Key Facts
- Year
- 1781
- Dutch garrison strength
- ~8,000 total (500 European, 5,500 local, 2,000 Mysorean)
- British assault force
- More than 4,000 troops
- Strategic role
- First major British offensive in India in the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
- Location
- Eastern coast of India, capital of Dutch Coromandel
Strategic Narrative Overview
Despite Coote's objections, Lord Macartney, the Governor of Madras, assembled over 4,000 troops and secured naval support from Admiral Sir Edward Hughes. The British force besieged Negapatam, which was defended by a combined garrison of Dutch European soldiers, local troops, and allied forces of Hyder Ali totalling around 8,000 men. British siege operations breached the fortification's walls, creating the conditions for the garrison's surrender.
01 / The Origins
When Great Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic, beginning the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, news reached the Indian subcontinent and prompted British authorities to act against Dutch colonial holdings. Negapatam, the capital of Dutch Coromandel on India's eastern coast, was a strategically significant port. Complicating British action, much of their military strength was already committed to fighting Hyder Ali of Mysore during the Second Anglo-Mysore War, and General Eyre Coote opposed opening a second front.
03 / The Outcome
The Dutch garrison capitulated after the walls of Negapatam's fortifications were breached by the besieging British force. The fall of Negapatam ended Dutch control of their principal settlement on the Coromandel Coast and marked a significant early British success in the Indian theatre of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. The victory was achieved despite the simultaneous pressures of the ongoing Second Anglo-Mysore War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Lord Macartney, Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, General Eyre Coote.
Side B
2 belligerents
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.