1

TIMELINETheAmericanWarofIndependenceasaGlobalWar

EuropeanTheatre-Gibraltar-EnglishChannel-Africa-Asia

1781,April16:BattleofPortoPraya,CapeVerdeIslands.AFrenchfleetundertheBaillideSuffrenfoughtRoyalNavyvesselsunderCommodoreGeorgeJohnstone.WhiletheFrenchfleetsustainedmoredamagethantheBritish,thebattlewasinconclusive.Johnstone

triedtopursuetheFrench,butwasforcedtocallitoffinordertorepairthedamagehisshipshadtaken.TheFrenchgainedastrategicvictory,sinceSuffrenbeatJohnstonetotheCapeofGoodHopeandre-inforcedtheDutchgarrisontherebeforecontinuingonhisjourneytotheIledeFrance(nowMauritius).

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TheEuropeanTheatre–Gibraltar-theEnglishChannel

January

1781,January7:AFrenchforceunderBelgianPhilippedeRullecourt(*1744)landsontheBritishislandofJerseyintheEnglishChannel.TheassaultfailsandRullecourtiskilled.1780,January16:AdmiralRodneydefeatsSpanishfleetoffCapeStVincent

February

1782,February5:AcombinedFrenchandSpanishforcecapturestheislandofMinorcafollowingasiegethathadbegunon19August1781

March

April

1779,April12:SpainentersintotheConventionofAranjuezwithFrance1781,April16:NavalbattleofPortoPraya,CapeVerdeIslands

May

1779,May1:AjointFranco-DutchattemptledbyCharlesChristian,PrinceofNassau-Weilburg(1735-1788)tocapturetheislandofJerseyintheEnglishChannelfails.

June

1779,June21:SpaindeclareswaragainstGreatBritainasanallyofFrance,notoftheUnitedStates1779,June24:AcombinedFranco-Spanishforcetotalingasmanyas33,000soldiersand30,000sailorsandMarinesbeginsa43-monthlongsiegeofGibraltarwhichonlyendson7February1783.

July

August

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1781,August18:AcombinedFranco-SpanishforceinvadestheislandofMinorcaintheMediterraneanandlayssiegetoFortSt.Philip

September

1782,September13:AjointFranco-Spanishforceofsome30,000sailorson18Ships-of-theLine,40gun-boatsandtenfloatingbatteriesandabout28,000Spanishand7,000–8,000FrenchlandforceslaunchamassiveattackonGibraltar,whichisdefendedbyabout7,500Crownforces.Theattackfailed.Forcomparison:AtYorktowninOctober1781,aFrenchfleetof24ShipsoftheLineandsupportingfrigateswitharound24,000sailorsand5,200menLineinfantrydoingdutyasmarines,supportedaround9,150ContinentalArmyforces(incl.3,300Militia)and9,250Frenchforcesintheirsiegeofaround8,100Crownforces(incl.840navalpersonnel)underLordCornwallis.Cornwallissurrenderson19October.

October

November

December

4

Caribbean–WestIndies–AmericanMainland

(excludingterritoryofthe13UnitedStatesin1776)

WestIndianTheatreofWar

January1781,January7:ASpanishforceunderBernardodeGálvezyMadrid(1746-1786)capturesMobileandBiloxifromBritish1782,January11–February12:FrenchforcescaptureoftheBritishislandsofSaint

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Kitts,St.Martin,Nevis&Montserrat.ThefortressonBrimstoneHillonSt.Kittssurrenderson12February1782,January22:FrenchoccupyDutchsettlementsofDemeraraandEssequiboontheGuianacoastofSouthAmerica,seizedbyBritishinearly1781.Theoperationiscompletedby5February17821779,January:BritishcaptureFrenchislandsofStMartinandSt.Barthelemy

February

1780,February2/3:BritishforcescapturetheDutchislandofSt.Eustatius1780,February4:BritishnavalforcestakeDutchislandsofSt.MaartenandSaba

