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American Marines Invaded the Bahamas During the Revolutionary War

And they won

Grant Piper
4 min readMar 13, 2021
Invasion of New Providence Island (Public domain)

ByBy 1775 it had become clear to officials on the ground that widespread insurrection and unrest were becoming more likely with each passing day. When hostilities did break out that same year, many colonial governors had made efforts to consolidate and secure vital supplies that they did not want falling into the hands of rebel forces. One of the places these supplies were sent, including gunpowder and assorted weaponry, was the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. The British did not think that the seemingly disorganized rebel militias had the means to leave the colonies and strike offshore.

They were wrong.

The Continental Army and the disparate local forces being assembled to fight the British had a desperate shortage of gunpowder. The shortage was so severe that a bold plan was ordered up for the newly minted Continental Navy and Marines to strike out from safe harbors and attack the British outpost at Nassau.

Raiders of the Caribbean

Painting of one of the ships that took place in the assault on Nassau. (Public domain)

A small expeditionary force was drafted to lead the attack on Nassau. Six ships from the…

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Grant Piper
Grant Piper

Written by Grant Piper

Professional writer. Amateur historian. Husband, father, Christian.

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