Invasion of Isle de France
| Invasion of Isle de France | |||||||||
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| Part of the Napoleonic Wars | |||||||||
.jpg) Map of Isle de France, 1791. Grand Baie (G. de Bay) is at the northern tip of the island. Port Napoleon is labelled with its pre-Revolutionary name of Port Louis. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 United Kingdom
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 First French Empire
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Albemarle Bertie John Abercromby
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Charles Decaen Edmé-Martin Vandermaesen Jean Dornal de Guy
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 6,848 soldiers, sailors and Royal Marines 1 ship of the line, 12 frigates, 5 brigs and around 50 smaller vessels and troops transports |
1,300 regular soldiers, 10,000 militia 6 frigates, 3 brigs and 1 smaller vessel |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 28 killed, 94 wounded, 45 missing | Isle de France and all military stores captured | ||||||||
The Invasion of Isle de France was a complicated but successful amphibious operation in the Indian Ocean, launched in November 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. During the operation, a substantial British military force was landed by the Royal Navy at Grand Baie on Isle de France (now Mauritius). Marching inland against weak French opposition, the British force was able to overwhelm the defenders in a series of minor engagements, culminating in the capture of the island's capital Port Napoleon and the surrender of Charles Decaen, the French governor. The surrender eliminated the last French territory in the Indian Ocean and among the military equipment captured were five French Navy frigates and 209 heavy cannon. Isle de France was retained by Britain at the end of the war under the name of Mauritius and remained part of the British Empire until 1968.
The operation was the culmination of two years of conflict over the island and the neighbouring Île Bourbon between frigate squadrons commanded by Josias Rowley and Jacques Hamelin. Hamelin repeatedly raided British trade convoys and Rowley responded with amphibious assaults on French harbours, but neither had gained ascendancy by the time Rowley sent most of his force to attack the port of Grand Port on Isle de France in August 1810. At the ensuing battle at Grand Port the British squadron was destroyed and Hamelin began to blockade Rowley on Île Bourbon. As British reinforcements were urgently despatched, several actions were fought between recently arrived British ships and the more numerous French forces. At the last of these on 18 September 1810, Hamelin was defeated and captured by Rowley. This allowed Rowley to build his forces over the next two months until they were sufficient for a successful invasion, which was led by the recently arrived Admiral Albemarle Bertie.
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Wikipedia