Raid on Cartagena (1697)

The Raid on Cartagena was a successful attack by the French on the fortified city of Cartagena, Colombia on May 6 1697, as part of the War of the Grand Alliance.

By 1695, the French navy had declined to the point that they could no longer face the English and Dutch in an open sea battle, and therefore had switched to privateering – "guerre de course". Bernard Desjean, Baron de Pointis, active in the Caribbean since the begin of the war, was able to convince Louis XIV to try a daring attack on the richest city of the region, Cartagena, in present-day Colombia.

He received command of a fleet of 7 ships, 3 frigates and some smaller vessels. The squadron left from Brest on January 7 1697, and arrived at Saint-Domingue on March 3. Pointis requested assistance from governor Jean Du Casse, who reluctantly gave his support, as he preferred an attack on Portbelo. One month later, a fleet of 1200 soldiers and 650 buccaneers appeared before Cartagena.

The once-renowned Spanish defences were not what they had once been, and Pointis conquered both fortresses which defended Cartagena relatively easily, losing only 60 men. Between May 6 and May 24 the French plundered the city, accumulating loot valued at 10 to 20 million livres.

Pointis sailed directly for France, cheating his buccaneer-allies of their promised share of the loot. Outraged, the buccaneers returned and plundered the city once more, this time untempered by the French regular soldiers, in an orgy of rape, extortion and murder.

Aftermath

On his return journey to France, Pointis managed to avoid Admiral Nevell, whose squadron had been diverted from Cadiz to pursue the French privateer. After a three day chase, Nevell had captured only one ship. Unfortunately for him, this was a hospital ship infested with yellow fever, which now spread through the English and Dutch fleets. The disease killed 1,300 English sailors, 6 captains, and Admiral Nevell. In the Dutch fleet, only one captain survived.

The French did not escape unpunished, as yellow fever also spread through their fleet, killing hundreds of sailors. However, Pointis made it back to France and gave Louis XIV his share of 2 million livres. The rest of the loot made Pointis an immensely rich man.

He published "Relation de l'expedition de Carthagene faite par les François en 1697" (Amsterdam, 1698).

References

* Lynn, John A. "The Wars of Louis XIV: 1667–1714." Longman, (1999). ISBN 0-582-05629-2
* Roger N.A.M. "The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain 1649–1815," Penguin Group, (2006). ISBN 0-141-02690-1

Links

* [http://perso.orange.fr/histoire-militaire/batailles/carthagene.htm La prise de Carthagene - 1697 (French)]