Invasion of the Cape Colony
Invasion of the Cape Colony | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars | |||||||||
A painting of Lord Elphinstone during the battle | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Belligerents | |||||||||
Great Britain | Dutch East India Company | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
George Elphinstone James Craig | Abraham Sluysken | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
1,800 soldiers 5 ships of the line 2 sloops 14 troopships |
3,600 soldiers 1 frigate 1 brig | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
4 killed 54 wounded |
1 frigate captured 1 brig captured |
The Invasion of the Cape Colony, also known as the Battle of Muizenberg (
In response,
Elphinstone subsequently strengthened the garrison against counterattack and stationed a
Background
The
The Cape Colony was administered from two towns, the larger
In the winter of 1794, French soldiers invaded the Netherlands and captured
Invasion
Blankett and Elphinstone united off the Cape on 10 June 1795 and anchored in Simon's Bay. There messages were sent to Sluysken offering an alliance against the French.[9] The Dutch governor was inclined to resist however, evacuating the civilian population from Simon's Town in early July and making preparations to raze the town. To prevent this, Craig landed 800 soldiers and Royal Marines on 14 July,[10] who occupied Simon's Town while the Dutch withdrew to the pass at Muizenberg, through which passed the road to Cape Town.[11] For the next month the two armies observed an uneasy truce, broken by occasional patrols and sniping. During this period, Elphinstone and Sluysken continued negotiations for the surrender of the colony. These negotiations were stalled by disputes in the colonial government regarding the legitimacy of the deposed William of Orange and suspicion concerning British intentions. While the debates continued, British envoys were permitted free movement in Cape Town, making detailed observations of the defences.[9]
Elphinstone became concerned that the Dutch positions were too strong for his forces to overwhelm, and on 19 June he sent HMS Sphinx to request assistance from Clarke's fleet. On 7 August, with negotiations stalled, Elphinstone ordered an attack on the pass at Muizenberg.[12] Craig's forces were supplemented with 1,000 sailors from Elphinstone's squadron redeployed on land under captains Temple Hardy and John William Spranger.[13] Among this force were a number of American citizens who immediately deserted to the Dutch and were promised repatriation.[14] At noon on 7 August, HMS America, HMS Stately, HMS Echo and HMS Rattlesnake opened fire on Dutch forward positions. Return fire from Dutch field guns killed two men on America and wounded three more,[15] while Craig's troops were able to advance against the Dutch positions and seize them, with the Dutch defenders falling back in confusion.[16] A second attack by soldiers of the 78th captured a rocky height nearby and a Dutch counterattack the following morning was driven off by Hardy's sailors and marines.[15]
The Dutch fell back to
Elphinstone's order of battle
Elphinstone's squadron | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ship | Rate | Guns | Navy | Commander | |||||||
HMS Monarch | Third rate
|
74 | Royal Navy | Vice-Admiral Sir George Keith Elphinstone
Captain John Elphinstone | |||||||
HMS Victorious | Third rate | 74 | Royal Navy | Captain William Clark | |||||||
HMS Arrogant | Third rate | 74 | Royal Navy | Captain Richard Lucas | |||||||
HMS America | Third rate | 64 | Royal Navy | Captain John Blankett | |||||||
HMS Stately | Third rate | 64 | Royal Navy | Captain Billy Douglas | |||||||
HMS Echo | Ship-Sloop | 16 | Royal Navy | Captain Temple Hardy | |||||||
HMS Rattlesnake | Ship-Sloop | 16 | Royal Navy | Captain John William Spranger | |||||||
Source: James 2002, p. 300 |
Aftermath
Total British losses were four killed and 54 wounded.
No further attacks on the Cape Colony were made during the course of the war. Elphinstone returned to Britain in October 1796 and was subsequently awarded the title of
Citations
- ^ Chandler 1999, p. 373.
- ^ Parkinson 1954, p. 18.
- ^ a b Parkinson 1954, p. 33.
- ^ Parkinson 1954, p. 32.
- ^ a b Potgeiter & Grundlingh 2007, p. 45.
- ^ Chandler 1999, p. 44.
- ^ Potgeiter & Grundlingh 2007, p. 46.
- ^ Potgeiter & Grundlingh 2007, p. 43.
- ^ a b Potgeiter & Grundlingh 2007, p. 47.
- ^ a b c d "No. 13834". The London Gazette. 24 November 1795. pp. 1235–1241.
- ^ James 2002, p. 300.
- ^ Potgeiter & Grundlingh 2007, p. 48.
- ^ a b Clowes 1997, p. 281.
- ^ a b Mostert 2007, p. 306.
- ^ a b c James 2002, p. 301.
- ^ a b c Potgeiter & Grundlingh 2007, p. 51.
- ^ a b James 2002, p. 302.
- ^ Parkinson 1954, p. 84.
- ^ James 2002, p. 353.
- ^ Potgeiter & Grundlingh 2007, p. 55.
- ^ James 2002, p. 373.
- ^ Parkinson 1954, p. 87.
- ^ Chandler 1999, p. 10.
- ^ Woodman 2001, p. 65.
References
- ISBN 1-84022-203-4.
- ISBN 1-86176-013-2.
- Woodman, Richard; et al. (Illustrations from the ISBN 978-1861760388.
- ISBN 0-85177-905-0.
- Mostert, Noel (2007). Norton, W.W. (ed.). The Line upon a wind. An Intimate History of the Last and Greatest War Fought at Sea Under Sail: 1793—1815. London: Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-7126-0927-2.
- Gardiner, Robert; et al. (With contributions from Stephen Chumbley, illustrations from the .
- Parkinson, C. Northcote (1954). War in the Eastern Seas, 1793–1815. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2021 – via Internet Archive.
- Potgeiter, Thean; Grundlingh, Arthur (1 July 2007). Mandrup, Thomas; Kleynhans, Evert; Fonseca, Raymond Steenkamp; Esterhuyse, Abel; Talliard, Paulette L. (eds.). "Admiral Elphinstone and the Conquest and Defence of the Cape of Good Hope, 1795–96". Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies. 35 (2). ISSN 2309-9682. Archived from the original(PDF) on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2021.