Battle of the Black River
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Black River was a series of conflicts between April and August 1782 during the American War of Independence. They were fought between British
and Spanish
forces for control of the Black River settlement
, located on the Caribbean
coast of present-day Honduras
. Spanish forces forced out a small British garrison and most of the settlers in April 1782. The British responded in August, regrouping the settlers and reinforcing them with troops from Jamaica
. They successfully recaptured the settlement from the disease-depleted Spanish force.
, was ordered by King Charles
to "dislocate the English from their hidden settlements on the Gulf of Honduras". In 1782 he embarked on a series of actions to wipe out British settlements which held long-established logging rights on the southern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula
(present-day Belize
), and also settlements on the Mosquito Coast
(present-day Honduras
and Nicaragua
).
In March 1782, more than 800 Spanish troops led by Gálvez had captured Roatán
, overwhelming the British garrison that then numbered just eighty men. With reinforcements of another 600 men he went on to capture the Black River settlement the next month which was defended by less than twenty men. James Lawrie, a major in the 49th Regiment of Foot who commanded the small British force, resisted as best he could, but abandoned the fortifications and fled with his men through the jungle to Cape Gracias a Dios.
The British governor of Jamaica
, General Sir Archibald Campbell
, was preoccupied by a planned Franco-Spanish attack on his island, and was unable to immediately send relief. However, the invasion of Jamaica was called off after the decisive British victory at the Battle of the Saintes
where Admiral Rodney defeated the French fleet before it joined the Spanish. By the end of April the balance of power in the Caribbean had shifted to the British Royal Navy. With this in effect Governor Campbell gave Edward Marcus Despard
permission to retake the Black river settlements after learning that Lawrie had a force waiting to strike back.
company known as the Loyal American Rangers; these eventually met up with Lawrie and his force. Combined with the supporting force which now consisted of 80 Loyalist Americans, 500 settlers (shoremen and freed slaves) and 600 Miskito Indians a total of 1,200 men. A squadron of Royal Navy and armed merchant ships stood by in support. Despard wasted no time in attacking the Spanish to gain the element of surprise.
Meanwhile the Spanish garrison on Black River had been reduced by disease since its capture in early April. At Quipriva where Fort Dalling was located, a small Spanish contingent of 75 Spaniards was surprised and all but one were either killed or taken prisoner; a survivor by the name of Manuel Rivas escaped to warn the other soldiers at Caribe. Finally on 22 August Despard surrounded Caribe at Black River Bluff opposite the Eastern blockhouse, overwhelming the 140 Spanish soldiers, who surrendered after a short fight. A day after the surrender a Spanish polacre from Trujillo
of 16 guns carrying reinforcements of 100 troops and provisions for the Spanish was captured by the small British squadron of ships just off the coast. What was left of the Spanish force from Gálvez's April expedition surrendered by the end of August. Articles of capitulation were proposed by Don Tomas Julia to Despard who accepted.
. Lawrie and Despard however decided to stay and defend their territory fearing a Spanish counterattack.
Juan de Cagigal, Governor of Havana
, had learned of the defeat and had fallen into disfavour with Gálvez and was about to remove him from command altogether. Gálvez though requested reinforcements but none were coming from the governor. However this time the Spanish with their French allies were on the defensive; their strategy having changed somewhat after the Battle of the Saintes
; paranoia swept through the Spanish command and set their task of defending Havana and San Juan, Puerto Rico
, which took priority over any offensive operations. Further military operations by the Bourbon allies in the Americas were also placed on hold due to the concentration of military operations in Europe (particularly at Gibraltar), and peace talks in Europe were taking place. British forces were able to take advantage of this inaction by recapturing the Bahamas in 1783
. Lawrie and Despard held the British settlements in the Mosquito Coast until the end of the war.
Despard for his efforts was rewarded with the honour of Superintendent of the Bay of Honduras, and for a number of years ruled the territory that became Belize
.
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...
and Spanish
Enlightenment Spain
The Age of Enlightenment came to Spain in the eighteenth century with a new Bourbon dynasty after the decay of the Spanish economy, bureaucracy, and empire in the latter years of the former Habsburg dynasty...
forces for control of the Black River settlement
Black River (settlement)
The Black River settlement was a British settlement on the Mosquito Coast of present-day Honduras. It was established in 1732 by a British colonist named William Pitt...
, located on the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
coast of present-day Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. Spanish forces forced out a small British garrison and most of the settlers in April 1782. The British responded in August, regrouping the settlers and reinforcing them with troops from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. They successfully recaptured the settlement from the disease-depleted Spanish force.
Background
Matías de Gálvez, the Captain General of Spanish GuatemalaCaptaincy General of Guatemala
The Captaincy General of Guatemala , also known as the Kingdom of Guatemala , was an administrative division in Spanish America which covered much of Central America, including what are now the nations of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Chiapas...
, was ordered by King Charles
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
to "dislocate the English from their hidden settlements on the Gulf of Honduras". In 1782 he embarked on a series of actions to wipe out British settlements which held long-established logging rights on the southern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
(present-day Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
), and also settlements on the Mosquito Coast
Mosquito Coast
The Caribbean Mosquito Coast historically consisted of an area along the Atlantic coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras, and part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miskito Indians and long dominated by British interests...
(present-day Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
).
