January of 1782 January 11, 1782 French Commence Operations
Against St.Kitts (St. Christopher), West Indies French Admiral
Comte Francois De Grasse, commanding a fleet of 29 ships-of-the-
line and 6,000 soldiers, arrives at this island and disembarks
his troops without opposition. De Grasse captures the town of
Basseterre and drives out the British garrison of approximately
700 men. The British retreat to a fortified position at
Brimstone Hill that is too strong to assault. At this point, the
French force begins siege operations. February of 1782 February
17 - June 20, 1782 The French and British Battle in the Indian
Ocean French Admiral Pierre Suffren de Saint-Tropez and British
Admiral Sir Edward Hughes engage in four actions in the region.
The French attack British possessions on the Indian coast and in
Ceylon. Suffren captures the port of Trincomalee in Ceylon
before returning to the Netherlands at the onset of peace
negotiations. Napoleon had a high opinion of Suffren, commenting
that he would have become