Key Facts
- Date of landing
- 2 July 1779
- Date of assault
- Night of 3–4 July 1779
- French commander
- Admiral Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing
- British governor
- Lord Macartney
- Island restored to Britain
- Under Treaty of Paris, 1783
Strategic Narrative Overview
French forces landed on 2 July 1779 and stormed the British fortifications on Hospital Hill, overlooking Saint George's, during the night of 3–4 July. The captured cannons were turned on Fort George, compelling Governor Lord Macartney to seek terms. When d'Estaing rejected Macartney's proposed capitulation and imposed harsher terms, Macartney surrendered unconditionally. D'Estaing allowed looting and sent Macartney to France as a prisoner. On 5 July, news of Admiral Byron's approaching British fleet prompted French re-embarkation, leading to an inconclusive naval engagement the following day.
01 / The Origins
During the American Revolutionary War, France allied with the American colonists against Britain, extending hostilities into the Caribbean. Grenada, a British-held island, became a strategic target for France. Admiral d'Estaing led a French fleet to seize the island in July 1779, aiming to weaken British naval and colonial power in the region and consolidate French influence across the West Indies.
03 / The Outcome
The Battle of Grenada on 6 July 1779 saw the French severely damage several British ships, though both fleets withdrew intact. Grenada remained under French control until the end of the war. The 1783 Treaty of Paris formally returned the island to Britain, negating France's military gains and restoring the pre-war colonial arrangement in the Caribbean.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Admiral Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing.
Side B
1 belligerent
Admiral John Byron, Governor Lord Macartney.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.