The First Carib War (1769–1773) was a military conflict between the Carib inhabitants of Saint Vincent and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

military forces supporting British efforts at colonial expansion on the island.

Background

St. Vincent was subject to multiple colonisation attempts by Britain and France throughout the early 18th century, with efforts primarily focused on establishing plantation settlements. Along with Dominica and Tobago, St. Vincent was ceded to Britain in the

Treaty of Paris (1763) The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Kingdom of France, France and Spanish Empire, Spain, with Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal in agree ...

and placed under the joint-authority of Governor Robert Melvill. Under Melvill and his successor, William Leyborne Leyborne, the islands saw considerable advancement in their economies, and land acquisition became a driving force in island policy, putting them at odds with their respective native populations.

Conflict

Initial stage

Relations between the British and Garifuna broke down in 1769 when a survey party supported by the 32nd Regiment was taken hostage, having crossed into Garifuna land to construct roads. Concerned that further encroachment could lead to an invasion, Garifuna leaders under

Joseph Chatoyer Joseph Chatoyer, also known as Satuye (died 14 March 1795), was a Garifuna ('' Carib'') chief who led a revolt against the British colonial government of Saint Vincent in 1795. Killed that year, he is now considered a national hero of Saint Vi ...

made contact with the French government in

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

, where they negotiated the sale of weapons. In September of that year the crew of an American ship were massacred when it went aground. Supplied with firearms from the nearby French islands, the Garifunas in particular became a problem for British colonial ambitions in the region, and in November 1770 three infantry regiments were shipped out from Cork to the West Indies to protect planters in Dominica, St. Vincent and Tobago. In late 1771 a letter was intercepted by Sir William Young confirming ties between the Garifunas and the Governor of

British offensive

Frustrated by the deadlock, in 1772 Governor William Leyborne Leyborne requested aid from Britain, and was answered by the colonial secretary,

Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire, (30 May 1718 – 7 October 1793), known as the 2nd Viscount Hillsborough from 1742 to 1751 and as the 1st Earl of Hillsborough from 1751 to 1789, was a British politician of the Georgian era. Best known ...

. Despite concerns of the approaching hurricane season being raised by the secretary for war,

William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington William Wildman Shute Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, PC (15 January 1717 – 1 February 1793), was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons for 38 years from 1740 to 1778. He was best known for his two periods as Secretary a ...

, plans were drawn to rapidly re-deploy several regiments to the island with the intention of swiftly crushing resistance. As the Summer approached, the garrison on St. Vincent was bolstered by additional companies of the 32nd, 68th and 70th Regiments, being redeployed from Dominica, Antigua and Grenada, respectively. Additionally, the 6th and 14th Regiments were deployed from the

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under orders from General

Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator best known for his many years of service in North America, including serving as Commander-in-Chief, North America during the early days ...

. Admiral

Robert Mann Robert Nathaniel Mann (July 19, 1920 – January 1, 2018) was a violinist, composer, conductor, and founding member of the Juilliard String Quartet, as well as a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music. Mann, the first violinist at Jui ...

was tasked with leading a Royal Navy squadron to the island to cut off any communication with Martinique. Under orders from Major-General

William Dalrymple William Benedict Hamilton-Dalrymple (born 20 March 1965) is a Delhi-based Scottish people, Scottish historian and art historian, as well as a curator, broadcaster and critic. He spends nine months of each year on his goat farm in India. He i ...

, the invasion began in September, with the main force pushing north from Kingstown and supported by additional beach landings further up the coast, including at Grand Sable Bay, now Georgetown. The main priority of the invasion was capturing the mountains in the centre of the island. In January 1773 a party of the 31st Regiment of Foot led by Ralph Walsh was ambushed and killed by Garifunas, becoming the highest-ranked loss of the war. Despite their large numbers, disease and the hot and wet weather on the island led to many soldiers dying shortly after arrival, with half of the 14th Regiment's contribution having died before any fighting occurred. By the end of the hurricane season, much of the island's food stores were spent, and the expeditionary force was dependent on American food shipments. The roughly 1500-3000 Garifuna fighters lasted out the invasion through ambushes and attacks on plantations to starve out the expeditionary force.

Cessation of hostilities

The war was unpopular in Britain, with multiple debates in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

critical of the North ministry's handling of the situation. Richard Whitworth, Thomas Townshend and Isaac Barré each questioned the need for war, seeing it as British encroaching in recognised foreign territory, and a waste of men who had more important duties elsewhere. With military matters reaching a stalemate, a peace agreement was signed in 1773 that delineated boundaries between British and Carib areas of the island. The Caribs were to have the northern third of the island from the Wallilabou River in the west to the Byera River in the east. Article 1.iv of the treaty, summarized in Charles Shephard, An Historical Account of the Island of Saint Vincent, 1831, section II.

References