Battle of Muizenberg
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Muizenberg was a small but significant military engagement which took place near Muizenberg
, South Africa in 1795; it led to the capture of the Cape Colony
by Kingdom of Great Britain
.
controlled the Cape of Good Hope
at the southern tip of Africa. They had been in possession of the area since 1652, over 140 years. The once-mighty company was now failing. Bankrupt, confused, beset by powerful nations competing for the same resources, the VOC had not long to live. The British East India Company had developed its own trade to India and Ceylon, but relied on Cape Town as a refreshment station, just as the Dutch did. India was simply too far for a sailing ship to reach in one voyage from Europe. Wear and tear to the ship, sickness amongst the crew, need for provisions and fresh water meant that a halfway stop was essential. Without access to Cape Town, the British thought they might have to abandon their Asiatic trade. They claimed there were no alternatives.
In 1795 the political turmoil in Europe saw the Netherlands attacked by France, the second such attack. Prince William of Orange fled to England, his ally. The citizens of Holland had coalesced into the Patriotten (Republicans who now supported the French) and the Oranje Partij (Royalists who supported Prince William). For the British East India Company the situation was dire. If the Patriotten took power then British access to the Cape could be denied as contrary to French interests, and with that would go all access to their Asian trade. Sir Francis Baring, chairman of the East India Company, was quick to see the danger. He petitioned Henry Dundas, the British Secretary of State for War, for assistance.
Great Britain sent a fleet of seven Royal Navy
ships to the Cape under Vice-Admiral Elphinstone
. Five were third-rate
ships of the line: Monarch
(74 guns), Victorious
(74), Arrogant
(74), America
(64) and Stately (64); two were 16-gun sloops: Echo and Rattlesnake. The fleet left England 1 March, and in early June 1795, anchored in Simon's Bay. just east of the Cape. Elphinstone suggested to the Dutch governor that he place the Cape Colony
under British protection - in effect, that he hand the colony over to Britain - which was refused. On 14 June 350 Royal Marines
and 450 men of the 78th Highlanders
occupied Simon's Town
before the defenders could burn the town.
However, the Dutch still held the surrounding area, with a force of militia at Muizenberg
. From there, they could harass the British forces with artillery fire. Accordingly, the British resolved to make an infantry assault on the militia position. In addition to the 800 infantry already landed under the command of Major-General Craig
, 1,000 sailors were disembarked from the fleet. These were formed into two battalions of five hundred men each, commanded by Commander Temple Hardy
, captain of Echo, and Commander John William Spranger
, captain of Rattlesnake. This made a total strength of about 1,800 men. Carronades were mounted in the ships' launches, to serve as close artillery.
The Dutch fell back to a nearby ridge, which they were driven from that evening by a force of the 78th, who took one injury. Dutch reinforcements were brought up from Cape Town
overnight, and on the 8th a counterattack with artillery support was made in an attempt to recapture the camp; however, after a brief skirmish in which the battalions of seamen held firm, the attack was repelled.
The engagement continued for six weeks, eventually stalemating at Wynberg Ridge. Neither side was strong enough to defeat the other. Both sides were lightly armed, some distance from supplies and lacking in artillery or cavalry. Following skirmishes on the 1st and 2 September, a final general attempt to recapture the camp was prepared by the Dutch for the 3rd, but at this point the main British fleet arrived in Simon's Bay. A British advance on Cape Town, with the new reinforcements, began on the 14th; on the 16th, the colony capitulated.
Few men died during the campaign on either side. The British dead are well documented, the Dutch less so. Of the 34 British dead only 8 died of wounds received in action; the balance were deaths due to disease.
for the next seven years. The Cape was returned to the restored Dutch government (known as the Batavian Government) by the Treaty of Amiens
in 1804. In 1806 the British returned and after again defeating the Dutch at the Battle of Blaauwberg
, stayed in control for 100 years.
English became the language of the Cape. This was Britain's second African colony, after Sierra Leone
. Ownership of this territory proved crucial during the First
and Second
World Wars, when mastery of the Cape had significant strategic importance to the Allied war effort. In addition the Cape became the springboard for British colonial expansion into Africa. Certainly current-day Botswana
, Lesotho
, Swaziland
, Zimbabwe
, Zambia
and Malawi
all owe their current form to the battle.
Also, because of ensuing British policies, among other reasons, many of the Dutch-speaking Boers went on what would later be known as the Great Trek
Muizenberg
Muizenberg is a beach-side suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated where the shore of the Cape Peninsula curves round to the east on the False Bay coast...
, South Africa in 1795; it led to the capture of the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
by Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
.
Background
In 1795 the Dutch East India CompanyDutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
controlled the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
at the southern tip of Africa. They had been in possession of the area since 1652, over 140 years. The once-mighty company was now failing. Bankrupt, confused, beset by powerful nations competing for the same resources, the VOC had not long to live. The British East India Company had developed its own trade to India and Ceylon, but relied on Cape Town as a refreshment station, just as the Dutch did. India was simply too far for a sailing ship to reach in one voyage from Europe. Wear and tear to the ship, sickness amongst the crew, need for provisions and fresh water meant that a halfway stop was essential. Without access to Cape Town, the British thought they might have to abandon their Asiatic trade. They claimed there were no alternatives.
In 1795 the political turmoil in Europe saw the Netherlands attacked by France, the second such attack. Prince William of Orange fled to England, his ally. The citizens of Holland had coalesced into the Patriotten (Republicans who now supported the French) and the Oranje Partij (Royalists who supported Prince William). For the British East India Company the situation was dire. If the Patriotten took power then British access to the Cape could be denied as contrary to French interests, and with that would go all access to their Asian trade. Sir Francis Baring, chairman of the East India Company, was quick to see the danger. He petitioned Henry Dundas, the British Secretary of State for War, for assistance.