1783,February12:FrenchforcescaptureTurksandCaicosIslands1782,February20:FrenchforcescaptureislandofNevis1782,February22:FrenchforcescaptureislandofMonserrat1779,February24:FrenchforcescaptureislandofSt.Martin1779,February28:FrenchforcescaptureislandofSt.Barthelemy

March

1781,March9:SpanishforcesoccupyislandofSantaRosaoffPensacola

1782,March16:SpanishforcescaptureBritishCaribbeanislandsofRoatan,ProvidenceIslandandSt.Andrew’sIsland

1781,March18:SpanishforcesunderGálvezlaysiegetoPensacola1781,March:TupacKatarilaunchesrebellionagainstSpanishinBolivia

April

1782,April12:RoyalNavysquadronunderAdmiralSirGeorgeBrydgesRodney,1stBaronRodneydefeatsFrenchsquadronunderFrançois-JosephPaul,marquisdeGrasseTilly,comtedeGrasseinBattleoftheSaints1782,April17and15and19May:BritishandFrenchforcesengageinnavalbattlesoffMartinique1780,April29:SpanishforcessurrenderSanJuan,CostaRicatoLt.Horatio

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Nelson;Britishwithdrawalbeginson30November1780.

Morethan2,500BritishsoldiersandsailorsdiedbetweenAprilandDecember1780,makingtheSanJuanexpeditionthecostliestBritishcampaigninhumanlivesofthewar.

BunkerHill:226killed,828wounded.Total:1,054Saratoga:440killed,695wounded.Total:1,135(about6,200aretakenprisoners)Monmouth:304killed,770wounded,Total:1,074(about60aretakenprisoners)Trenton:22killed,83wounded,Total:105(almost900aretakenprisoners)Princeton:100killed,70wounded.Total:170Cowpens:110killed,229wounded.Total:339GuilfordCourtHouse:93killed,413wounded,Total:506Yorktown:309killed,326wounded.Total:635(about7,700aretakenprisoners)

1782,April13–August23:TheBattleofBlackRiverforcontroloftheBlackRiversettlement,ontheCaribbeancoastofpresent-dayHonduras.

1782,April18:JointSpanish-AmericanfleetcapturesNassauintheBahamas.Thiswasthethirdtimetheislandchangedhands,havingbeencapturedbyanAmericanforceon3/4March1776,andbya

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SpanishforceunderGalvezon6May17821782,April19:FrenchforcesjoinSpanishforcesoutsidePensacola

May

1781,May8:SpanishandFrenchforcescapturePensacola1781,May10-12:FrenchraidonSt.Lucia

1781,May26:SpanishandFrenchforcescapturePensacola

June1781,June2:FrenchcaptureislandofTobago1779,June16-18:FrenchforcescaptureislandofSt.Vincent

July

1779,July2-4:FrenchunderAdmirald’EstaingcaptureislandofGrenada

August

September1778,September7:FrenchforcesunderFrançoisClaudeAmour,marquisdeBouillécapturetheislandofDominica.Note:acommittedRoyalist,BouilléistheonlypersonmentionedbynameintheFrenchnationalanthemLaMarseillaisewhereheisvilifiedinthe5thstanza:

FrenchoriginalEnglishtranslation

Français,enguerriersmagnanimes,Portezouretenezvoscoups!Épargnezcestristesvictimes,Àregrets'armantcontrenous.(bis)Maiscesdespotessanguinaires,MaiscescomplicesdeBouilléTouscestigresqui,sanspitié,Déchirentleseindeleurmère!

Frenchmen,asmagnanimouswarriors,Bearorholdbackyourblows!Sparethesesorryvictims,Armingagainstuswithregrets.(repeat)Butthesebloodthirstydespots,ButtheseaccomplicesofBouillé,Allthesetigerswho,mercilessly,Riptheirmother'sbreast!

