley Henry Keating	Chrysostôme de Sainte-Suzanne
Strength
3,650 British Army soldiers, 5 Royal Navy frigates in support	576 French Army soldiers, 2,717 militia
Casualties and losses
22 killed, 79 wounded	Casualties unknown. The island, entire garrison and large quantities of military equipment captured.

The Invasion of Île Bonaparte was an amphibious operation in 1810 that formed an important part of the British campaign to blockade and capture the French Indian Ocean territories of Île Bonaparte (now Réunion) and Isle de France (now Mauritius) during the Napoleonic Wars. These islands formed a fortified base for a French frigate squadron under Commodore Jacques Hamelin to raid British convoys of East Indiamen travelling between Britain and British India. Hamelin's ships had destroyed two convoys the previous year despite the attention of a squadron of Royal Navy ships under Commodore Josias Rowley. Rowley had responded by raiding the fortified anchorage of Saint Paul on Île Bonaparte and capturing one of Hamelin's frigates and two captured East Indiamen.

The raid had an unforeseen consequence, when the commander of Île Bonaparte General Nicolas Des Bruslys, committed suicide rather than lead the garrison against the British landing parties. This encouraged Rowley to consider a larger operation to seize the whole island. Using the small British-held island of Rodriguez as a base, Rowley and his British Army counterpart Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Keating planned to land two forces either side of the island's capital Saint Denis and force the governor to capitulate before the island's militia could be mobilised against them.

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