# Invasion of Tobago > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Invasion_of_Tobago > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Invasion_of_Tobago.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Tobago > Source revision: 1332281703 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) French invasion of the British-held island of Tobago in 1781 Invasion of Tobago Part of the Anglo-French War (1778–1783) and the American Revolutionary War French depiction of the invasion Date 24 May – 2 June 1781 (1 week and 2 days) Location Tobago and St. Lucia Result French victory Belligerents Great Britain France Commanders and leaders George Brydges Rodney George Ferguson Anthony St Leger Francis Samuel Drake Comte de Grasse Marquis de Bouillé Philibert François Rouxel de Blanchelande Albert de Rions Strength 800 regulars and militia 6 ships of the line 4,500 troops 24 ships of the line Casualties and losses 800 Unknown troops lost to heat or captured, the rest surrendered 1 ship of the line lost 46 killed 105 wounded v t e American Revolutionary War: West Indies theater 1st Nassau Barbados Dominica 1st St. Lucia 2nd St. Lucia Saint Vincent 1st Grenada 2nd Grenada Río Hondo Cayo Cocina San Fernando 12 December 1779 1st Martinique Guadeloupe 2nd Martinique Fort San Juan Dutch West Indies 1st Demerara & Essequibo Sint Eustatius Fort Royal Tobago 15 January 1782 Brimstone Hill Frigate Bay 2nd Demerara & Essequibo Montserrat Roatán The Saintes Mona Passage Black River 2nd Nassau 18 October 1782 6 December 1782 2 January 1783 15 February 1783 17 February 1783 Turks and Caicos 3rd Nassau v t e France in the American Revolutionary War Europe and Mediterranean 17 June 1778 1st Ushant 20 October 1778 11 September 1778 31 January 1779 1st Jersey 13 May 1779 English Channel Plymouth Gibraltar Flamborough Head 6 October 1779 15 June 1780 Cape Santa Maria 10 August 1780 13 August 1780 Brest 2nd Jersey Minorca 2nd Ushant 3rd Ushant Île-de-Batz Cape Spartel Ferrol Atlantic Madeira Bermuda Porto Praya Caribbean Dominica 1st St. Lucia 2nd St. Lucia Saint Vincent 1st Grenada 2nd Grenada 1st Martinique Guadeloupe 2nd Martinique Fort Royal Tobago Brimstone Hill Frigate Bay Demerara & Essequibo Montserrat The Saintes Mona Passage 18 October 1782 6 December 1782 15 February 1783 Grand Turk North America Rhode Island Charles Town Savannah 1st Long Island Cape Henry Cape Breton Cape Ann Yorktown Chesapeake Yorktown Hudson Bay 2nd Long Island Delaware Bay 2nd Chesapeake East Indies Pondicherry Sadras Providien Negapatam Batticaloa Pisang Trincomalee Bay of Bengal 1st Cuddalore 2nd Cuddalore The French invaded the [British](/source/Kingdom_of_Great_Britain)-held island of [Tobago](/source/Tobago) in 1781 during the [Anglo-French War](/source/Anglo-French_War_(1778%E2%80%9383)). On 24 May 1781, the fleet of [Comte de Grasse](/source/Fran%C3%A7ois_Joseph_Paul_de_Grasse) landed troops on the island under the command of General [Marquis de Bouillé](/source/Fran%C3%A7ois_Claude_Amour%2C_marquis_de_Bouill%C3%A9). By 2 June 1781, they had successfully gained control of the island. ## Background Following the [Battle of Fort Royal](/source/Battle_of_Fort_Royal), Hood's retreat had left Santa Lucia exposed to a French invasion. Additionally, two French ships of the line and 1300 troops sailed from Martinique against Tobago.[1] De Grasse met with Martinique's governor, Marquis de Bouillé, and developed a plan for capturing Tobago. The French forces were to be divided, with one convoy accompanied by a small number of battle ships to head for Tobago, with the rest of the forces to land on [St. Lucia](/source/Saint_Lucia) as a diversion. The forces used in the diversion would then be withdrawn and sent to Tobago, reinforcing the first convoy. Led by de Bouillé and accompanied by de Grasse, the St. Lucia division withdrew from Martinique on 8 May 1781. The Tobago-bound division, led by [Blanchelande](/source/Philibert_Fran%C3%A7ois_Rouxel_de_Blanchelande) and accompanied by two ships of the line and a number of frigates, departed on 9 May 1781. ## Attack on St. Lucia Bouillé's force, numbering between 1,200 and 1,500, landed at [Gros Islet](/source/Gros_Islet), a village at the northern tip of St. Lucia, early on 10 May. They surprised the small British garrison there, taking about 100 prisoners and seizing military supplies. This prompted General [Anthony St Leger](/source/Anthony_St_Leger_(British_Army_officer)), the island's lieutenant governor, to organise the defence of [Castries](/source/Castries) and fortify the slopes of [Morne Fortune](/source/Morne_Fortune) above that port. However, the defenses Rodney had erected on [Pigeon Island](/source/Pigeon_Island_(Saint_Lucia)) ensured the French invasion was a failure. De Grasse returned to Martinique, but promptly departed for Tobago on 25 May. On the 29th, Rodney dispatched a squadron six ships of the line, under the command of [Admiral Francis Samuel Drake](/source/Sir_Francis_Samuel_Drake%2C_1st_Baronet), to help defend Tobago.