Invasion of Trinidad (1797)
Encyclopedia
On February 18, 1797, a fleet of 18 warships under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby
invaded and took the Island of Trinidad. Within a few of days the last Spanish Governor, Don José Maria Chacón
surrendered the island to Abercromby.
against France in 1795 had been forced to sign the Peace of Basel
, an alliance convention between France and Spain was signed the following year in 1796. British forces in the Caribbean in 1796 had already taken French colonies St Lucia & later Batavian colonies in South America; Demerara
and Essequibo
. With the Spanish now at war with Great Britain, Ralph Abercromby thought it was right to necessarily render Spain's colonies an immediate object of attack.
His first target was the Spanish island of Trinidad which being close proximity to Tobago
which had been captured early in the war. The island had been Spanish since the third voyage of Christopher Columbus
in 1498 & since Spanish missions had been established on the island.
, in the Prince-of-Wales, having on board his ship Lieutenant-general Sir Ralph Abercromby, as the commanding officer of the troops to be employed, quitted Port-Royal, Martinique. On the 14th the rear-admiral arrived at the port of rendezvous, the island of Carinacou ; and was there joined by another sail of the line (the Invincible), two frigates, three sloops, and several transports, containing the troops destined for the attack. On the junction of this reinforcement, the admiral's force consisted of the:
On the 15th the squadron and transports again set sail, running between the islands of Carinacou and Grenada. On the morning of the 16th the whole arrived off Trinidad, and steered for the Gulf of Paria
; just as the British squadron had passed through the Great Bocas channel, a Spanish squadron was discovered at anchor in Shaggarainus bay, consisting of the following four sail of the line and one frigate:
The apparent strength of Gaspar Grande
island, which, mounting 20 pieces of cannon and two mortars, commanded, and might have disputed, the entrance to the enemy's anchorage, determined the rear-admiral to order the transports, under the protection of the Arethusa, Thorn, and Zebra, to anchor a little further up the gulf, at the distance of about five miles from the town of Port-d'Espagne ; while the Alarm, Favourite, and Victorieuse kept under sail between the transports and Port-d'Espagne, to prevent the escape of any vessels from the latter. In the mean time, the rear-admiral, with his four sail of the line, anchored, in order of battle, within random-shot of the Spanish batteries and line-of-battle ships, to be prepared in case the ships, having all their sails bent and appearing to be ready for sea, should attempt, during the night, to effect their escape.
The British, while keeping a sharp look-out to began to observe flames bursting out from one of the Spanish ships. In a short time three others were on fire, and all four continued to burn with great fury until daylight. The Spanish had set the ships on fire as most the marines & seamen were ashore The fifth ship, the San-Damaso, escaped the conflagration, and, without any resistance, was brought off by the boats of the British squadron. The Spaniards meanwhile, had abandoned Gaspargrande island; and it was occupied, soon after daylight by a detachment of the Queen's regiment. In the course of the day the remainder of the troops were landed, about three miles from Port of Spain, without the slightest opposition; and, on the same evening, the town itself was quietly entered. This led to an offer of capitulation on the part of the Spanish governor José Maria Chacón and, on the following day, the island of Trinidad surrendered to the British arms, without an effort at defence, and without a casualty.
Ralph Abercromby
Sir Ralph Abercromby was a Scottish soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars, and served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.He twice served as MP for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire, and was...
invaded and took the Island of Trinidad. Within a few of days the last Spanish Governor, Don José Maria Chacón
José Maria Chacón
Don José María Chacón was the last Spanish Governor of Trinidad. He was responsible for signing the Cedula of Population in 1783 , moved the capital from San José de Oruña to Puerto de España in 1783, founded the city of San Fernando in 1784 and surrendered the island of Trinidad to a British...
surrendered the island to Abercromby.
Background
Spain which had been an ally of Great Britain had been defeated in the War of the PyreneesWar of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees refers to the Pyrenees front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. Also known as Great War, War of Roussillon, or War of the Convention, it pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal from March 1793 to July 1795 during the...
against France in 1795 had been forced to sign the Peace of Basel
Peace of Basel
The Peace of Basel of 1795 consists of three peace treaties involving France .* The first of the three treaties of 1795, France made peace with Prussia on 5 April; , * The Second was with Spain on 22 July, ending the War of the Pyrenees; and*...