1778,September14:BritishcaptureislandsofSt.Pierre-et-Miquelonoffthecoastof

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Newfoundland1779,September15:SpanishforcestakeCayoCocina(alsoknownasSaintGeorge'sCaye) offthecoastofpresent-dayBelize1779,September21:SpanishforcesunderBernardodeGalvezcaptureBatonRouge

October

1777,October1:SpainandPortugalsignTreatyofSanIldefonsoendingtheirlanddisputeinBrazil

1779,October16:BritishforcestakeSanFernandodeOmoaontheGulfofHonduras.TheyabandonthefortagaininlateNovember1779

November

1776,November:largeSpanishforceleavestoinvadeIlhaSantaCatarina,Brazilinalanddispute;sinceBritisharePortugueseallies,thiscouldresultinBritishwaragainstSpain1776,November16:“StarsandStripes”salutedbyJohannesdeGraaff,DutchgovernorofSt.Eustatius,St.MaartenandSabaasUSSAndreaDoriaentersharborofSt.Eustatius1781,November26:FrenchforcesunderthemarquisdeBouillécaptureDutchislandofSt.Eustatius/Statia

December

1778,December13/14:BritishnavalforcescapturetheislandofSt.Lucia.AFrenchattempton18Decembertoretaketheislandfails

1778,December13:FrenchforcesundertheducdeLauzuncaptureSt.LouisinSenegal1780,December20:BritaindeclareswarontheNetherlands,commencingtheFourthAnglo-DutchWarsince1652

1781,December:AdmiralSuffrenarrivesinDutch-ownedCapetownbeforeCommodoreGeorgeJohnstone,preventingaBritishcapture

9

1778, December 13: French forces under the duc de Lauzun capture St. Louis in Senegal

Posts in Gambia are taken 1779 February 11.

10

India–SriLanka-Pacific

EastIndianTheatreofWar

January1782,January8:TrincomaleeinCeylon/SriLankaiscapturedbyBritishforcesunderAdmiralSirEdwardHughes

February

1782,February17/18:NavalbattleofSedrasoffthecoastofMadrasbetweenFrenchforcesunder the BaillideSuffrenandRoyalNavyvesselsunderAdmiralHughes1782,February18:TipuSultandefeatsBritishforceatBattleofAnnagudi

Madras/Chennai

Yanam/Yanaon

Pondichéry

Cuddalore

Kârikâl

Negapatam

SriLanka/Ceylon

Mahé

Mangalore

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March

1779,March19:BritishcaptureofFrenchbaseatMahe1783,March–July:FrenchparticipateincaptureofVolozeandsiegeofMangalore1783,March–July:FrenchparticipateincaptureofVolozeandsiegeofMangalore

April

1782,April12:NavalbattleofProvidienoffthecoastofCeylon/SriLankaagainpitsSuffrenagainstHughes1783,April20:MarquisdeBussyleadsFrenchforcestoassistSultanTipuatsiegeofCuddalore

May

June

1783,June20:BritishandFrenchnavalbattleoffCuddalore

July

1781,July1:BritishforcesdefeatHyderAliinBattleofPortoNovo1781,July4and21:NavalBattleofSaldanhaoffSouthAfrica.CommodoreGeorgeJohnstonetakessixloadedDutchEastIndiaCompanyvesselsontheirwaytotheNetherlands1782,July6:NavalbattleofNegapatamoffthecoastofIndia againpitsSuffrenagainstHughes

1780,July10:HyderAliofMysoredeclareswaronBritain

August

1778,August21-October19:successfulBritishsiegeofPondicherry1782,August25-30:FrenchbesiegeandcaptureTrincomalee(Ceylon/SriLanka).

September

1780,September10:HyderAlidefeatsBritishforcesinBattleofPollilur

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1781,September27:BritishforcesdefeatHyderAliinBattleofSholinghur

October

1778,October19:BritishcapturePondicherryfromtheFrench1778,October21-November11:successfulBritishsiegeoftheDutchatNegapatam

November

December

1778,December13:FrenchforcesundertheducdeLauzuncaptureSt.LouisinSenegal1781,December:AdmiralSuffrenarrivesinDutch-ownedCapetownbeforeCommodoreGeorgeJohnstone,preventingaBritishcapture.