[1] ## Invasion of Tobago On 24 May, the detachment of General Blanchelande arrived at Tobago. Under cover fire from the *Pluton* and the *Experiment*, his troops landed near the port of [Scarborough](/source/Scarborough%2C_Tobago). They quickly overran the town's forts, and Governor [George Ferguson](/source/George_Ferguson_(Lt_Governor_of_Tobago)) led his remaining forces into the hills. These forces, three to four hundred regulars and four to five hundred militia, established a strong position fortified by cannons on the interior ridge. Blanchelande followed, but decided to wait for reinforcements rather than attack the position. De Grasse then landed troops on both sides of the island the next day, and Bouillé made a junction with Blanchelande outside the British line of defence. They decided to attack the next day. With the arrival of French reinforcements, Ferguson decided to abandon his position, and began a retreat that night. On 30 May, de Grasse and Drake encountered each other, but Drake retreated, and arrived back in Barbados on 3 June. Rodney then sailed for Tobago with his entire fleet. On 4 June, Rodney arrived off Tobago, only to learn the island had been captured on 2 June.[1] ## Aftermath On 9 June, Rodney, returning to Barbados, spotted de Grasse's fleet. Rodney was to windward, with 20 ships against 23, but decided to avoid action, fearing the currents could possibly put him between St. Vincent and Grenada, exposing Barbados.[1] When Ferguson reached [London](/source/London), he and Rodney engaged in a highly public war of words over Rodney's failure to relieve the island in a timely manner. De Grasse returned to Martinique, then on 5 July, sailed for [Cap-Français](/source/Cap-Fran%C3%A7ais), reaching it on 26 July. Awaiting him were dispatches from [Washington](/source/George_Washington) and [Rochambeau](/source/Jean-Baptiste_Donatien_de_Vimeur%2C_comte_de_Rochambeau), requesting he bring his French fleet to [Chesapeake Bay](/source/Chesapeake_Bay) or New York. De Grasse's fleet then played a pivotal part in the subsequent [Battle of the Chesapeake](/source/Battle_of_the_Chesapeake) and [Siege of Yorktown](/source/Siege_of_Yorktown).[1] The island of Tobago remained in French hands under the terms of the 1783 [Treaty of Paris](/source/Treaty_of_Paris_(1783)) that ended the war; it was again fought over during the [Napoleonic Wars](/source/Napoleonic_Wars), and fell definitively under British control with the 1814 [Treaty of Paris](/source/Treaty_of_Paris_(1814)). ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-atm_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-atm_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-atm_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-atm_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-atm_1-4) Mahan, A. T. (1969). *The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence*. New York: Greenwood Press. pp. 167–168. ## Additional reading - De Grasse, François Joseph Paul. [*The Operations of the French fleet under the Count de Grasse in 1781-2*](https://books.google.com/books?id=aO0_AAAAYAAJ&q=April+1781&pg=PA191) - Colomb, Philip Howard. [*Naval warfare, its ruling principles and practice historically treated*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Im0gAAAAMAAJ&dq=bouille+grasse+tobago&pg=PA393) - Lewis, Charles. [*Admiral de Grasse and American Independence*](https://books.google.com/books?id=oqynuYSFNpEC&q=Bouille&pg=PA113) - Southey, Thomas. [*Chronological history of the West Indies: in Three Volumes* Volume 2](https://books.google.com/books?id=-Fg6AAAAcAAJ&dq=Tobago+Ferguson+1781+French&pg=PA505) (contains Governor Ferguson's statement on the invasion) v t e Trinidad and Tobago articles History Spanish missions History of Tobago Spanish West Indies Dutch colonization Curonian colonization French invasion of Tobago (1781) British invasion of Trinidad (1797) Independence Act Monarchy Social unrest Geography Cities and towns Dry forests Moist forests Mangroves Islands Natural history Rivers Wildlife Politics Administrative divisions Attorney General Chief Justice Elections Foreign relations Human rights Military Chief of Defence Staff Parliament Members Politics Political parties Head of State President Prime Minister Trinidad and Tobago cabinet Leader of the Opposition Chief Secretary of Tobago Economy Dollar (currency) Telecommunications Transportation Society Camouflage Crime Demographics Education Health LGBT Religion Women Culture Cuisine Flag Literature Media Music Public holidays Outline Category Portal --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Invasion of Tobago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Tobago) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Tobago?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.