Key Facts
- Duration
- March to May 1703 (approx. 2 months)
- Attacker
- English expeditionary force
- Defender
- French garrison with Martinique reinforcements
- Key tactic
- French Fabian strategy and scorched earth
- Siege target
- Basse-Terre, capital of Guadeloupe
Strategic Narrative Overview
In March 1703, English forces under Christopher Codrington landed on Guadeloupe and began besieging the capital, Basse-Terre. French governor Charles Auger received reinforcements from Martinique commanded by Nicolas de Gabaret. Rather than engage in open battle, Gabaret adopted a Fabian strategy, avoiding direct confrontation while employing scorched-earth tactics that denied the besiegers supplies and destroyed Fort St Charles to prevent its capture.
01 / The Origins
The siege of Guadeloupe was a subsidiary operation of the War of the Spanish Succession, a broader European conflict triggered by the disputed inheritance of the Spanish throne. England and France were opposing belligerents, and the Caribbean colonies of both powers became theaters of opportunistic raids and sieges as each sought to weaken the other's colonial wealth and trade networks in the West Indies.
03 / The Outcome
Denied resources by French scorched-earth measures and suffering severe attrition from tropical disease, the English expeditionary force was unable to sustain the siege. By May 1703 the English lifted the siege and withdrew, leaving Guadeloupe in French hands. No territorial change resulted from the operation, and French control of the island was preserved intact for the remainder of the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Christopher Codrington.
Side B
1 belligerent
Charles Auger, Nicolas de Gabaret.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.