Capture of Senegal
Encyclopedia
The Capture of Senegal took place in 1758 when a British
military expedition landed and captured the French settlement of Saint-Louis, Senegal
during the Seven Years War.
merchant Thomas Cumming
who had previously visited West Africa, and extensively considered the possibilities for a British attack. The plan was built around Britain's growing dominance on the Oceans which had dramatically reduced French sea power. A British naval
force under Captain Henry Marsh would sail from England and head for the coast of West Africa, where it would land an amphibious force at the Senegal River
. They would then capture the French fort at Saint-Louis. Cumming planned to raise support from local African forces, who would rendezvous with the British and attack the French.
France's settlements were economically valuable because of commerce and because they served as centres for slave-trading. They also had a strategic value as they were situated on the West African coast which with a well-sited naval base could dominate the Eastern Atlantic
and control the sea lanes between Europe and Asia which added to the appeal of Britain taking control of them. Strong lobbying had also come from the Royal African Company
.
Such expeditions were part of Southern Secretary William Pitt's strategy to attack France's colonies while most of France's resources and military efforts were tied up in the ongoing war in Germany against Prussia
and Hanover
.
in early 1758, and after a brief stop for supplies at Tenerife
they reached the coast of West Africa in April. Cumming had gone ashore to secure support amongst locals, and they launched a landward blockade of the fort.
Marsh then put his troops ashore. The sudden arrival of British troops took the garrison completely by surprise. On 1 May they surrendered the fort, and the resident traders swore allegiance to the British. Not a single Briton had been killed in the taking of the settlement.
Cumming's ships returned home crammed with captured goods valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds. Pitt was extremely pleased at the ease with which the British forces had taken Saint-Louis. He was also impressed by the large quantities of gum arabic
which were brought back to Britain, opening up a much cheaper source of the good for silk-weavers.
In the wake of the missions' success, two further expeditions were sent out that year, which captured the Island of Gorée
and the French trading station on the Gambia
. Pitt would have liked to have launched further expeditions but could not in the face of opposition from the Duke of Newcastle
who feared that stripping the British Isles
of troops would leave them vulnerable to invasion.
, the West Indies
and Philippines
, the capture of Senegal demonstrated the new global reach of the Royal Navy and the increasingly global nature of conflicts between the competing European powers who were battling for dominance and control of resources on several continents - as a consequence historians have labeled it the first 'world war'.
Ownership of the West African settlements became a major source of contention between Britain and France during the peace talks that led to the 1763 Treaty of Paris
. The negotiations centred around a potential return of some of the captured outposts. Britain was keen to keep hold of the Senegalese mainland, but willing to return the island of Gorée. Ultimately Britain kept Saint-Louis and the Senegal mainland.
The British were keen to build up their presence in West Africa, and intended to use Senegal as a starting point for this. They raised the Africa Corps a special unit of troops under the command of Charles O'Hara
to protect the new possession.
The French were unhappy about the loss of this valuable colony, and planned to regain them in any future conflict with Britain. In 1764, the French launched incursions against the coast of Senegal from Gorée angering the British cabinet. In 1779 during the American War of Independence a French force landed and seized Saint-Louis, and Senegal was ceded to them by Britain as part of the Treaty of Paris
that ended the war in 1783. However French control remained sporadic until the mid-nineteenth century.
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...
military expedition landed and captured the French settlement of Saint-Louis, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
during the Seven Years War.
Background
The plan was devised by an AmericanThirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
merchant Thomas Cumming
Thomas Cumming
Thomas Cumming was an American merchant of the 18th century who built up a large commercial empire in West Africa. He is the best known for the role he played in the 1758 Capture of Senegal in which he submitted a plan to the British war leader William Pitt which advocated an attack on France's...
who had previously visited West Africa, and extensively considered the possibilities for a British attack. The plan was built around Britain's growing dominance on the Oceans which had dramatically reduced French sea power. A British naval
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...
force under Captain Henry Marsh would sail from England and head for the coast of West Africa, where it would land an amphibious force at the Senegal River
Sénégal River
The Sénégal River is a long river in West Africa that forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania.The Sénégal's headwaters are the Semefé and Bafing rivers which both originate in Guinea; they form a small part of the Guinean-Malian border before coming together at Bafoulabé in Mali...