, an alliance convention between France and Spain was signed the following year in 1796. British forces in the Caribbean in 1796 had already taken French colonies St Lucia & later Batavian colonies in South America; Demerara
Demerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
and Essequibo
Essequibo
Essequibo may refer to:* The Essequibo River is one of the larger South American rivers located in the country of Guyana.* The former Dutch colony of Essequibo, in the region of the river...
. With the Spanish now at war with Great Britain, Ralph Abercromby thought it was right to necessarily render Spain's colonies an immediate object of attack.
His first target was the Spanish island of Trinidad which being close proximity to Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
which had been captured early in the war. The island had been Spanish since the third voyage of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
in 1498 & since Spanish missions had been established on the island.
Landing
On the 12th of February, an expedition, composed of four sail of the line, two sloops and a bomb-vessel, under the command of Rear-Admiral Henry HarveyHenry Harvey
Admiral Sir Henry Harvey, KB was a long-serving officer of the British Royal Navy during the second half of the eighteenth century. Harvey participated in numerous naval operations and actions and especially distinguished himself at the Glorious First of June in command of...
, in the Prince-of-Wales, having on board his ship Lieutenant-general Sir Ralph Abercromby, as the commanding officer of the troops to be employed, quitted Port-Royal, Martinique. On the 14th the rear-admiral arrived at the port of rendezvous, the island of Carinacou ; and was there joined by another sail of the line (the Invincible), two frigates, three sloops, and several transports, containing the troops destined for the attack. On the junction of this reinforcement, the admiral's force consisted of the:
On the 15th the squadron and transports again set sail, running between the islands of Carinacou and Grenada. On the morning of the 16th the whole arrived off Trinidad, and steered for the Gulf of Paria
Gulf of Paria
The Gulf of Paria is a shallow inland sea between the island of Trinidad and the east coast of Venezuela. This sheltered body of water is considered to be one of the best natural harbours on the Atlantic coast of the Americas...
; just as the British squadron had passed through the Great Bocas channel, a Spanish squadron was discovered at anchor in Shaggarainus bay, consisting of the following four sail of the line and one frigate:
The apparent strength of Gaspar Grande
Gaspar Grande
Gaspar Grande or Gasparee is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago named for Gaspar de Percín. The island is 1.29 km² in area and lies west of Port of Spain...
island, which, mounting 20 pieces of cannon and two mortars, commanded, and might have disputed, the entrance to the enemy's anchorage, determined the rear-admiral to order the transports, under the protection of the Arethusa, Thorn, and Zebra, to anchor a little further up the gulf, at the distance of about five miles from the town of Port-d'Espagne ; while the Alarm, Favourite, and Victorieuse kept under sail between the transports and Port-d'Espagne, to prevent the escape of any vessels from the latter. In the mean time, the rear-admiral, with his four sail of the line, anchored, in order of battle, within random-shot of the Spanish batteries and line-of-battle ships, to be prepared in case the ships, having all their sails bent and appearing to be ready for sea, should attempt, during the night, to effect their escape.
The British, while keeping a sharp look-out to began to observe flames bursting out from one of the Spanish ships. In a short time three others were on fire, and all four continued to burn with great fury until daylight. The Spanish had set the ships on fire as most the marines & seamen were ashore The fifth ship, the San-Damaso, escaped the conflagration, and, without any resistance, was brought off by the boats of the British squadron. The Spaniards meanwhile, had abandoned Gaspargrande island; and it was occupied, soon after daylight by a detachment of the Queen's regiment. In the course of the day the remainder of the troops were landed, about three miles from Port of Spain, without the slightest opposition; and, on the same evening, the town itself was quietly entered. This led to an offer of capitulation on the part of the Spanish governor José Maria Chacón and, on the following day, the island of Trinidad surrendered to the British arms, without an effort at defence, and without a casualty.