The Battle of Jersey took place on 6 January 1781 when French forces during the Anglo-French War (1778–1783) and the American Revolutionary War unsuccessfully invaded the British-ruled island of Jersey to remove the threat it posed to French and American shipping. Jersey provided a base for British privateers.
The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781, John Singleton Copley
A plaque in Saint Helier marks the house of Edward Combs who raised the alarm
Major Peirson
The Royal Square, as seen here today, was the scene of the Battle of Jersey.
Anglo-French War (1778–1783)
The Anglo-French War, also known as the War of 1778 or the Bourbon War in Britain, was a military conflict fought between France and Great Britain, sometimes with their respective allies, between 1778 and 1783. As a consequence, Great Britain was forced to divert resources used to fight the American War of Independence to theatres in Europe, India and the West Indies, and to rely on what turned out to be the chimera of Loyalist support in its North American operations. From 1778 to 1783, with or without their allies, France and Britain fought over dominance in the English Channel, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean.
Battle of Cuddalore (June 20th 1783) between the French navy commanded by the Bailli de Suffren and the British one under the orders of Rear-Admiral Edward Hughes
Vergennes, foreign minister of France, worried that a war over the Bavarian succession would upset his plans against Britain
"Prise de la Dominique": French troops storm the island which fell into their hands in 1778
Plan of St. Lucia showing the positions of English and French forces and the attacks which led to its capture in December 1779