War against Dutch in Ceylon
| War against Dutch in Ceylon | |
|---|---|
| 1795-96 | |
| Chronological list of Wars and Campaigns | |
| [[Image:|250px| ]] | |
| Location: Ceylon | |
| Combatants: | |
| British Navy and the East India Company | Dutch |
| Result: British took Dutch possessions | |
| Medals: Capture of Ceylon 1795-96 | |
| Links: | |
| Category: War against Dutch in Ceylon | |
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See our interactive map of War Against Dutch in Ceylon locations and routes on Google Maps | |
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Summary
In the French Revolutionary Wars the French overran the Netherlands and created the puppet state of the Batavian Republic. This gave Britain a pretext for attacking the Dutch settlements in Ceylon.
British Forces
Colonel James Stuart commanding
- Royal Artillery (42 all ranks) under Capt-Lieut Dixon
- Madras Artillery (136 all ranks and 340 gun lascars) under Capt Carlisle
- Flank coys HM 71st and 73rd Regiments (351 all ranks) under Major Dalrymple
- HM 72nd Regiment (743 all ranks) under Major Fraser
- Native Brigade under Lieut-Col Bonnevaux
- 1st Battalion (14 Europeans and 643 natives) under Capt Fergusson
- 23rd Battalion (13 Europeans and 643 natives) under Capt Campbell
- Pioneers (2 sergeants and 219 natives) under Lieut Dowse
- 13 Staff Officers
Total 1,314 Europeans and 1,845 natives
Related articles
For further details of events during this period see the following articles
| Siege of Trincomalee | 3-26 August 1795 |
| Occupation of Colombo | 12 February 1796 |
Other events
The following locations were occupied without resistance
| Fort Ostenburg | 31 August 1795 | |
| Batticaloa Fort | 18 September 1795 | (Major Fraser) |
| Jaffnapatam | 28 September 1795 | (Colonel Stuart) |
| Mullaittivu | 1 October 1795 | (Captain Monson) |
| Island and Fort of Manar | 5 October | (Captain Barbut) |
| Kalpitiya | 13 October | (Captain Bowser) |
| Negombo | 3 February 1796 | (Captain Barbut) |
Biographies
Entries in the Dictionary of Indian Biography 1906
Peter Rainier (1742-1808)
James Stuart (17??-1793)
External Links
French Revolutionary Wars Wikipedia
1796 documents relating to Captain Lachlan Macquarie, 77th Regiment of Foot, later Governor of N.S.W., Australia from Macquarie University’s Under a Tropical Sun.
Historical Books on-line
- "Ceylon, a general description of the island and its inhabitants; with an historical sketch of the conquest of the colony by the English" by Henry Marshall 1846 - English Period 1796 Google Books
- Frontier and Overseas Expeditions from India Vol VI by Intelligence Branch Army HQ India 1911 - Military Operations against the Dutch archive.org
- Military reminiscences: extracted from a journal of nearly forty years' active service in the East Indies Volume 1 page 24 by Colonel James Welsh of the Madras Establishment 1830, (Google Books), commences a description of the campaign in Ceylon in 1796