The
Fortifications of St. Eustatius
Dutch West Indies.
Bryan P. Howard, Ph.D.
St. Eustatius was a very small, yet valuable island to colonial empires. Its
position in the Caribbean, along shipping routes between Europe and the New
World, made it a prime location for a trade port. Naturally this lead to serious
military concerns, due to the supplies, both legal and illegal, it funneled to
various nations. This role was especially crucial to the rebelling factions in
North America , and so "St. Eustatia" or "Statia", as it was usually called
then, played a vital part in the American Revolution.
This web site will examine several of the fortifications that were constructed
on Statia over the years, but most attention will be on those defenses in use
during the years of the American Revolution. It is perhaps during this time that
St. Eustatius gained it's most notariety in the colonial world, for without its
port, the American forces would surely have been at an even greater disadvatage
than they were.
The island was fortified at various times throughout history, but the Dutch, who
were the primary inhabitants of the island, typically relied more heavily on
political and economic defenses more than military for this colony.
The island was allowed to be captured repeatedly, and then through negotiation
returned to the Netherlands after hostilities had ceased. Statia also remained
safe at times by offering its services as a trade center to all sides in a
conflict, thereby maintaining a sufficeint neutrality to keep its shores safe
from invasion. This strategy also led to invasions though, as one side felt the
other was gaining too much by the use of the island's port.
All through the Revolution, Statia was a thorn in the side of the British.
Previous neutraulity agreements were in force that made it illegal to sell arms
and war supplies to the Americans, but it continued nonetheless. Another major
transgression, as the British saw it, was the possibility that the island had
recognized the American flag, and not treated it as a pirate flag, as the
British did.
The incident that brought this matter to attention occured on November, 16 1776.
On this day, it is reported that Fort Oranje, the main fortification protecting
the "Road",as the bay is called, fired a return cannon salute to an armed ship,
the Andrew Doria, which was flying the new American flag. This act was
considered "a flagrant insult to His Majesty's colours" by the British.
Although officially the Dutch governor of Statia, Johannes de Graaff, denied the
salute was an intentional recognition of American independece, he was
sympathetic to the Americans. A American buyer on the island, Abraham Van
Bibber, wrote:
I am on the best terms with... the Governour [and] Our Flag flys current every
day in the road [ie: the bay below the fort]. The Governour is daily expressing
the greatest desire and intention to protect a trade with us here (November
1776)
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Throughout the War for American Independence, St. Eustatius continued its
illegal trade. In an attempt to avoid notice, gunpowder was often transported in
barrels marked tea, rice, molasses and the like. While there may have been some
sympathy for the cause, the trade was also quite profitable, for the Dutch made
as much as a 120% profit on gunpowder.
The tension caused by such breeches of the offical Dutch stance on neutrality,
and the reality of it, finally came to a head on the 20th of December, 1780.
Britain declared war on Holland, and yet another major European power entered
the world-wide war we call the American Revolution.
The fact that Statia supplied so much of the needed material to troops under
George Washington, lead to it being chosen as the first Dutch target of the
British Caribbean fleet. Admiral Rodney sent Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood's
squadron of seven ships to encircle the island.
Statia had not yet even learned of its entrance into war. The British banked on
this fact, and on Saturday, the 3rd of February 1781, the fleet anchored around
3 p.m. The British had, along with around 15 ships of the line, about 3,000
troops ready to invade the island. Statia, on the other hand, had about 60
regular garrison troops stationed there, along with some all but useless
civilian militia. There were, however, a large number of American merchant
seamen on the island, some say as many as 2,000, but they were not equipped or
trained for battle.
In addition to the small number of military troops, there were 82 mounted
artillery pieces on Statia at the time of the British arrival. The largest
British ship alone, the Barfleur, carried 90 guns. All told, the British mounted
over 300 cannon on thier warships. Statia's artillery had less of a chance than
the Spartans of Leonidas at Thermopylae.
Realizing their vastly superior strength, Admiral Rodney wrote in a letter, that
he and General Vaughan, the army commander on the expedition, decided that "in
order to save the Effusion of human Blood, thought it necessary to send the
Dutch Governour [a] Summons", via Lieutenant-Colonel James Cockburn of the 35th
Regiment and one other officer, to which the Dutch quickly surrendered the
island.
The number of American ships that traded at the port was readily apparrent.
Within a very short time, the British had captured more than 150 ships who
unknowingly sailed into port. On the beach, Rodney found warehouses packed full.
He wrote back to England that "All the Magazines and Storehouses are filled, and
even the Beach covered with Tobacco and Sugar". The magazines he found to be
"filled with Provisions, Naval and other Store, intended for the use of his
Majesty's Enemies and Rebel Subjects". Many of the supplies, Rodney was furious
to learn, were actually being sold to the Americans by British merchants on
nearby St. Kitts , where the British maintained a large fortification called
Brimstone Hill. These warehouses, Rodeny declared, had "been more detrimental to
England than all the forces of her enemies".
All the stores and warehouses on the island were immediately closed, and
soliders were stationed everywhere. Rodney continued on his Caribbean campaign,
and left Statia under the capable hands of General Vaughan. Vaughn, however,
died soon after, and is now buried on the island. (His tomb may still be visited
at the ruins of the Dutch Reformed Church, resting peacefully under a mango
tree). Command of the island then turned to Lt. Col. James Cockburn, who had
delivered the surrender demands, and the island was largely garrisoned by
members of the 13th and 15th Regiments of Foot, along with detachments of
Marines and some artillery personell. The button at the left is from the British
15th Regiment, and was probably lost during the occupation of February to
November, 1781.