Great Britain sent a fleet of seven Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships to the Cape under Vice-Admiral Elphinstone
George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith
George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith was a British admiral active throughout the Napoleonic Wars.-Career:Fifth son of the 10th Lord Elphinstone, he was born in Elphinstone Tower, near Stirling, Scotland...
. Five were third-rate
Third-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks . Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability , firepower, and cost...
ships of the line: Monarch
HMS Monarch (1765)
HMS Monarch was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 20 July 1765 at Deptford Dockyard.Monarch had a very active career, fighting in her first battle in 1778 at the First Battle of Ushant and her second under Admiral Rodney at Cape St. Vincent in 1780...
(74 guns), Victorious
HMS Victorious (1785)
HMS Victorious was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Blackwall Yard, London on 27 April 1785. She was the first ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name....
(74), Arrogant
HMS Arrogant (1761)
HMS Arrogant was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 22 January 1761 at Harwich. She was the first of the Arrogant class ships of the line, designed by Sir Thomas Slade....
(74), America
HMS America (1777)
HMS America was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 5 August 1777 at Deptford.On 5 September 1781, she took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake, and in 1795 she was part of the British fleet at the Battle of Muizenberg....
(64) and Stately (64); two were 16-gun sloops: Echo and Rattlesnake. The fleet left England 1 March, and in early June 1795, anchored in Simon's Bay. just east of the Cape. Elphinstone suggested to the Dutch governor that he place the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
under British protection - in effect, that he hand the colony over to Britain - which was refused. On 14 June 350 Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
and 450 men of the 78th Highlanders
78th Regiment of Foot
The 78th Regiment of Foot was a Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line raised in late 18th Century Scotland for service against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.- History :The original 78th Foot was raised by the Earl of Seaforth in 1778...
occupied Simon's Town
Simon's Town
Simon's Town , sometimes spelled Simonstown; is a town in South Africa, near Cape Town which is home to the South African Navy. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. For more than two centuries it has been an important naval base and harbour...
before the defenders could burn the town.
However, the Dutch still held the surrounding area, with a force of militia at Muizenberg
Muizenberg
Muizenberg is a beach-side suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated where the shore of the Cape Peninsula curves round to the east on the False Bay coast...
. From there, they could harass the British forces with artillery fire. Accordingly, the British resolved to make an infantry assault on the militia position. In addition to the 800 infantry already landed under the command of Major-General Craig
James Henry Craig
General Sir James Henry Craig KB was a British military officer and colonial administrator.-Early life and military service:...
, 1,000 sailors were disembarked from the fleet. These were formed into two battalions of five hundred men each, commanded by Commander Temple Hardy
Temple Hardy
Captain Temple Hardy was an English naval officer active during the French Revolutionary Wars, perhaps most notable for his role in the capture of the Cape Colony in 1795....
, captain of Echo, and Commander John William Spranger
John William Spranger
Rear-Admiral John William Spranger was a Royal Navy officer active during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.He was appointed Lieutenant on 23 August 1790, and Commander on 7 June 1794. In 1795, he commanded the sloop in the expedition to capture Cape Town...
, captain of Rattlesnake. This made a total strength of about 1,800 men. Carronades were mounted in the ships' launches, to serve as close artillery.
Engagement
At noon on 7 August 1795, the America, Stately, Echo and Rattlesnake set sail, drawing slowly along the coast towards Muizenberg, with the launches in attendance. They fired on two guard posts, forcing their abandonment; arriving at the main Dutch camp shortly afterwards, they began a highly effective barrage. Losses were light for the British - America lost a gun, with two men dead and four wounded, and the Stately took one injury - whilst the Dutch were forced to abandon the camp before the infantry, who had been following the ships, could even arrive. The bombardment lasted about 30 minutes, from 2.00pm. Approximately 800 balls were fired by the British ships.The Dutch fell back to a nearby ridge, which they were driven from that evening by a force of the 78th, who took one injury. Dutch reinforcements were brought up from Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
overnight, and on the 8th a counterattack with artillery support was made in an attempt to recapture the camp; however, after a brief skirmish in which the battalions of seamen held firm, the attack was repelled.
The engagement continued for six weeks, eventually stalemating at Wynberg Ridge. Neither side was strong enough to defeat the other. Both sides were lightly armed, some distance from supplies and lacking in artillery or cavalry. Following skirmishes on the 1st and 2 September, a final general attempt to recapture the camp was prepared by the Dutch for the 3rd, but at this point the main British fleet arrived in Simon's Bay. A British advance on Cape Town, with the new reinforcements, began on the 14th; on the 16th, the colony capitulated.
Few men died during the campaign on either side. The British dead are well documented, the Dutch less so. Of the 34 British dead only 8 died of wounds received in action; the balance were deaths due to disease.
Long-term effects
The British assumed control of the Cape of Good HopeCape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
for the next seven years. The Cape was returned to the restored Dutch government (known as the Batavian Government) by the Treaty of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
in 1804. In 1806 the British returned and after again defeating the Dutch at the Battle of Blaauwberg
Battle of Blaauwberg
The Battle of Blaauwberg, also known as the Battle of Cape Town, fought near Cape Town on 8 January 1806, was a small but significant military engagement. It established British rule in South Africa, which was to have many ramifications during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries...
, stayed in control for 100 years.
English became the language of the Cape. This was Britain's second African colony, after Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. Ownership of this territory proved crucial during the First
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Second
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
World Wars, when mastery of the Cape had significant strategic importance to the Allied war effort. In addition the Cape became the springboard for British colonial expansion into Africa. Certainly current-day Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
and Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
all owe their current form to the battle.
Also, because of ensuing British policies, among other reasons, many of the Dutch-speaking Boers went on what would later be known as the Great Trek