Invasion of Guadeloupe (1815)
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The Invasion of Guadeloupe (8–10 August 1815) was the last conflict between French and British forces during the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, and took place after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.


Background

Guadeloupe had been captured by the British twice before, most recently in 1810, but had been returned to the French following Napoleon's first abdication in April 1814.
Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 â€“ 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...
had appointed Admiral
Charles-Alexandre L̩on Durand Linois Charles-Alexandre L̩on Durand, Comte de Linois (27 January 1761 Р2 December 1848) was a French admiral who served in the French Navy during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. He commanded the combined Franco-Spanish fleet during the Algec ...
as governor, with General Eugène Édouard Boyer de Peyreleau as his deputy. News of Napoleon's return from exile in
Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...
in February 1815 eventually reached the island in May, and divided it. Linois remained loyal to the King, while Boyer-Peyreleau led the Bonapartists. On 15 June the schooner ''Argile'' arrived from France with orders to rally Guadeloupe and Martinique to Bonaparte's cause. Boyer-Peyreleau attempted to persuade Linois to declare his support for Bonaparte, but he refused, so on 18 June Boyer-Peyreleau began arresting key officials and held Linois under house arrest. The next day Linois reluctantly declared his support for the new regime. However, unknown to them, Bonaparte had been defeated at Waterloo on 18 June, and would abdicate soon after. Meanwhile, on Martinique, the governor, Comte Pierre de Vaugiraud, had requested British assistance in holding the island on behalf of the French king, with British troops landing there in June.


The expedition

On learning of the situation in Guadeloupe, the commander of British forces in the West Indies, Lieutenant-General Sir James Leith, a veteran of the
Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
, promptly assembled an expeditionary force, with naval support under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir
Philip Durham Admiral Sir Philip Charles Henderson Calderwood Durham, GCB (baptised 29 July 1763 – 2 April 1845) was a Royal Navy officer whose service in the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars was lengthy, distin ...
. Leith's forces comprised about 5,000 troops and an artillery corps, carried on over fifty troop ships and transports, supported by the British naval ships ''Dasher'', , ''Espiegle'' and ''Columbia'', all 18-gun brig-sloops; the sloops ''Muros'' (22 guns) and ''Barbadoes'' (16 guns), both former American privateers; and , a 10 gun brig. De Vaugiraud provided the corvettes ''Acteon'' and ''Diligent'', and the schooner ''Le Messager'', with a contingent of French troops from Martinique. The British troops were organised into three
brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...
s, commanded by major-generals Sir
Charles Shipley Major-General Sir Charles Shipley (18 February 1755 – 30 November 1815) was a senior officer in the British Army who was acting Governor of Grenada from 1813 to 1815. Early life Shipley was born at Copt Hall, Luton, Bedfordshire, the son of ...
, Stehelin and Douglass. They consisted of the 1st battalions of the
15th 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 (number), 14 and preceding 16 (number), 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky ...
, 25th, 63rd regiments of foot; the Royal West India Rangers, the York Chasseurs and the Royal York Rangers, and detachments of the
West India Regiment The West India Regiments (WIR) were infantry units of the British Army recruited from and normally stationed in the British colonies of the Caribbean between 1795 and 1927. In 1888 the two West India Regiments then in existence were reduced t ...
. Royal Navy forces seized the
Îles des Saintes The Îles des Saintes (; "Islands of the Female Saints"), also known as Les Saintes, is a group of small islands in the archipelago of Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. It is part of the Canton of Trois-Rivières and is divided int ...
on 6 July, and occupied the island of
Marie-Galante Marie-Galante ( gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Mawigalant) is one of the islands that form Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 ...
on the 18th. The 1st Division of British ships carrying troops from South America and the
Windward Islands french: ÃŽles du Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth ...
sailed from
Carlisle Bay, Barbados Carlisle Bay is a small natural harbour located in the southwest region of Barbados. The island nation's capital, Bridgetown, is situated on this bay which has been turned into a marine park. Carlisle Bay's marine park is a popular spot on the ...
, on 31 July, meeting the 2nd Division, with troops from
St. Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...
, Martinique, and
Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
, off the ÃŽles des Saintes. The 1st Division anchored in the Bay of
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
at Marie Galante, on 2 August, threatening a landing at
Pointe-à-Pitre Pointe-à-Pitre (; gcf, label=Guadeloupean Creole, Pwentapit, , or simply , ) is the second largest (most populous) city of Guadeloupe after Les Abymes. Guadeloupe is an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in the ...
and Fort Fleur, while the 2nd Division remained off the Saintes, threatening
Basse-Terre Basse-Terre (, ; ; gcf, label=Guadeloupean Creole, Bastè, ) is a commune in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefecture'' (capital city) of Guadeloupe. The city of Basse-Terre is located ...
. Rumours of Bonaparte's defeat had begun to reach Guadeloupe in July, but were dismissed as British propaganda by Linois and Boyer-Peyreleau. On 3 August, Captain
Andrew Leith Hay Sir Andrew Leith Hay of Rannes (17 February 1785 – 13 October 1862) was a Scottish soldier, Whig politician and writer on architecture. Biography Andrew Leith Hay was the eldest son of General Alexander Leith Hay of Rannes and Mary Forbes of ...
, Leith's nephew and aide-de-camp, arrived at Basse-Terre under a
flag of truce White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize ...
with a proclamation detailing Bonaparte's abdication, and demanding that the French lay down their arms. They refused. However, on 7 August French newspapers from Barbados and Martinique arrived, with definitive news from Europe.


Battle

At dawn the next day, 8 August, the British 1st and 2nd brigades landed at Anse Saint-Sauveur, on the south-eastern coast of
Basse-Terre Island Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
, driving the opposing French troops up into the hills. The following day the 3rd Brigade landed at
Baillif Baillif is a commune of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles. Baillif is a suburb of Basse-Terre, the prefecture and second-largest urban area of Guadeloupe located on Basse-Terre Island (the ...
, on the south-western coast, preventing the scattered French forces from regrouping. Later that day Linois requested the British name their conditions. The following day, 10 August, he signed the capitulation.


Aftermath

Guadeloupe remained under British occupation until returned to France in April 1816. In November 1816 General Leith received the Order of Military Merit from France.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Invasion of Guadeloupe (1815)
1815 Events January * January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England. * January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussi ...
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
1810s in Guadeloupe 1815 in the Caribbean
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
History of Guadeloupe August 1815 events