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Invasion of Capri

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Invasion of Capri
Part of the Napoleonic Wars

1810 map of Capri
Date4–18 October 1808
Location
Capri
Result Neapolitan victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Naples United Kingdom
Sicily
Commanders and leaders
Jean Maximilien Lamarque Hudson Lowe[1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown 220 killed or wounded
680 captured

The invasion of Capri was the successful recapture of the Italian island of Capri from Britain by the Kingdom of Naples on 4–18 October 1808.

Background

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In January 1806, the French army invaded and occupied the Italian island of Capri from Sicily as part of the War of the Third Coalition. Fourth months later in May, a Royal Navy squadron under Rear-admiral Sidney Smith captured the island during the French invasion of Naples. The British transformed Capri into a fortified naval base akin to Gibraltar, from which they could launch attacks on the French and their allies. In late 1806, the British Army's Royal Corsican Rangers were sent to the island, where they were joined by the Royal Regiment of Malta on September 1808.[2]

By 1808, the French client state of Naples made plans to recapture Capri from the British. On 3 October 1808, the King of Naples, Joachim Murat, ordered Divisional-general Jean Maximilien Lamarque to take charge of the Neapolitan invasion force intended to recapture Capri from the British. The invasion force initially consisted of 1,974 men, but swelled to 2,363 after receiving reinforcements. Opposing them was the British garrison on Capri, which consisted of 1,600 regulars under Colonel Hudson Lowe and was augmented by 200 Sicilian irregulars. The 32-gun British frigate HMS Ambuscade was stationed off the island.[2]

Invasion

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On 4 October, Lamarque's invasion force set sail for Capri, transported by 180 troopships and escorted by a Neapolitan squadron under Captain Giovanni Bausan consisting of the frigate Cerere, one corvette and 33 gunboats. 100 troops departed from Salerno, another 200 from Pozzuoli, 200 from Castellammare di Stabia and the remaining 1,863 from the city of Naples. Upon arriving at Capri, the invasion force engaged in a diversionary attack on the ports of Marina Grande and Marina Piccola, which diverted the British garrison's attention from the island's western coast. 480 troops attacked Marina Grande, while 540 troops assaulted Marina Piccola.[2]

Upon witnessing the invasion, Ambuscade left to gather more forces to resist the Neapolitans. Lamarque's remaining troops proceeded to disembark on the western side of Capri. Ambuscade returned with the 28-gun frigate HMS Mercury, though neither ship was able to assist Lowe's troops due to adverse weather hampering their operations. On 15 October, the Neapolitans attacked Anacapri, whose defenders consisted mostly of the Royal Regiment of Malta, and captured the town and much of the regiment after intense fighting. Spreading out across the island, they eventually forced the remaining British troops in Capri, who had cooperated poorly with the Sicilian irregulars, to surrender on 18 October.[2][3]

Aftermath

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Lowe's terms of surrender with Lamarque stipulated that the Neapolitans were to transport all the British officers they had captured to Sicily. The British had suffered total losses of 60 men killed, wounded or missing along with 680 captured, 22 of whom were officers. Many soldiers of the Royal Corsican Rangers deserted during the battle, and the unit suffered 15 men killed and wounded with 20 missing. The Royal Regiment of Malta suffered worse, with 75 men killed, 120 wounded and most of the regiment being taken as prisoners to Castel Nuovo. Approximately 270 soldiers of the unit managed to avoid capture and returned to Malta.[2][1]

Order of Battle

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Franco-Neapolitan Forces

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Note: the term elite companies refers to the Grenadier and Voltigeur companies of battalions (flank companies). The names in italics refers to the nation of which these units came from, they were not used in their respective titles however.

British Garrison

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The British Garrison on Capri numbered around 1,500 men by the time of the invasion. Under the terms of surrender, the garrison was to be evacuated to Sicily with colours and all honours of war.[1]

Footnotes

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Notes

  1. ^ Infantry Regiment provided by the Principality of Isenburg, itself part of the Confederation of the Rhine.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e Chartrand, p. 37–38
  2. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Napoleonic Wars Data Book, p. 268
  3. ^ Mullié, pp. 152-9.
  4. ^ Nafziger, George. "French & British Forces, Battle for Capri 4–18 October 1808" (PDF). United States Army Combined Arms Center. Nafziger Collection. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.

References

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  • Charles Mullié, Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850 Tome Seconde, 1857, Paris, France.
  • Smith, Digby (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic wars data book. London Mechanicsburg, PA: Greenhill Books Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-276-7. OCLC 37616149.
  • Smith, Digby (2000). Napoleon's Regiments: Battle Histories of the Regiments of the French Army, 1792–1815. London, United Kingdom: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1853674136. OCLC 43787649.
  • Greentree, David; Campbell, David (2012). Napoleon's Swiss Troops. Men-at-Arms. Botley, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1849086783. OCLC 738339818.
  • Dempsey, Guy C. (2002). Napoleon's Mercenaries: Foreign Units in the French Army Under the Consulate and Empire, 1799 to 1814. Bodmin, Cornwall, United Kingdom: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1853674884. OCLC 474117429.
  • Chartrand, René (1999). Émigré & Foreign Troops in British Service. Men-at-Arms. Vol. I: 1793–1802. Botley, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1472807205. OCLC 1021804719.
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