1
TIMELINETheAmericanWarofIndependenceasaGlobalWar
EuropeanTheatre-Gibraltar-EnglishChannel-Africa-Asia
1781,April16:BattleofPortoPraya,CapeVerdeIslands.AFrenchfleetundertheBaillideSuffrenfoughtRoyalNavyvesselsunderCommodoreGeorgeJohnstone.WhiletheFrenchfleetsustainedmoredamagethantheBritish,thebattlewasinconclusive.Johnstone
triedtopursuetheFrench,butwasforcedtocallitoffinordertorepairthedamagehisshipshadtaken.TheFrenchgainedastrategicvictory,sinceSuffrenbeatJohnstonetotheCapeofGoodHopeandre-inforcedtheDutchgarrisontherebeforecontinuingonhisjourneytotheIledeFrance(nowMauritius).
2
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
3
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
5
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
6
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
7
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
8
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
11
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
12
1781,September27:BritishforcesdefeatHyderAliinBattleofSholinghur
October
1778,October19:BritishcapturePondicherryfromtheFrench1778,October21-November11:successfulBritishsiegeoftheDutchatNegapatam
November
December
1778,December13:FrenchforcesundertheducdeLauzuncaptureSt.LouisinSenegal1781,December:AdmiralSuffrenarrivesinDutch-ownedCapetownbeforeCommodoreGeorgeJohnstone,preventingaBritishcapture.