View source for Capture of Montserrat

{{short description|1782 French naval expedition against the British during the American Revolutionary War}}
{{about-distinguish2|the capture of the Caribbean island of Montserrat by the French in 1782|[[Battle of Montserrat|Napoleonic War battle]] for the [[Montserrat (mountain)|mountain near Barcelona]] in 1811}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict      = Capture of Montserrat
| partof        = the [[American Revolutionary War]]
| image         = 
| caption       = 
| date          = 22 February 1782
| place         = [[Montserrat]], [[West Indies]]
| result        = French victory
| combatant1    = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of France}}
| combatant2    = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
| commander1    = [[Jacques-Melchior Saint-Laurent, Comte de Barras|Comte de Barras]]<br>Charles François Joseph, Comte de Flechin
| commander2    = Gov. Michael White
| strength1     = 4 ships <br> 500 men
| strength2     = Unknown
| casualties1   = Unknown, minimum
| casualties2   = Unknown casualties <br> 68 artillery guns taken
}}
{{Campaignbox American War of Independence: West Indies}}
{{Campaignbox Anglo-French War (1778–83)}}

The '''Capture of Montserrat''' was accomplished by a [[France|French]] [[French Navy|naval expedition]] that seized the island of [[Montserrat]] from the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] on 22 February 1782 during the [[American Revolutionary War]].

==Background==
Following the Franco-American success in the October 1781 [[Siege of Yorktown]], French Admiral [[François Joseph Paul de Grasse]] returned to the [[West Indies]] to continue campaigning against British-held islands there.  In concert with the French governor of the West Indies, the [[François Claude Amour, marquis de Bouillé|Marquis de Bouillé]], he sought to capture [[Barbados]], a key British possession.  However, two separate attempts failed to reach the island, which is to the windward of most of the Caribbean islands and can require a lengthy journey against the prevailing easterly trade winds to reach. The leaders then turned to other targets, beginning with [[St. Kitts]], which was [[Siege of Brimstone Hill|besieged]] on 11 January 1782.  St. Kitts fell on 13 February, at which time de Grasse detached a squadron to take Montserrat.

==Capture==
The [[Jacques-Melchior Saint-Laurent, Comte de Barras|Comte de Barras]], commander of the squadron, dispatched the Count of Flechin, along with 500 men from the [[Régiment Auxerrois]], to capture the island from the British. At the time of its surrender, British artillery on Montserrat consisted of 62 pieces of cannon of different bores and six howitzers.

Montserrat was occupied by the French until it was returned pursuant to the terms of the 1783 [[Peace of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Versailles]].<ref>Black p.59</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
*Chartrand, René. ''The French Army in the American War of Independence''. Osprey Publishing (1992) {{ISBN|1-85532-167-X}}
*Black, Jeremy. ''A Military History of Britain: From 1775 to the Present''. Praeger Publishers (2006). {{ISBN|0-275-99039-7}}
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[[Category:Naval battles of the Anglo-French War (1778–1783)]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving France]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving Great Britain]]
[[Category:History of Montserrat|Capture of]]
[[Category:1782 in France]]
[[Category:Invasions by France|Capture of]]