Capture of Gorée
Part of Seven Years' War
The reduction of Gorée, Dominic Serres
Date December 1758 Location Gorée, French Empire 14°40′01″N 17°23′54″W / 14.6669°N 17.3983°W / 14.6669; -17.3983 Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Augustus Keppel	Blaise de Saint-Jean
Strength
11 warships	300
Casualties and losses
None	300 captured

Gorée and its fortifications

The Capture of Gorée occurred in December 1758 when a British naval expedition led by Augustus Keppel against the French island of Gorée off the coast of Senegal during the Seven Years' War.^[1] Keppel bombarded the fortress and then landed his marines to take possession. The French commander, Blaise Estoupan de Saint-Jean surrendered the fortress and the island. The 300-man garrison became prisoners of war, and 110 guns and mortars were captured.^[2]

The island was occupied by the British until 1763 when it was returned following the Treaty of Paris.

References

Bibliography

• Anderson, Fred (2000). Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766. Faber and Faber.
• Brown, Peter Douglas (1978). William Pitt, Earl of Chatham: The Great Commoner. George Allen & Unwin.
• Dull, Jonathan R. (2005). The French Navy and the Seven Years' War. University of Nebraska.
• McLynn, Frank (2005). 1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the World. Pimlico.
• Simms, Brendan (2008). Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire. Penguin Books.