Capture of Demerara and Essequibo
Capture of Demerara and Essequibo | |||||||
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Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
Period map showing Dutch colonies in South America | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
France | Great Britain | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Armand of Kersaint Comte de Bouillé | Gov. Robert Kingston | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Régiment d'Armagnac and 1ére Legion (Volontaires Étranger de la Marine) | 28th Regiment of Foot[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown, Minimum | 3 |
The capture of Demerara and Essequibo was a French military expedition carried out in January 1782 as part of the
Background
In December 1780 Great Britain declared war on the
French capture
French naval captain
The French seized five Royal Navy vessels: the 20-gun Orinoque (Commander William Tahourdin), 16-gun Barbuda (Commander Francis Pender), 18-gun Sylph (Commander Lawrence Graeme), 16-gun Stormont (Commander Christmas Paul), and 16-gun brig Rodney (Lieutenant John Douglas Brisbane).[3]
Aftermath
The Comte de Kersaint became governor of the three rivers and their settlements and inhabitants. To guarantee their conquest, the French began to construct forts at the mouth of the Demerara River, one on each eastern and western bank, and for that purpose, they compelled the planters to furnish slave labor. They also doubled the capitation tax, which burden was felt severely by the colonists. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris restored these territories to the Dutch.[5] When Demerara surrendered to the French, the British naval commander in place signed the capitulation. Gov. Kingston's proposals for terms contained the following rather singular proposition:
"The Lieut.-Gov. for himself requires, that not having troops with him, he may be considered in a civil capacity, and at liberty to join and do duty with his Britannic Majesty's 28th Regt., of which he has the honor to be Lieutenant-Col."[2]
To this the following answer was returned:
"Lt.-Gov. Kingston having retired himself to his Britannic Majesty's squadron, from whence he has made his particular proposals which were rejected, I cannot but consider him in a military capacity, jointly with the commander of the squadron."[2]
Notes
References
- Chartrand, René (1992) The French Army in the American War of Independence. (Osprey). ISBN 1-85532-167-X
- Cust, Edward (1862). Annals of the Wars of the Eighteenth Century, Compiled from the Most Authentic Histories of the Period. Vol. 3. John Murray.
- Hadden, James (2009) Hadden's Journal and Orderly Books. (Applewood). ISBN 1-4290-1685-X
- Henry, Dalton G. (1855) The History of British Guiana: Comprising a General Description of the Colony: A narrative of some of the principal events from the earliest period of products and natural history.
- Marley, F. David. (1998) Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present. (ABC-CLIO) ISBN 0-87436-837-5