Siege of Brimstone Hill

Siege of Brimstone Hill
Part of the Anglo-French War
The Fortress of Brimstone Hill, UNESCO World Heritage site.
Date 19 January – 12 February 1782 Location Saint Kitts and Nevis, West Indies Result French victory Saint Kitts and Nevis occupied by the French until the Treaty of Paris 1783.
Belligerents
France	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Comte de Grasse Marquis de Bouillé	Thomas Shirley (POW) Thomas Fraser (POW) Sir Samuel Hood Robert Prescott
Strength
7,000 men	3000 men
Casualties and losses
Unknown	107 killed 207 wounded hundreds sick

The French invasion of Saint Kitts also known as the Siege of Brimstone Hill (19 January – 13 February 1782) was a siege of the Anglo-French War. After landing on Saint Kitts, the French troops of the Marquis de Bouillé stormed and besieged Brimstone Hill, and after a month of siege the heavily outnumbered and cut-off British garrison surrendered. The Comte de Grasse, who delivered de Bouillé's troops and supported the siege, was outmanoeuvred and deprived of his anchorage by Admiral Hood. Even though Hood's force was inferior by one-third, de Grasse was beaten off when he attempted to dislodge Hood. Hood's attempts to relieve the ongoing siege were unsuccessful, and the garrison capitulated after one month. About a year later, the Treaty of Paris restored Saint Kitts and adjacent Nevis to British rule.

De Grasse set sail from Martinique, reaching Saint Kitts by 11 January. The British had already retired into their stronghold under Brigadier General Fraser, so the French landing forces disembarked without opposition and began to besiege them on January 19. Concerted with the Governor, an attack upon Barbados was mounted. Foiled in the attempt by the violence of the trade-wind, they turned to leeward against Saint Kitts.

On 24 January, twenty-two British warships under Admiral Hood were sighted near Nevis intending to reinforce Saint Kitts. De Grasse went out to intercept then, but by dawn the next day Hood had veered towards Montserrat, and contrary east-southeast winds impeded the French from reaching the British before they had circled north around Nevis and dropped anchor off Basseterre. De Grasse attacked the anchored British fleet on both the morning and afternoon of 26 January but was beaten off, disembarkation proceeding apace. During these naval engagements the French suffered 107 killed and 207 wounded, compared to 72 dead and 244 injured among the British. On 28 January the 1,200-man British vanguard advanced against the town of Basseterre under General Prescott while its French occupiers fought a delaying action under Colonel de Fléchin with 274 men of the regiments of Agenois and Touraine until the Marquis de Bouillé could hasten reinforcements across the island.

...
Wikipedia