Invasion of Dominica (1778)

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During the American Revolutionary War, France joined the fight against Britain. On September 7, 1778, about 2,000 French troops under François Claude Amour, marquis de Bouillé, invaded Dominica in the British West Indies. They used local French-speaking Dominicans to weaken the defenses and sabotaged a key battery at Cachacrou. The small British garrison on the island, with around 100 regulars and local militia, was overwhelmed as the French landed more troops and moved to seize the high ground above Roseau, the capital. By noon, the French held the commanding positions and Governor William Stuart surrendered the rest of the defenses. The British regulars became prisoners, while the militia were released to go home. Bouillé did not loot Roseau; instead he levied a payment of about £4,400 to be shared among his soldiers. He left about 800 men on Dominica and returned to Martinique. Dominica remained French for the rest of the war and was returned to Britain under the 1783 Treaty of Paris (formal 1784). The British blamed Admiral Barrington for delaying reinforcements that might have changed the outcome. The invasion was part of a wider Caribbean struggle over islands during the war.