Battle of Martinique (1667) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Martinique
Part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War
The attack on the French ships at Martinique 1667 by Willem van de Velde the Younger
Date 30 June - 7 July 1667 Location Off Fort St Pierre, Martinique, Eastern Caribbean Sea 14°44′31″N 61°10′34″W / 14.742°N 61.176°W / 14.742; -61.176 Result English victory
Belligerents
France	England
Commanders and leaders
Joseph-Antoine Le Fèvre de La Barre Robert de Clodoré	Rear Admiral Sir John Harman
Strength
25 merchant ships in total 1 fortress 2 Smaller forts	11 Ships 2 fireships
Casualties and losses
23 ships sunk, burned or captured 2 forts destroyed 1,000 killed, wounded or captured	80 casualties

Admiral Sir John Harman by Peter Lely. Harman led the successful attack at Martinique

The Battle of Martinique, also called Harman's Martinican Bonfire, was a big naval battle. It happened near the island of Martinique in the Caribbean Sea from June 30 to July 7, 1667. This battle took place near the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

A French merchant fleet, led by Joseph-Antoine Le Fèvre de la Barre, was anchored in the bay. An English fleet, led by Admiral Sir John Harman, attacked them. The English won a great victory. They almost completely destroyed the French merchant fleet in the Caribbean. This helped England keep its strong position in the West Indies, even though the war was ending.

How the Battle Started

The Second Anglo-Dutch War reached the Caribbean in 1665. The English quickly captured Dutch colonies like Suriname and St Eustatius. In April 1666, France joined the war on the side of the Dutch. This made the situation more difficult for England.

The French, led by Joseph-Antoine Le Fèvre de La Barre, soon took over English islands in the Caribbean. They captured the English part of St Kitts, then Antigua, and Montserrat. At the same time, the Dutch Admiral Abraham Crijnssen recaptured Saint Eustatius and Suriname.

With the French and Dutch in control of the Caribbean, Crijnssen and de La Barre planned to invade Nevis in May 1667. However, the English fought them off in a confusing battle. After this failed attack, the French merchant fleet, under de la Barre, moved to Martinique. The Dutch fleet, under Crijnssen, sailed to the Virginia colony for another attack.

In early June, a new British fleet arrived in the West Indies. It was led by Rear-Admiral Sir John Harman. He brought seven powerful warships and two fireships. This changed the balance of power in the area. Harman sailed towards Martinique on June 25 to find de La Barre's fleet.

Harman's fleet now had eight large ships, one smaller frigate, two fireships, and two smaller support ships. On June 29, he saw nineteen French trading ships and fourteen local Martinique ships. They were all gathered safely under the main Fort Saint Pierre and two smaller forts.

Harman's Fleet

Here are the ships that were part of Admiral Harman's fleet:

• Lion (58 guns) - This was Harman's main ship.
• Jersey (50 guns)
• Crown (48 guns)
• Newcastle (50 guns)
• Dover (46 guns)
• Bonaventure (48 guns)
• Assistance (46 guns)
• Assurance (38 guns)
• Norwich (26 guns) - This was a frigate, a faster warship.
• Joseph - A fireship, used to set enemy ships on fire.
• Prosperous - Another fireship.
• Portsmouth (10 guns) - A ketch, a small boat.
• Roe (8 guns) - Another ketch.

The Battle Begins

June 30: First Attack

At 4:30 PM, Harman's ships attacked the bay. All the English ships were fighting within half an hour. The French ships and forts fired back, causing some damage to Harman's fleet. But the French ships and forts also took damage. After about an hour of fighting, Harman pulled his ships back. He used the wind to his advantage. This was part of Harman's plan. He wanted to make the French use up their gunpowder. The English could get more supplies, but the French were blocked in the bay.

July 1: Another Fight

The next day, Harman's main ship, Lion, and three other English ships went back into Saint Pierre's Bay. A four-hour battle followed. The English ships became stuck without wind, so they had to be towed out of range by rowers. The English rowers worked hard and succeeded. The French ships were moderately damaged, but Harman knew his plan was working.

July 2: Third Attack

On July 2, Harman attacked the main harbor again. There was a strong three-hour fight with the French warships and forts. The French forces were led by Lieutenant-General Joseph-Antoine Le Fèvre de La Barre, Governor Robert de Clodoré, and Commodore de Loubière. The English had to pull back again. The French were losing many men and hoped for help, but no ships could get through the English blockade.

July 4: Resupply and Rest

On July 4, after fixing some damage, Harman made his third attack into the harbor at 10 AM. The French defenders used up a lot of their remaining gunpowder during a two-hour fight. The English ships then pulled back without any trouble. Harman saw that his plan was working. He repaired his ships and received new gunpowder and cannonballs from supply ships that came from Barbados. This resupply took two days.

July 6: The Fireship Attack

On July 6, Harman and his fleet entered the harbor again. They noticed that the French were firing back less and less. During a quiet moment, Harman sent in a fireship. It slipped through the smoke and grabbed onto a French ship called the Lis Couronée, setting it on fire.

The fire quickly spread to other French ships: the Saint Jean, Mercier, and Lion d’Or. These ships burned down to the waterline. French crews panicked and abandoned most of their other ships.

The battle became very confusing. Both sides couldn't see well because of the smoke from the battle and the burning ships. Another French fireship, the Pucelle, was set on fire by its own crew, who then swam to shore. After five hours, the English ships left. The French were very shaken. They decided to sink their remaining ships themselves, fearing another English attack.

July 7: Attacking the Forts

The very next day, Harman and his warships entered the bay again. This time, they focused their fire on the three forts. As soon as they were close enough, the English fired cannons directly at Fort Saint Pierre's damaged walls. Then, Fort Saint Robert was quickly destroyed in the same way.

However, Governor Clodoré and militia Captain Guillaume d’Orange bravely resisted from Fort Saint Sébastien. They used gunpowder from the French fireship Souci to keep fighting. But this fort was also eventually destroyed. Harman saw his victory was complete and left about an hour and a half later. After the battle, Harman realized how lucky he had been. Most of his ships were almost out of ammunition.

What Happened Next

Harman left Martinique completely before dawn on July 11. He returned to Nevis to repair his ships. The English had won a big victory with only eighty casualties (people killed or wounded). They had burned at least eight French ships, sank several more, and captured most of the rest. Only two or three French ships managed to escape.

French losses were very heavy. As many as 600 French soldiers were killed or wounded, and another 400 were captured.

Samuel Pepys, a famous English writer, wrote about the news of the battle in his diary. He heard that Harman had "spoilt 19 of 20 French ships" and called it "good service and very welcome."

After destroying the French fleet, Harman attacked the French at Cayenne, forcing them to surrender. He then went on to capture Dutch Suriname. Even though it was a complete victory, it happened too late to change the final outcome of the war.

News of this disaster shocked both the French and the Dutch. They had been sure they controlled the Caribbean. Admiral Crijnssen sailed back to the Caribbean in horror. He found that the French fleet was gone, and the English were back in control of Suriname. On July 31, the English and Dutch signed the Treaty of Breda, which ended the war. The treaty generally returned things to how they were before the war.