The West Indies island of Dominica, which…
August 1778 CE
Recapture of the island will improve communication among the islands, and deny the use of Dominican ports to privateers who prey on French shipping.
In August 1778, François Claude Amour, the marquis de Bouillé, the French governor-general of Martinique, receives word that war had been declared.
The French frigate Concorde reaches Martinique on August 17 with orders from Paris to take Dominica at the earliest opportunity, and Bouillé makes immediate plans for such an operation.
He had maintained contacts in the Dominican population, which had remained largely French during the years of British administration.
As a result, he has an accurate picture of the condition of the Dominican defenses, and knows that the island's garrison numbers fewer than "fifty soldiers fit for duty".
He is also concerned with the whereabouts of the British Leeward Islands fleet of Admiral Samuel Barrington, which significantly exceeds his in military power.
Unbeknown to Bouillé, Barrington, who has only recently assumed his post, is under orders to retain most of his fleet at Barbados until further instructions are received.
The British regular forces on the island, which in total number about one hundred, are distributed among defenses in the capital Roseau, the hills that overlook it, and at Cachacrou.
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