Capture of the Bahamas (1783)

For battles in the same place or in the surroundings, see Battle of Nassau.

Capture of the Bahamas (1783)

Part of the American Revolutionary War

Map of New Providence and Nassau
| Date| 14–18 April 1783

|

Location|

Nassau, Bahamas

25°04′N 77°20′W﻿ / ﻿25.067°N 77.333°W﻿ / 25.067; -77.333
Result|  British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain|  Spain
Commanders and leaders
Andrew Deveaux|  Don Antonio Claraco Sauz
Strength
227 regulars, militia & volunteers
7 ships[1]|  600 regulars, sailors & marines
7 ships
50 guns
Casualties and losses
none|  600 captured (later repatriated)
50 cannons captured
7 ships captured[2]

* v
* t
* e

American
Revolutionary War:
West Indies

* 1st Nassau
* Barbados
* Dominica
* 1st St. Lucia
* 2nd St. Lucia
* Saint Vincent
* 1st Grenada
* 2nd Grenada
* Río Hondo
* Cayo Cocina
* San Fernando
* 12 December 1779
* 1st Martinique
* Guadeloupe
* 2nd Martinique
* Fort San Juan
* Dutch West Indies
* 1st Demerara & Essequibo
* Sint Eustatius
* Fort Royal
* Tobago
* 15 January 1782
* Brimstone Hill
* Frigate Bay
* 2nd Demerara & Essequibo
* Montserrat
* Roatán
* The Saintes
* Mona Passage
* Black River
* 2nd Nassau
* 18 October 1782
* 6 December 1782
* 2 January 1783
* 15 February 1783
* 17 February 1783
* Turks and Caicos
* 3rd Nassau

* v
* t
* e

Battles involving Spain in the American Revolutionary War
1779-1783

Europe and Atlantic

* English Channel
* Plymouth
* Gibraltar
* Azores
* Lisbon
* 20 November
* Cape Finisterre
* St. Vincent
* Cape St. Maria
* 25 February
* Málaga
* 1 May
* Minorca
* Strait of Gibraltar
* Cape Spartel

Gulf Coast

* Fort Bute
* Lake Pontchartrain
* Baton Rouge
* 1st Mobile
* The Village
* Pensacola

Louisiana and Northwest Territory

* St. Louis
* Fort St. Joseph
* Arkansas Post

Central America

* Río Hondo
* Cayo Cocina
* San Fernando
* 12 December
* Fort San Juan
* Roatán
* Black River

West Indies

* 15 January
* 1st Nassau
* 17 February
* 2nd Nassau

The Capture of the Bahamas took place in April 1783, late in the American Revolutionary War, when a Loyalist expedition under the command of Andrew Deveaux set out to retake the Bahamas from the Spanish. The expedition was successful and Nassau fell without a shot being fired. It was one of the last actions of the entire war.

## Background

[edit]

The Bahamas had been taken by Spanish forces from the Bristih in May 1782, also without a shot being fired. However Saint Augustine in East Florida was still in British hands, the Spanish thinking it too well defended to attack. A plan was devised to retake the Bahamas by launching an attack on Nassau. Andrew Deveaux was a Loyalist and veteran of the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War.

## Recapture

[edit]

Major Deveaux departed from Saint Augustine with seventy followers and was joined at sea two days later by the 26-gun privateer brigantine Perseverance of Thomas Dow and the 16-gun, 120-man brigantine Whitby Warrior of Daniel Wheeler.[3] The expedition anchored off Harbour Island and Eleuthera on 6 April, recruiting another 170 volunteers for an attempt against the Spanish garrison at New Providence.[4]

Four days later the sloop Flor de Mayo reached New Providence with a message from the governor of Cuba Luis de Unzaga, saying that peace preliminaries had been signed back in Europe and that the Bahamas were to be restored to British rule in exchange for East Florida.[5]

When Deveaux's flotilla drew near to New Providence on 13 April, the Spanish commander Claraco mistook it for smugglers. His customs patrols were surprised at dawn the following morning to find a heavily armed landing party storming ashore to occupy Fort Montagu and three guard boats. Claraco retreated into his citadel and a brief ceasefire was arranged; Deveaux rescinded it next day. The Spaniards scuttled their remaining warships on 16 April and huddled within the main fort, before deciding to surrender it two days later.

## Aftermath

[edit]

Over 600 Spaniards surrendered, and 50 cannon and seven ships were captured. Some of the ships that had been scuttled were later refloated and the Spaniards were repatriated to Cuba.[6]

By this time, Britain had already given up East Florida in exchange for the Bahamas in the preliminary talks of the Treaty of Paris. As a reward for his efforts in the Bahamas, Deveaux was given a large portion of Cat Island, where he built a mansion at Port Howe, the remains of which can be seen today.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Craton pg. 301
2. ^ Craton pg. 301
3. ^ Marley p.346
4. ^ Marley p.346
5. ^ Marley p.346
6. ^ Marley p.346
7. ^ Craton pg. 302

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Chartrand, Rene. American Loyalist Troops 1775-84 (Men-at-Arms Series). Osprey Publishing (2008). ISBN 1-84603-314-4
* Craton, Michael, and Gail Saunders. Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People: Volume 1: From Aboriginal Times to the End of Slavery. University of Georgia Press (1999). ISBN 0-8203-2122-2
* Marley, David. Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present. ABC-CLIO (1998). ISBN 0-87436-837-5

* v
* t
* e

The Bahamas articles

History|

* Colonial heads
* Eleutheran Adventurers
* Raid on Charles Town
* Raid on Nassau
* Raid on Nassau (1720)
* Battle of Nassau
* Capture of the Bahamas (1782)
* Capture of the Bahamas (1783)
* Slavery
* American Civil War

Geography|

* Cities
* Nassau
* Freeport
* Islands
* New Providence
* Grand Bahama
* Rivers
* Wildlife
* birds
* mammals

Politics|

* Defence Force
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Governor-General
* Judiciary
* Law
* Law enforcement
* Local government
* Monarchy
* Parliament
* Building
* Constituencies
* Political parties
* Prime Minister
* Security and intelligence

Economy|

* Agriculture and fisheries
* Communications
* Dollar (currency)
* Stock exchange
* Squatting
* Taxation
* Transport

Society|

* Anthem
* Coat of arms
* Creole
* Culture
* Education
* Flag
* Films
* Holidays
* Languages
* LGBT rights
* Music
* National song
* People
* Demographics
* Ethnic groups
* Pledge
* Religion
* Television

* Outline
* Index
* Bibliography

* Category

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template