In March 1782, more than 800 Spanish troops led by Gálvez had captured Roatán
Battle of Roatán
The Battle of Roatán was an American War of Independence battle fought on March 16, 1782, between British and Spanish forces for control of Roatán, an island off the Caribbean coast of present-day Honduras....
, overwhelming the British garrison that then numbered just eighty men. With reinforcements of another 600 men he went on to capture the Black River settlement the next month which was defended by less than twenty men. James Lawrie, a major in the 49th Regiment of Foot who commanded the small British force, resisted as best he could, but abandoned the fortifications and fled with his men through the jungle to Cape Gracias a Dios.
The British governor of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, General Sir Archibald Campbell
Archibald Campbell (British Army officer)
General Sir Archibald Campbell KB served as Governor of Jamaica and Madras. He was a major Scottish landowner, Heritable Usher of the White Rod for Scotland and a Member of Parliament for the Stirling Burghs.-Birth:...
, was preoccupied by a planned Franco-Spanish attack on his island, and was unable to immediately send relief. However, the invasion of Jamaica was called off after the decisive British victory at the Battle of the Saintes
Battle of the Saintes
The Battle of the Saintes took place over 4 days, 9 April 1782 – 12 April 1782, during the American War of Independence, and was a victory of a British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney over a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse forcing the French and Spanish to abandon a planned...
where Admiral Rodney defeated the French fleet before it joined the Spanish. By the end of April the balance of power in the Caribbean had shifted to the British Royal Navy. With this in effect Governor Campbell gave Edward Marcus Despard
Edward Marcus Despard
Edward Marcus Despard was an Irish soldier who served in the British Army. During the American War of Independence. Despard led a force to victory at the Battle of the Black River, securing the British presence on the Mosquito Coast. Following the war Despard was appointed Superintendent of what...
permission to retake the Black river settlements after learning that Lawrie had a force waiting to strike back.
Battle
Lawrie was able to regroup a force of about 800 locals (known as the Rattan (Roatan) and Black River Volunteers) and Miskito Indians in the Cape Gracias a Dios area. These men harassed the Spaniards in a guerilla style warfare. Despard, coming from Jamaica, landed at Cape Gracias a Dios and reached the mouth of the Plantain River with men of the LoyalistLoyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
company known as the Loyal American Rangers; these eventually met up with Lawrie and his force. Combined with the supporting force which now consisted of 80 Loyalist Americans, 500 settlers (shoremen and freed slaves) and 600 Miskito Indians a total of 1,200 men. A squadron of Royal Navy and armed merchant ships stood by in support. Despard wasted no time in attacking the Spanish to gain the element of surprise.
Meanwhile the Spanish garrison on Black River had been reduced by disease since its capture in early April. At Quipriva where Fort Dalling was located, a small Spanish contingent of 75 Spaniards was surprised and all but one were either killed or taken prisoner; a survivor by the name of Manuel Rivas escaped to warn the other soldiers at Caribe. Finally on 22 August Despard surrounded Caribe at Black River Bluff opposite the Eastern blockhouse, overwhelming the 140 Spanish soldiers, who surrendered after a short fight. A day after the surrender a Spanish polacre from Trujillo
Trujillo, Colón
Trujillo is a city and a municipality on the northern Caribbean coast of the Honduran department of Colón, of which the city is the capital. The municipality has a population of about 30,000 . The city is located on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Trujillo. Behind the city rise two prominent...
of 16 guns carrying reinforcements of 100 troops and provisions for the Spanish was captured by the small British squadron of ships just off the coast. What was left of the Spanish force from Gálvez's April expedition surrendered by the end of August. Articles of capitulation were proposed by Don Tomas Julia to Despard who accepted.
Aftermath
Lawrie and Despard had thus regained control of Black River, taking more than 27 Spanish officers and 715 rank and file as prisoners. Also captured were three colours (which were presented to King George III in November) and 33 cannon. Most of the prisoners in agreements of the terms of surrender were told not to fight under arms again until the end of the war and were promptly sent to OmoaOmoa
Omoa is a town and a municipality in the Department of Cortés of the Central American country of Honduras. Omoa is located on a small bay of the same name 18 km. west of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean Sea coast.- Geography :...
. Lawrie and Despard however decided to stay and defend their territory fearing a Spanish counterattack.
Juan de Cagigal, Governor of Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, had learned of the defeat and had fallen into disfavour with Gálvez and was about to remove him from command altogether. Gálvez though requested reinforcements but none were coming from the governor. However this time the Spanish with their French allies were on the defensive; their strategy having changed somewhat after the Battle of the Saintes
Battle of the Saintes
The Battle of the Saintes took place over 4 days, 9 April 1782 – 12 April 1782, during the American War of Independence, and was a victory of a British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney over a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse forcing the French and Spanish to abandon a planned...
; paranoia swept through the Spanish command and set their task of defending Havana and San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, which took priority over any offensive operations. Further military operations by the Bourbon allies in the Americas were also placed on hold due to the concentration of military operations in Europe (particularly at Gibraltar), and peace talks in Europe were taking place. British forces were able to take advantage of this inaction by recapturing the Bahamas in 1783
Capture of the Bahamas (1783)
The Capture of the Bahamas took place in April 1783, late in the American War of Independence, 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...
. Lawrie and Despard held the British settlements in the Mosquito Coast until the end of the war.
Despard for his efforts was rewarded with the honour of Superintendent of the Bay of Honduras, and for a number of years ruled the territory that became Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
.