Key Facts
- Date of invasion
- 7 July 1810
- British base of operations
- Rodriguez Island
- French commander
- Colonel Chrysostôme de Sainte-Suzanne
- Result
- Island, garrison, and stores surrendered to British
- Landing points
- Two separate beaches flanking Saint-Denis
Strategic Narrative Overview
Using Rodriguez as a staging base, Rowley and Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Sheehy Keating organised a two-pronged amphibious landing on 7 July 1810. Sailors, soldiers, sepoys, and Royal Marines landed at beaches on either side of Saint-Denis. Despite men being drowned in heavy surf, the bulk of the force came ashore, attacked French outposts, and converged on the capital. The suicide of the previous French commander, General Des Bruslys, had already demoralised the garrison.
01 / The Origins
During the Napoleonic Wars, the French islands of Isle Bonaparte (Réunion) and Isle de France (Mauritius) served as fortified bases for Commodore Jacques Hamelin's frigate squadron, which preyed on British East Indiamen convoys. Despite Royal Navy efforts under Commodore Josias Rowley, Hamelin's ships destroyed two convoys in 1809. A retaliatory British raid on Saint Paul captured one French frigate and recaptured two British merchantmen, prompting Rowley to plan a full seizure of the island.
03 / The Outcome
Faced with a demoralised garrison incapable of mounting a credible defence and a militia too slow to mobilise, French commander Colonel Chrysostôme de Sainte-Suzanne surrendered Saint-Denis, the island's garrison, and its military stores to Rowley. The capture of Isle Bonaparte eliminated a major French raiding base and set the stage for the subsequent British conquest of Isle de France later in 1810.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Commodore Josias Rowley, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Sheehy Keating.
Side B
1 belligerent
Colonel Chrysostôme de Sainte-Suzanne, Commodore Jacques Hamelin.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.