. They would then capture the French fort at Saint-Louis. Cumming planned to raise support from local African forces, who would rendezvous with the British and attack the French.
France's settlements were economically valuable because of commerce and because they served as centres for slave-trading. They also had a strategic value as they were situated on the West African coast which with a well-sited naval base could dominate the Eastern Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and control the sea lanes between Europe and Asia which added to the appeal of Britain taking control of them. Strong lobbying had also come from the Royal African Company
Royal African Company
The Royal African Company was a slaving company set up by the Stuart family and London merchants once the former retook the English throne in the English Restoration of 1660...
.
Such expeditions were part of Southern Secretary William Pitt's strategy to attack France's colonies while most of France's resources and military efforts were tied up in the ongoing war in Germany against Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and Hanover
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the ninth Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation...
.
Expedition
Two hundred troops and two warships were to take part in the expedition. The forces departed from PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in early 1758, and after a brief stop for supplies at Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
they reached the coast of West Africa in April. Cumming had gone ashore to secure support amongst locals, and they launched a landward blockade of the fort.
Marsh then put his troops ashore. The sudden arrival of British troops took the garrison completely by surprise. On 1 May they surrendered the fort, and the resident traders swore allegiance to the British. Not a single Briton had been killed in the taking of the settlement.
Cumming's ships returned home crammed with captured goods valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds. Pitt was extremely pleased at the ease with which the British forces had taken Saint-Louis. He was also impressed by the large quantities of gum arabic
Gum arabic
220px|thumb|right|Acacia gumGum arabic, also known as acacia gum, chaar gund, char goond, or meska, is a natural gum made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal...
which were brought back to Britain, opening up a much cheaper source of the good for silk-weavers.
In the wake of the missions' success, two further expeditions were sent out that year, which captured the Island of Gorée
Gorée
Île de Gorée Île de Gorée Île de Gorée (i.e. "Gorée Island"; is one of the 19 communes d'arrondissement (i.e. "commune of arrondissement") of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is a island located at sea from the main harbor of Dakar ....
and the French trading station on the Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
. Pitt would have liked to have launched further expeditions but could not in the face of opposition from the Duke of Newcastle
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, KG, PC was a British Whig statesman, whose official life extended throughout the Whig supremacy of the 18th century. He is commonly known as the Duke of Newcastle.A protégé of Sir Robert Walpole, he served...
who feared that stripping the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
of troops would leave them vulnerable to invasion.
Aftermath
Along with attacks against CanadaNew France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
, the West Indies
French West Indies
The term French West Indies or French Antilles refers to the seven territories currently under French sovereignty in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: the two overseas departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique, the two overseas collectivities of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, plus...
and Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the capture of Senegal demonstrated the new global reach of the Royal Navy and the increasingly global nature of conflicts between the competing European powers who were battling for dominance and control of resources on several continents - as a consequence historians have labeled it the first 'world war'.
Ownership of the West African settlements became a major source of contention between Britain and France during the peace talks that led to the 1763 Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
. The negotiations centred around a potential return of some of the captured outposts. Britain was keen to keep hold of the Senegalese mainland, but willing to return the island of Gorée. Ultimately Britain kept Saint-Louis and the Senegal mainland.
The British were keen to build up their presence in West Africa, and intended to use Senegal as a starting point for this. They raised the Africa Corps a special unit of troops under the command of Charles O'Hara
Charles O'Hara
General Charles O'Hara was a British military officer who served in the Seven Years War, American War of Independence, and French Revolutionary War, and later served as Governor of Gibraltar...
to protect the new possession.
The French were unhappy about the loss of this valuable colony, and planned to regain them in any future conflict with Britain. In 1764, the French launched incursions against the coast of Senegal from Gorée angering the British cabinet. In 1779 during the American War of Independence a French force landed and seized Saint-Louis, and Senegal was ceded to them by Britain as part of the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
that ended the war in 1783. However French control remained sporadic until the mid-nineteenth century.