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and Contributors this page:
T.F.
Mills |
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Page
created 1 September 2000. Corrected and updated
22.04.2005
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South American colonial overtures to the British for help in overthrowing
Spanish rule had fallen on deaf ears until 1806 when a small British
force seized the Cape Colony from the Dutch.
Acting on his own initiative and without London's knowledge, Sir Home
Popham sailed from Cape Town on 14 Apr. 1806 with a small force (1640
men) to invade the Rio Plata. |
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Chronology
(except battles, which see below)
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1806.04.14 |
British
invasion force left Cape Town for the Rio Plata |
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1806.06.25 |
invasion party under Col. William Carr Beresford
landed near Buenos Aires
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1806.06.27 |
British force captured Buenos Aires (city
of 70,000 inhabitants)
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1806.08.12 |
the colonials, no more enthused about the British
presence than they were of the Spanish, rallied and captured the
whole British force; prisoners were sent deep into the interior;
some married and settled there
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1806.10 |
not knowing the fate of the first force, Sir Samuel
Auchmuty sent reinforcements from the Cape
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1806.10 |
advance force under Lt-col. Backhouse held the
island of Goretti for three months until main force arrived
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1807.01 |
main
force under Auchmuty arrived |
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1807.02.03 |
main force (6300 men) Auchmuty invested Montevideo
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1807.05 |
Lt-Gen. John Whitelock arrived to take overall command from the disgraced
Popham |
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1807.06 |
Col. Robert
Craufurd left England with more reinforcements (4800 men) |
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1807.07.05 |
leaving
a garrison at Montevideo, Whitelock again attacked Buenos Aires;
after losing more than half his force killed and captured, Whitelock
realised it was no longer possible to seize and hold the province |
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1807.07.07 |
Whitelock signed an agreement for the mutual restoration of prisoners
and the withdrawal of the British from the province within ten days |
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Popham and Whitelock were courtmartialed.
The United Provinces of South America declared independence from
Spain in 1816.
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peak forces
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total forces
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total dead
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KIA
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NCD
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civilian dead
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WIA
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PW-MIA
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subtotal |
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TOTAL |
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| Date |
Battles
(Battle Honours are shown in bold
face) |
Regiments
(regiments awarded Battle Honours are shown in
bold face) |
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Note: Battle honours awarded
as noted below. No campaign medal clasps were awarded.
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| First
British Invasion, 1806 |
| 1806
June 26 |
Rio Chuelo |
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| 1806
June 27 |
Buenos Aires |
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| 1806
Aug. 1 |
Pedriel |
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| 1806
Aug. 10-12 |
Buenos Aires |
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| Second
British Invasion, 1806-1807 |
| 1806
Oct. 29 |
Maldonado |
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| 1806
Oct. 30 |
Goretti |
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1807
Jan. 19-
1807 Feb. 3 |
Monte Video
[i.e. Montevideo] |
| awarded 1817-24 |
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| Third
British Invasion, 1807 |
| 1807
June 7 |
San Pedro |
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| 1807
July 2 |
Miserere |
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| 1807
July 5 |
Buenos Aires |
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| 1806-1807 |
South America |
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Societies,
Forums & Re-Enactors
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Fletcher, Ian. The waters of oblivion: The British
invasion of the Rio de la Plata 1806-1807. Tunbridge Wells
: Spellmount Ltd, 1991.
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Fortescue, J.W. A history of
the British Army, vol. 5. London : Macmillan, 1921. |
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- General History
- Chronology
- Research Collections and Guides
- Web Catalogues
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