The British capture of Senegal took place in 1758 during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

with France, as part of a concerted

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strategy to weaken the French economy by damaging her international trade. To this end, a succession of small

military expeditions landed in

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

and captured

Gorée (; "Gorée Island"; ) is one of the 19 (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an island located at sea from the main harbour of Dakar (), famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trade. Its populatio ...

and Fort Saint Louis, the French slave fort located at Saint-Louis, seizing French vessels and supplies. By late 1758 the whole of the French colony on the Senegalese coast had been captured by the British, with administrative matters being handled by the first (and only) British Governor of Senegal, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Worge.

Background

The plan was devised by an American merchant Thomas Cumming who had previously visited West Africa, and extensively considered the possibilities for a British expedition. The plan was built around Britain's growing dominance on the Oceans which had dramatically reduced French

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. A British naval force under Captain Henry Marsh would sail from England and head for the coast of West Africa, where it would land an amphibious force at the

Senegal River The Senegal River ( or "Senegal" - compound of the Serer term "Seen" or "Sene" or "Sen" (from Roog Seen, Supreme Deity in Serer religion) and "O Gal" (meaning "body of water")); , , , ) is a river in West Africa; much of its length mark ...

. They would then capture the French fort at Saint-Louis. Cumming planned to raise support from local African forces, who would rendezvous with the British and attack the French. The French settlements in Senegal had little strategic value,Robson 2016, pp. 81–83 but they were important to France's global trade in slaves. They were also home to a substantial industry in

natural gum Natural gums are polysaccharides of natural origin, capable of causing a large increase in a solution's viscosity, even at small concentrations. They are mostly gum (botany), botanical gums, found in the woody elements of plants or in seed coati ...

s. The principal object of the expedition was therefore to damage the French economy by cutting access to these industries. Such expeditions were part of Southern Secretary William Pitt's strategy of destroying France's capacity to continue the war by draining her of funds.Robson 2016, pp. 81–83

Expedition

Two hundred troops and two

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s were to take part in the expedition. The forces departed from

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in early 1758, and after a brief stop for supplies at

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, they reached the coast of West Africa in April. Cumming had gone ashore to secure support amongst locals, and they launched a landward blockade of the fort. Marsh then put his troops ashore. The sudden arrival of British troops took the garrison completely by surprise. On 1 May, the French surrendered the fort, and the resident traders swore allegiance to the British. Not a single Briton was killed in the taking of the settlement. Cumming's ships returned home crammed with captured goods valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds. Pitt was extremely pleased at the ease with which the British forces had taken Saint-Louis. He was also impressed by the large quantity of

gum arabic Gum arabic (gum acacia, gum sudani, Senegal gum and by other names) () is a tree gum exuded by two species of '' Acacia sensu lato:'' '' Senegalia senegal,'' and '' Vachellia seyal.'' However, the term "gum arabic" does not indicate a partic ...

brought back to Britain, as it provided a much cheaper source for silk-weavers. In the wake of the missions' success, two further expeditions were sent out that year, which captured the Island of

and the French trading station on the

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. Pitt would have liked to have launched further expeditions but could not in the face of opposition from the

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who feared that stripping the

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of troops would leave them vulnerable to invasion.

Aftermath

Along with expeditions against

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, the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

and

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, the capture of Senegal demonstrated the new global reach of the Royal Navy and the increasingly global nature of European conflicts – as a consequence historians have labeled it the first 'world war'. Ownership of the West African possessions became a major source of contention between Britain and France during the peace talks that led to the 1763 Treaty of Paris. The negotiations centred on a potential return of some of the captured outposts. Britain was keen to hold of the Senegalese mainland, but willing to return Gorée. Ultimately, Britain kept Saint-Louis and the Senegal mainland as a part of British Senegambia. The British intended to build up their presence in West Africa, and intended to use Senegal as a starting point for this. To protect their new possession, they raised the Africa Corps, a special unit of troops under the command of

Charles O'Hara General Charles O'Hara (1740 – 25 February 1802) was a British Army officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary War and later served as governor of Gibraltar. He served with d ...

. The French were unhappy about the loss of this valuable colony, and planned to recapture it. In 1764, the French launched incursions against the coast of Senegal from Gorée, angering the British cabinet. In 1779, during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, a French force landed and seized Saint-Louis, and Senegal was ceded to them by Britain as part of the Treaty of Paris that ended the war in 1783. French control remained sporadic until its final departure in 1852.

Diaspora

This event had a far reaching impact on all those involved in the conflict. British armed forces had taken several French slave forts along the coastline, their enslaved occupants became spoils of war to be shared amongst British Military Officers, who upon their return home would employ them as servants, give them away as gifts, or offer them for sale. Pendar, a girl of about 14, is believed to be part of the Senegalese diaspora who came directly to Britain from Africa as a result of this military action. Her Swahili name, meaning love, remains common around the Senegambia region of West Africa. She resided with a Captain 'Broom', in London, at least until March 1761. 'Broom' gave the Parade, St James Park as his contact address, now known as Horse Guards Parade, the headquarters of the British Army. This was in fact Captain Joseph Brome who was Master Gunner of the British Army from 1760 and based in the newly completed (1756) Horse Guards building. In March 1761 Captain 'Broom' placed an advert in a London newspaper as Pendar had been missing for two days, having been sent out to deliver a message. She was young; responded to an African name; and spoke no English, all of which are indicative of her recent arrival and left her vulnerable on the streets of London. The language 'Broom' uses in the advert he places to try and find Pendar, reveals a level of concern and empathy that contrasts sharply with the tone of other runaway adverts. The phrase 'if willing' left Pendar with a rare choice - whether to return, or not.

References

Bibliography

* Anderson, Fred. ''Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766''. Faber and Faber, 2000. * Brown, Peter Douglas. ''William Pitt, Earl of Chatham: The Great Commoner''. George Allen & Unwin, 1978. * Dull, Jonathan R. ''The French Navy and the Seven Years' War''. University of Nebraska, 2005. * McLynn, Frank. ''1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the World''. Pimlico, 2005. *

Simms, Brendan Brendan Peter Simms (born 1967, Dublin) is a Professor of the history of international relations in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. Early life Brendan Simms is the son of Anngret and David S ...