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calendar   Thursday - March 03, 2011

Won If By Land, And Run If By Sea

The Very First Time America Invaded And Took Over

- today is the anniversary -




March 3, 1776
Island of New Providence, The Bahamas

A force of 250 Continental Marines and sailors under the command of Marine Capt. (future major) Samuel Nicholas land on New Providence in the British-held Bahamas and quickly seize Fort Montague [ aka Nassau ] in the first amphibious operation in American military history. The landing – largely unopposed (the British garrison spiking their own guns and fleeing) – nets for the Americans much-needed powder, shot, nearly 50 serviceable cannon, and a few mortars.

An avid foxhunter and the highest-ranking leatherneck in the American Revolution, Nicholas will lead Marines alongside Army forces in the future battles of (second) Trenton and Princeton. He is considered to be the first commandant of the Marine Corps.

In 1776, during the war between Great Britain and the American Colonies, a fleet of eight vessels was sent by the Colonies to capture the munitions believed stored at Nassau. This force, under Commodore Ezek Hopkins, landed a detachment on the foreshore of the eastern end of New Providence and marched on Nassau.

Forts Montagu and Nassau surrendered without resistance, and the new Grand Union Flag, designed with the Union Jack and the first quarter and thirteen red and white stripes to represent the independent States was hoisted over Fort Nassau. However, most of the munitions had been shipped to Boston the day before the arrival of the American Naval Force. The invaders departed shortly after, taking with them 100 guns and the Governor as a hostage.

While it appears that there is a small debate about exactly who was in charge of the raiding force, getting invaded was SOP for lonely islands in those days. My guess is that from those 100 cannons the Colonials could salvage 50. I have no idea what kind of ransom they got for the governor.  Probably a couple barrels of that sweet Bahamian rum. So it doesn’t look like they took over for very long.



Two years later, in January of 1778, Capt. John Peck Rathburn on the Continental Navy Sloop Providence, captured the place again, this time without firing a shot. You can listen to that story right here. Sometimes you really can baffle them with BS. We didn’t keep the place long that time either. This story is highly detailed, step by step by step, and takes about 45 minutes to listen to while you do other stuff.



A few years later Spain invaded the same island. Not liking that situation at all, loyalist citizen and South Carolina Militia Colonel Andrew Deveaux put his men in a couple boats, sailed down there, and kicked the Spanish out, giving the island back to the Crown. This is what happens when you invade an island ... with a Spanish “army” of about 75 guys.

In a despatch describing this exploit the gallant Colonel states:

“I undertook this expedition at my own expense, and embarked my men, which did not exceed sixty-five, and sailed for Harbour Island, where I recruited for four or five days, from thence I set sail for my object, which I carried about daylight, with three of their formidable galleys on the 14th. I immediately summoned the grand fortress to surrender, which was about a mile from the fort I had taken. On the 16th I took possession of two commanding hills, and erected a battery on each of them, of 44-, 24, 12, and 9 pounders. At daylight on the 18th, my batteries being complete, the English colours were hoisted on each of them, which were within musket shot of their grand fortress. His Excellency, finding his shots and shells of no effect, thought fit to capitulate.

“My force never, at any time, consisted of more than 220 men, and not over 150 of them had muskets. I took on this occasion one fort consisting of thirteen pieces of cannon, three galleys, carrying 24 pounders, and about fifty men. His Excellency surrendered four batteries, with about severity [seventy?] pieces of cannon, and four large galleys (brigs and snows), which I have sent to Havannah with the troops as flags.”

Colonel Deveaux’s gallant expedition brought the military history of Fort Nassau to an honourable close. The Spaniards never again returned to attack the Islands.

Personally, I think we should have kept it. But we didn’t own Florida in those days, and it wouldn’t have made sense to attach it to Georgia. Heck, I never understood why Canada got New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. They could have been part of Maine, even though Maine was part of Massachusetts in those days I think, and it took another 50 years to figure out the border. The St. Lawrence makes such a great natural national border.


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Posted by Drew458   United States  on 03/03/2011 at 09:49 AM   
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