Siege of Brimstone Hill
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The French invasion of Saint Kitts also known as the Siege of Brimstone Hill, from 19 January–13 February 1782, was a part of the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. After landing on
Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...
, the French troops of the Marquis de Bouillé stormed and besieged the fortress of Brimstone Hill. After a month of battle, the heavily outnumbered and cut-off British garrison surrendered. The
Comte de Grasse ''Comte'' is the French, Catalan and Occitan form of the word 'count' (Latin: ''comes''); ''comté'' is the Gallo-Romance form of the word 'county' (Latin: ''comitatus''). Comte or Comté may refer to: * A count in French, from Latin ''comes'' * A ...
, who delivered de Bouillé's troops and supported the siege, was outmanoeuvred and deprived of his anchorage by Admiral Samuel 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 Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...
restored Saint Kitts and adjacent
Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and Ne ...
to British rule.


Forces


British Forces

British forces included: * 1st Battalion, 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot *
15th Regiment of Foot 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious num ...
*
28th Regiment of Foot The 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the Gloucestershire Regi ...
*
55th Regiment of Foot The 55th Regiment of Foot was a British Army infantry regiment, raised in 1755. After 1782 it had a county designation added, becoming known as the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 34th (Cum ...
*
69th Regiment of Foot The 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881. History Formation Th ...


French Forces

French forces included: * Régiment d'Armagnac (2 Battalions, minus two detachments: first aboard the ships, and 2nd in
Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer ...
) * Landing Party
Régiment d'Agenois A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service and/or a administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large bod ...
* Landing Party from Régiment d'Auxerrois * Detachment from Régiment de Touraine * Detachment from Régiment de Viennois * Detachment from Régiment de Brie * Régiment de Royal Comtois * Detachment from Régiment de Dillon * 1ére Legion (Volontaires Étrangers de la Marine) * Detachment of Marine Artillery


French capture

De Grasse set sail from
Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
, 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 19 January. In concert with the Governor of the French West Indies, de Bouillé, an attack by de Grasse upon Barbados was previously planned, but adverse winds forced them to return to Martinique, and then onwards to Saint Kitts. On 24 January, 22 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 Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...
, and contrary east-southeast winds impeded the French from reaching the British before they had circled north around Nevis and dropped anchor off
Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitt ...
. 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 for 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 Agénois and Touraine until the de Bouillé could hasten reinforcements across the island.Marley p. 341 Prescott's drive was eventually repelled, but otherwise French efforts continued to be hampered by the loss of their field artillery in a wreck while approaching Saint Kitts and the capture of an ammunition ship by one of Hood's frigates. The governor sent artillery and ammunition to Fraser, which were intercepted by the inhabitants, and by them deliberately made over to the French. Defending the fort at Brimstone Hill were the 1st Battalion of the 1st Foot (approximately 700), flank companies of the 15th Foot (approximately 120), Royal Artillery detachment, and many militia. By 12 February, Fraser's little garrison, having lost over 150 killed and wounded, besides many men out of action through sickness, was exhausted. Additionally, there were breaches in the walls, and many of the militia petitioned to surrender. Fraser had no alternative but to negotiate a surrender that included marching out with the honors of war. The next day, de Grasse ventured to Nevis to meet an arriving convoy of French victuallers (food supply ships), while Hood availed himself of the opportunity to escape in the opposite direction on the morning of 14 February.


Further reading

*Aspinall, A.E. The Battle of Brimstone Hill. In
West Indian tales of old
London, UK: Duckworth and Co. 1915.


Notes


References

*Black, Jeremy. ''A Military History of Britain: From 1775 to the Present'' Praeger Publishers (2006). *Chartrand, René. ''The French Army in the American War of Independence'' Osprey Publishing (1992) *Marley, David F. ''Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present'' ABC-CLIO (1998) *Reynolds, Clark G. ''Navies in history US Naval Institute Press'' (1998) {{DEFAULTSORT:Brimstone Hill, Siege of Conflicts in 1782 Battles of the American Revolutionary War History of British Saint Christopher and Nevis 1782 in the Caribbean