Upon taking the island, the British quickly set about to re-fortify its coasts,
to secure it from an invasion by the French fleet. Several new coastal batteries
(cannon platforms) were constructed, and older ones already in place were
remodeled or repaired to meet British artillery needs. By April 1781, the
British believed they had sufficiently refortified the island. They even deemed
Statia the "newest of the British Gibraltars".
The expected arrival of the French fleet was borne out. Admiral de Grasse,
aboard his flagship the Ville de Paris sailed through the Caribbean, then went
north, to help trap British forces at Yorktown, Virginia . Following Lord
Cornwallis' surrender October 19, 1781, the French fleet sailed back to the West
Indies.
While Yorktown is often seen as the end of the War, in fact it continued to
rage. The French plan was to attack whatever British targets they could in the
Caribbean, especially those weakened by hurricanes that season. Believing
Jamaica would be the first objective, the British focused their attention there,
foolishly thinking St. Eustatius could defend itself without the navy. Statia
was chosen as the first target for the French forces.
On November 15, 1781, eight French ships were loaded with nearly 1200 men, under
the command of the Chevalier de Girardin, to head for Statia, and take it by
surprise. Soon after sunset on the 25th of November, at approximately 9 p.m.,
the squadron anchored off of the north end of St. Eustatius. The button seen
here belonged to the French 90th Regiment, and the one below to the 95th
Regiment
The following account of the invasion was first printed in the Martinique
Gazette on December 6, 1781. This rendition is from a copy the Connecticut
Gazette put out on January 25, 1782.
The sloops, with each a frigate's long-boats attending, anchored with much
difficulty at the mouth of Jenkin's Bay, situated to the N.W. of the island,
whilst the frigates lay too at a little distance. Count Dillon, who was on board
the Diligent, with the chasseurs of his regiment, landed the first. The surf
running high, the boats were dashed against the rocks, and some soldiers were
drowned. Our intrepid General, with a part of the Irish brigade, made good his
landing after some time, with great risque and danger; his own boat was overset,
but every person on board was saved. A safer landing place was afterwards
discovered, where part of the troops disembarked with great difficulty. Those
first landed took possession of the heights, after climbing up a rock of between
700 and 800 feet, almost perpendicular height, the only way by which they could
penetrate the island; this was overcome by our troops, Mons. de Bouille himself,
with great eagerness and intrepidity, setting the example. An hour before day
only 400 were landed, and we had no expectation of effecting the landing any
more, most of the boats having been dashed to pieces.
Our only resource was now in victory, and we had to attack an enemy greatly
superior in numbers. Nothing could discourage M. de Bouille, he instantly took
his measures, and marched at the head of his troops who were full of ardour and
courage. At half after four in the morning, being still at the distance of a
league and a half from the fort, we hastened our march.
Count Dillon received orders to march immediately with the Irish brigade to the
barracks, to send a detachment to seize the batteries, on the right of the town,
and another to surprize the Governor in his own house. Mons. de Fresne, Major of
the Royal Contois, with 100 chasseurs, taken from his own regiment and that of
Auxerrois, was ordered to attack the fort, and to scale the walls if he could
not enter at the gate. Mr. le Vicomte de Damas was ordered to support him with
the remainder of the troops.
Count Dillon reached the barracks at six o' clock in the morning, and found a
part of the garrison exercising on the parade. The enemy, imposed upon by the
uniform of the Irish brigade, were soon undeceived by a fire from the latter
within pistol shot. Governor Cockburne, on his way to the parade, was taken
prisoner at the same time, by the Chevalieur O'Conner, Captain of the chasseurs
of Walsh. The Chevalieur Fresne pushed on to the fort, into which the enemy were
throwing themselves in great numbers; he reached the drawbridge at the moment
they were attempting to raise it; Mons. de la Motte, second Captain of the
chasseurs of Auxerrois, rushed forward on the bridge, and by a well timed well
directed fire, obliged the enemy to let go the chains. This vigorous attack,
deserving the greatest encomiums, was the signal of victory. The enemy were
pursued into the fort by the chasseurs of the Comtois. The Chevalieur de Fresne
ordered the bridge to be raised, and the whole garrison threw down their arms.
All the prisoners paraded in the fort, and we found on examination, that we had
lost only 10 men in killed, drowned, or wounded. The enemy lost 32.
The garrison at St. Eustatia was composed of the 13th and 15th British
Regiments, consisting of 691 men, and all the prisoners taken amounted to 776,
viz. two Lieut. Colonels, 7 Captains, 33 Lieutenants, Ensigns, and
Quartermasters, 702 non-commissioned officers, privates, and matrosses, and 32
sailors. The Count de Bouille, nephew to the General, sailed on the 28th from
St. Eustasia, in the Corvette Eagle, to carry the news of this success of our
arms to the King, and to present to his Majesty the four standards of the 13th
and 15th regiments....
The English cannot have forgot the doctrine held out by General Vaughan, Col.
Cockburne himself, and other officers, that St. Eustatia, with a garrison of
1000 men, could defend itself against 10,000. What will they say, when they
learn that the new Gibraltar was conquered by 400 Frenchmen? They must confess
their Generals are bad calculators, and that intrepidity supplies the place of
numbers.
Following their British predecessors lead, the French forces also refortified
Statia, and probably payed particular attention to a battery on Jenkin's Bay!
By 1783, the war was finally, over, with the signing of the Peace Treaty of
Paris On February 7, 1784, Statia was returned to the Netherlands. Although the
War for American Independece was over, Statia's batteries were prepared for
other conflicts later in the century, stemming from the Napoleonic wars, but by
1816, most were abandoned.
Contact B.P. Howard
